The Shelflands Saga II
by Deadborder
Summary: A young woman leaves her home to find answers to qustions in her past. Along the way, she finds a world that is differnt to what she expected, but strangely familiar.
1. Prelude

**Shelflands Saga II**

**Prologue**

Sturm Trogdor's blue Godos stopped on the crest of the hill, his aide's Tank Zoid pulling up next to it. looking down form the cockpit, he could see the small town nestled in the valley below. It was a quiet, ordinary place, just like every other small town in this area. Only one thing about it stood out, and that was the Rev Rapter currently standing in the middle of it.

Sturm frowned. He'd been tracking this man for almost a week now. His faster Zoid had allowed him to escape every time that Sturm had come close to catching him. He'd expected him to try something like this. However, this time he had the advantage. He checked the status of the CP-13 pod on his Zoid's beck. The sensors and cannon pods all responded green. Not bad for a black market weapon that had been probably pulled off a junked Zoid.

"Are you sure about this, Sir?" the Tank Zoid's pilot asked. "I mean, it is a stolen weapon and-"

"Yes, I am." He replied warily. "I will hand it in when I am done here so the proper authorities can deal with it." _But after today, I doubt I will need to,_ he mentally added. "Now stay here, while I deal with this criminal."

"Yes Sir!" The Tank's pilot replied.

Sturm advanced towards the town, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the Rev Rapter. This was it. No turning back now. He had decided what he had to do, and he would do it regardless of the consequences. There was a message that needed to be sent. Unfortunately, he would be the one to send it. He flicked on the PA system. "I am Paladin Sturm Trogdor of the Zygra Empire. I demand that you power down your Zoid immediately and step out of the cockpit. If you do not comply, I will be forced to open fire."

The Rev Rapter took a step to one side so it was right up against a building, not allowing Sturm to get a clear shot at it. "Oh, you're gonna fire." It sneering pilot replied over the PA. "Oh, the big bad Paladin is coming to get me!" Sturm could hear him sniggering to himself. "What are ya gonna do, blast me with all these people around? You gonna take me out in the middle of the village? You gonna hit me where some innocent bystander could get hurt."

The Godos continued its advance, Sturm remaining silent.

"Go on then. Gimmie your best shot. Oh, wait, you can't." He laughed out loud now. "Man, you Paladins are so-"

Before he could finish. Sturm opened fire. The four twin beam cannons from the Weasel Pod blasted at the Rapter, blowing the house next to it apart while scorching the Rapter's armour. "I warned you" he simply stated.

"Paladin Trogdor!" The Tank's driver shouted over the radio. "What's going on down there? What are you doing?"

Sturm ignored him and continued to advance. The Rev Rapter, its pilot realising that something was amiss, broke into a run. Sturm tracked him, opening fire with the Godos' hip-mounted heavy beam cannon. The cannon spat fire at the retreating Zoid, shredding the armour over one hip. The Rapter ducked behind another house, only to have it blasted apart by cannon fire.

"You're crazy, man!" The Rapter's pilot shouted as he ran, weaving through the village as he went.

"No." He replied. "I'm doing my duty. I have stepped beyond the restrictions that my superiors placed on my comrades and I that have helped scum like you escape in past." The Godos opened fire with the Weasel Pod again, the shots narrowly missing the Rapter while setting several houses ablaze. "You bought this down on yourself."

The Rev Rapter stopped, realising that it had run into a dead-end street. "No way, man." He replied. "You're not gonna get me. You're insane." The Zoid turned, hissing at the Godos. "You're not gonna take me down!" It charged at the Godos, its blades extended. Running straight at it, the Rapter leaped into the air to strike.

Beofre it could connect, however, Sturm opened fire with the Weasel Pod. The Rapter was smashed out of the air, falling back into a building and crushing it. The arm and leg on its right side had been torn free from its body, while much of the torso was gutted. The enemy Zoid lay on the ground, crippled.

"You are beneath contempt." Sturm snarled as the Godos walked over to the wrecked Zoid. "Filth like you need to be eradicated form this world."

"No way, man!" He shouted. "I surrender! Please, I surrender!"

The Godos stood over the Rev Rapter's inert body. "It's too late for that. Too late for anything." The Godos smashed its fist down on the Rev Rapter's cockpit, crushing it instantly. The enemy Zoid spasamed, then was still. Standing, the Godos turned towards the Tank Zoid.

"Paladin Trogdor!" The Tank's driver shouted "What are-"

"Go now!" He shouted back. "I have no desire to kill you, but I will if you do not leave immediately!"

The Tank's pilot remained quiet for a moment. Then the Tank turned around and sped off the way it had come, its repair trailer clattering along behind it. Sturm watched it go, before turning away. The message had been set, he thought. A pity that it took so many lives to get it through. The Godos began to slowly walk away form the village, its pilot leaving all that he had known behind.


	2. Red Claw

"That's her?"

"Yes."

"Is the equipment ready?"

"It is."

"Then let's proceed."

Masked faces hovered over her, glaring down at her from behind featureless goggles. An overhead light bathed the room, wherever it was, and its occupants in green, giving them an odd, almost sinister look. She could see equipment in the room, but had no idea what any of it was. Where was she? She thought. What's going on? Who are these people?

A hand reached over, a mask in hand. The mask descended over her face, blocking out her vision. Everything went black.

"Begin the operation."

**oOoOo**

**Red Claw**

**oOoOo**

Althiea sat up in bed, breathing quickly as if she was in shock. She looked around for a moment, taking in her surroundings. It was a room, rather plain and unadorned. Weak, early-morning light came in from a single window, currently covered by curtains. It was her room, she realised. Her room in the home she shared in her town.

"It was just a nightmare." She said to herself. "Just that same one again."

She'd had that particular nightmare several times before. Each time it jarred her awake with shock and fear. Why, she couldn't say. She had no idea what it was meant to be about and why it frightened her so much.

She glanced over at the clock by her bed. Nearly time to get up anyway, she thought. She stepped out of bed, her long grey nightgown almost reaching the floor. Padding quietly across the small rug and onto the cold floor, she went over to the mirror to check herself as she had a habit of doing after that nightmare. A part of her just wanted to reassure herself that everything was normal.

She looked fine. A slim attractive face framed by long, black hair and dark brown, almost black eyes that contrasted with her pale skin. No, she thought, everything looked normal. _Why do I always get so worried after that nightmare_, she wondered. _What is it? Who are those people? Should I know who they are?_

A knock on her door snapped her out of it. "Ali? Are you awake?" It was Sarah, her housemate and best friend. While less then ten years older then Ali, Sarah had taken her in and looked after her after her parents had died ten years ago. Althiea had been only ten at the time, Sarah a bit over twenty, yet she'd managed to take care of her and bring her up.

"Yes." She replied. "What's up?"

"Mr N'Buta is here." She began.

"Oh!" She'd forgotten what day it was. "Tell him I'll be out in a minute."

**oOoOo**

Five minutes later she stepped out of the room. Dressed in a long, loose-fitting charcoal-grey dress with her hair tied back into a pair of long braids then bound with a pair of cloth bands. Adding her mother's pennant around her neck (a small, dull-green stone that had been cut into a smooth oval), she was trying to look as presentable as possible. "Sorry to keep you." She began nervously.

Sarah stepped into the small living room, a mug of hot tea in each hand. "Don't apologise to me", she began as she handed Ali one of the mugs. Of average height, blond haired and blue eyed, she couldn't have looked too much more different from Ali. "Apologise to him."

Ali turned to see Adam N'Buta sitting on one of the chairs in the living room. He was a solidly built man in his mid fourties with dark brown skin and short hair. One of the oldest men in the town, he was also very strong and fit by anyone's standards. "Good morning, Ali." He began. She'd known him for years, becoming his student of sorts. Today was going to be a very big day for both of them.

"I'm so sorry, Mr N'Buta." She stammered out. "I should have been ready."

"No need to worry." He said. "I'm a bit early, actually. Sit down, please." The three of them sat around the small table in the middle of the living room that was usually used for meals. "I've got your application with me here." He said, patting one of his shirt pockets. "I'm sure that they'll be interested in it."

"Thank you again for this opportunity." She replied. "I don't know what I would have done without you." Ali had a fascination for all things mechanical and electronic. Adam, the town's top mechanic had taken her in as an apprentice of sorts, teaching her a lot of what he'd known He'd been surprised at how quickly she'd picked the basics up, and soon she was his partner, helping him with all manner of jobs. There was only one thing that she wasn't allowed to help him with, and she hoped that after today, that would change.

"Not that I'm criticising your fashion sense, Ali." Sarah began. "But do you really think that a long, loose dress is the best thing to be wearing for repair work? Especially today."

"She won't be actually doing any of the work." Adam explained. "Rather she'll be watching what we're doing, learning by observation. That should impress the other techs enough for them to consider her application."

"Ah." Sarah replied. "So today you stand around and look beautiful. You've got that much covered." Sarah smiled. It was their little joke.

She sipped her tea. "Do you think they'll have a full technical team with them?"

"Probably." Adam replied. "They've been speeding up the maintenance jobs of late. Apparently, they want to have as many towns as possible ready to defend themselves if needs be."

"Any reason?" Sarah asked. "It's not like we're close to any borders."

"There's been a rise in bandit activity nearby." He replied. "And several of the independent city states have been rather reluctant to do anything about them."

Ali nodded. "So the pressure falls on us because we're in the front line."

"We're well out of the way of where the attacks have been mostly occurring." He continued. "But it's good to make sure." He finished off his tea. "You ready to go?"

**oOoOo**

The town of Sun Hill was pretty typical of small towns in the region, hot and dry, but far from uninhabitable, it was primarily a farming community built near a steady, reliable water supply. Like most towns in the area, it had only existed for about fourty years. Most of the buildings were originally built out of prefabricated components giving the town a rather bland and uniform look. later owners had addressed the situation somewhat by decorating their homes, trying to give them some degree of individuality.

One particular building stood out amongst the others. As big as a large house, it stood separately to all the others. Made form reinforced concrete, one of its walls consisted of a large metal door. Unlike so many other buildings in the town, it was featureless and unadorned.

Althiea and Adam stood outside the building, waiting patiently. Under normal circumstances, only a handful of people had access to this building. Ali had never been inside, but knew what was inside there. "I've been looking forward to this for some time." She began, nervously. "I'm glad you chose me for this."

"You've been a great help to me over the last few years." Adam replied. "Given time, I think you could be a better technician then I ever could."

"Me?" She said.

"That's right." He replied. "That's why I wanted you to be here. If they're impressed with your technical knowledge, and it would be hard for them not to be, then you could be in line for a good job with the Imperial army."

"The Imperial Army?" She replied. "That would mean a lot to me."

A lone figure approached the pair of them. He was tall, with a build that could be described as 'lanky', with short red hair, blue eyes and a face that seemed to be a mess of freckles. The ornate red uniform he wore added some much needed bulk to his frame that otherwise seemed to consist entirely of knees and elbows. "Good morning." He began, nodding to Adam. He then noticed Althiea, and hastily stammered out another "good morning."

Ali nodded to him. Like her, Gary Shea was in like for a job with the Imperial Army, but as a warrior rather then a technician. A native of Sun Hill, he had joined the army and somehow made it past their physical exams. Now he had returned to his home town as its officially designated Protector as a form of in the field training before becoming a full-blown Knight of the Empire. This hadn't changed him much from the spindly, shy youth that she'd known, however. "How are you today, Gary?"

"G-good, thank you." He managed to get out.

"Althiea is applying to the Imperial Army as a technician." Adam began. "She'll be watching today's inspection."

Althiea nodded, then turned towards the western edge of town. A trio of huge shapes had appeared on the horizon, slowly moving towards the town. "That looks like them now." She began.

**oOoOo**

On a ridge overlooking the town, another woman watched the town through a pair of binoculars. She zoomed in on the hardened concrete bunker in the middle of the town. It was exposed and open, and would be rather easy to get to from any approach into the town. She was of average height with a muscular build, with olive skin, dark eyes and short black hair. She was wearing a grey dress uniform, consisting of a jacket and slacks, with white striping on the sleeves and pants legs.

A communicator earpeice beeped, indicating an incoming message. "Jenice here." She began. "What is it?"

"It's Towne." The woman on the other end replied. "The convoy is approaching the town on schedule."

She turned towards the plains to the west of the town to see three shapes were moving along the road. Bringing up the binoculars, she quickly identified them. "Garius, Elephantus, Tank... And what looks like a personnel carrier unit. So the information was right." She'd been planning this operation for a while now. While she could have done it on a day when the Imperial forces weren't there, she had wanted to wait until they were. That way she could send a message.

She puled out a larger palm-top communicator. "Okay, listen up men. Drake, I want you to take out the Tank on my signal. Bart, wait for me, then advance into the town on my signal. Towne, Gwen, wait on standby if I need you."

"And what about us, boss?" A guttural voice came across the communicator.

"You two will remain in position until I signal you." She replied. "And I will need you."

"Heh." The voice replied. "You sure know how to make us happy."

_That's because you're greedy, stupid and easily to manipulate, she thought._ She knew her men well, knew what they were like and what they were capable of. She turned to look back at Zoid waiting behind her. _Soon_, she thought. _Soon we will show them._

**oOoOo**

Even though she'd seen them several times, Ali couldn't help but be impressed by the approaching Zoids. The Garius was tall and slender, with a vaguely humanoid shape offset by its long tail. The Zoid carried a long spear in one hand and a shield in the other, the empire's crest emblazoned on it. The Elephantus walked on four legs and had large ears, indicative of its ancestral Elephant form. A pair of beam cannons resembled the tusks, while it also carried a manned gun platform on the back. The Tank didn't resemble any form of animal; instead it had a rectangular body that rode on four board wheels and a long neck. It was towing an armoured trailer behind it.

The three of them stopped short of the building, the Tank puling up ahead of them. A single man stepped out of the tank, wearing an elaborate red and blue uniform with a polished silver chest and shoulder armour and helmet. "Captain Pieter Vander, third Imperial Grenadiers." He began, and saluted.

"Squire Gary Shea, Protector of Sun Hill." Gary answered, saluting back.

"Good to see you, boy." The captain replied. "I can see you're doing a great job of looking after this place. We'll make a proper knight out of you yet." He stepped past him and over to Adam. "Good to see you again, Adam."

"You too, Pieter." Adam replied. "This is Althiea, my apprentice that I was telling you about." He took a letter out of his jumpsuit pocket. "This is her application."

He took the letter, examined it and then put it in his pocket. "Pleased to meet you." He extended a hand to her. "Adam has told me a lot about you."

"Thank you, sir." She replied. "It's an honor to meet you."

"Right." he began, turning back to the hanger. "Let's take a look at this thing."

Adam opened up a smaller door in the main hanger door. The four of them stepped inside, into a large, open space. A Spiker filled most of the hanger, the huge Zoid's head near the roof. Alithiea had known about the town's Zoid, but had never seen it up close before. Its insectoid design was strange, almost alien compared to the Garius and Elphantus that she was more used to seeing. She'd read a lot about the different Zoid types used by the various powers in the Shelflands, becoming familiar with their designs and capabilities. However, she had seen very few types in person.

"She looks to be in good shape." Pieter began. "You've obviously taken care of her. But, well, official rules and all."

"Sure thing." Adam replied.

"If you'll excuse me for a second." Pieter stepped outside of the hanger. Althiea knew what was going on here. The Zoid was technically the property of the Imperial army. Every month they needed to inspect it to make sure that it was in full working order. Additionally they would check its logs to make sure that there had not been any unauthorised use of the Zoid. All use of it was normally logged by the pilot, so if anyone else had used it, the Zoid's data would show that use.

Pieter returned a few minutes later, followed by a trio of technicians. The three of them moved over to the Spiker and began work on it, inspecting its various systems. "I want you to watch them closely." Adam began. "Take note of everything they do. You can learn a lot from them."

Ali nodded, then turned to watch the Sinker's maintenance in progress. From what she could see form the various opened maintenance hatches, it was a far more complex machine then anything she'd ever seen before. At the same time, however, she was already getting some idea of how the Zoid worked. _I think I can manage this_, she thought as she watched them work. _Its just another machine, albeit bigger and more complex._

Pieter's personal communicator beeped. "Just a second." He began as he picked it up. "Go ahead" He began. "What? You're sure?" He looked around. "Here?" There was a brief pause. "Very well. I'll tell him." He put down the communicator and turned to Gary. "The Tank has spotted an unidentified Zoid approaching the town at high speed. It's not responding to our requests to identify itself. I want you to suit up and join the others."

"Me sir?" Gary asked, nervously.

"Yes, you." He replied. "You're the protector of this town. It's your task to defend it from attacks." Pieter laid a hand on Gary's shoulder. "Besides, this will be a great learning experience. You do want to be a Knight of the Empire, don't you?"

"Yes sir!" He snapped off as he saluted. Suddenly enthused, he scrambled up the access way and leaped into the Zoid's cockpit. The Technicians moved away from the Zoid as he activated its systems. As soon as the door was open, the mantis-like Zoid walked out, joining the other two.

"You two stay here." Pieter shouted. "It's the safest place in the whole town right now."

As if to prove him wrong, a high-pitched whistling noise came out of the sky. A pair of shells struck the side of the hanger, sending chunks of concrete flying in all directions. "I'm not staying in here!" Althiea shouted over the sound of the blast. "Maybe they won't attack anything else!"

"Wait-" Adam began, but before he could say anything there was another explosion that shook the building, knocking them both over.

Picking herself up, Althiea ran out the opened hanger door without thinking about what she was doing. All she knew was that she had to get away from there as quickly as possible. She didn't have any idea where she was going, so long as it was away from the explosions. As she ran, she heard another blast behind her. Stopping for a moment, she could see that the shelter had been holed, something inside it burning.

The Tank Zoid rolled away form the shelter, trailing the troop transport behind it. Suddenly the Zoid rocked on its wheels, a gout of flame and smoke coming form its side. The other three Zoids stood surprised for a moment, before they started running, scattering away from the disabled Tank.

She glanced around, looking for some sign of the attacker, but saw none. "A sniper?" She asked herself. There were specialised sniper Zoids, but they were relatively rare. _What would one be doing all the way out here_, she thought.

"Look out!" Somebody shouted as they ran past her. Turning, she could se another Zoid entering the town. The new arrival was far larger than any of the others, and had a quadruped frame. Its shape was suggestive of one of the Liger or Tiger designs, but its configuration was completely unfamiliar to her. The armour was bright red with a white trim, and its canopy "eyes" were a bright green colour, with a large green dome on top. A pair of large shields covered most of its forelegs, while a pair of large beam cannons rode on its back.

She watched, fascinated by this strange new Zoid as it charged towards the town's defenders. The Elephantus, the closest of them, opened fire with its chin and back cannons. The shots bounced off the Liger's leg shields as the Zoid charged, replying with its dual back cannons. The shots hit the Elephantus, tearing into the lightly armored Zoid. The two legs on the right side were torn apart, the small Zoid collapsing on the ground.

No sooner was the Elephantus down then the Liger turned to the Garius. The smaller Zoid bravely stood its ground, holding its shield across its body while sticking the spear out in the hope of catching the Liger on its charge. The Liger leaped at the smaller Zoid, its claws glowing a brilliant golden colour as it went. The claws sliced straight through the shield and spear, then tore the Garius' body in half. The Liger landed behind the Garius, already running as the other Zoid's mangled wreckage hit the ground.

Seeing the destruction of the other two Zoids, the Spiker broke into a run, it's long, slender legs trying to carry it away from its opponent as quickly as possible while still firing. The shots hit the Liger's flank but didn't do any apparent damage. In response, the Liger turned towards the Spiker, snarling at it.

Althiea realied that Gary was inside the cockpit of the Zoid. He must have known that he was facing a far more capable opponent then him, as the Spiker turned away form the Liger and broke into a high-speed run, trying to get away as fast as possible. The Liger chased after it, clearly much faster. Ignoring the Spiker's efforts to take it down, the Liger leaped over the cannon fire and bought down its armoured paw on the Spiker's head. The whole Zoid tipped forwards, the head crushed under the weight of the Liger landing on it.

"No!" She shouted. She was hoping that somehow, Gary had survived that, even though she knew it was clearly impossible. The Liger turned to look at her, as if it had heard her shout.

**oOoOo**

Jenice looked at the wreckage of the Spiker, and then at the other two Zoids. Now the town was defenseless, she thought. Perfect. She checked over the Zoid's status board, checking the damage indicators. Everything looked to be fine, save for a small amount of armour that was lost to the Elephantus and Spiker's beam guns. It was nothing substantial, and could be easily ignored for the moment.

She activated her communicator. "Bart, move in." She began. "I'll meet you outside the library."

"Sure thing, boss." The voice on the other end began. "What do you want me to do for salvage?"

"Take the Tank, it's mostly intact." She replied. "If you have the time, pick up the others for parts."

"Heh... you really know how to make a mess of 'em, boss." He replied. "I'll be there in a moment."

Looking out of the viewscreen, she could see the empty streets, leading back to the ruined hanger. The streets were deserted, save for a single woman in a black dress. "Well, if she's not smart enough to run to cover, that's her problem." The Liger broke into a run, heading straight down the street. Abruptly, it stopped right in front of the woman.

"What?" She shouted. "What are you doing?" She pushed the Liger's throttle, but the Zoid refused to movie, and instead roared angrily. "What's wrong with you?"

**oOoOo**

As she watched, the Liger turned towards her and then came charging down the street. She looked around for somewhere to hide, somewhere to run to, but couldn't see anything. The huge Zoid charged at her, then abruptly stopped.

"What..." She began. "What's happening? What's it doing?"

The Liger snarled, then roared out loud, shaking its head around. Then, as abruptly as it had stopped, it turned to the right and leaped away from her, heading off down a side street.

Althiea watched it as it ran, heading towards the center of town. It was then that she noticed a second Zoid approaching the town from the same direction that the Liger had come from. It was a Gustav, with a dark red shell and a yellowish-green body. One of its two trailers was an open flatbed, the other one looked to be a transport like the one used by the Tank Zoid. The Liger stopped outside the town library, waiting for the Gustav to join it.

Curious as to what they were doing, and determined to find out more about these attackers, she ran after the Liger. As she approached, the Gustav pulled up next to the Liger and stopped, the rear of the transport module opening up. She ducked behind a building, watching cautiously from around a corner to see what was happening.

A squadron of soldiers ran out of the Gustav's trailer. They wore simple desert-coloured fatigues and helmets, the lower halves of their faces covered by cloth masks. The squad entered the library, then the Gustav moved on. Determined to find out what was going on, Alitheia slipped into the library through a rear entrance.

Glancing around nervously, she could see a number of soldiers going through the records section. For the most part they were ferreting though draws or in the case of the few digital records available, quickly scanning the contents of the disks and discarding the ones they didn't want. What are they after, she wondered. What's so important that they attacked the town and the Imperial knights for?

"Over there!" A soldier shouted. he swung his bulky snub-nosed rifle at her and opened fire. The shots went wide, tearing up the shelf next to her in a cloud of splinters and shredded paper. Desperately trying not to panic, she ducked out the back door of the library again. She could hear voices inside shouting, with someone trying to give orders over the rest of the confusion.

The door creaked open as a soldier, presumably the same one that had spotted her earlier, stepped out of the library. Before he spotted her, she grabbed him and swung him around, shoving his face into the wall. He dropped his rifle and stumbled back from the wall, clutching his nose. Seeing her chance, she kicked at his calf, tripping him up.

As he went down, she grabbed his rifle and pointed it at him. She'd never held a gun before, let alone pointed it at someone. The weight and bulk of the rifle made it heavy and uncomfortable in her hands. "Who are you?" She shouted. "Why are you here?" She hoped that he wouldn't try anything too rash.

"Don't shoot!" He replied nervously. "I- I don't know anything! I was just told to come here and look for stuff in the library."

"What were you looking for?" She asked, angrily. "And who sent you?"

"Maps!" he said. "Geological survey maps and things like that. I don't know why! I'm just new at this!"

"Who sent you?" She shouted again.

"We're a gang, sorta. More like an army!" He shouted. "Look, a guy asked me if I wanted to make some money fast." Looking at what she could see of his face, he looked young, probably younger then she was. "He took me to a warehouse where there was a whole bunch of other guys. They told us that we were in a private army, the Red Claw or something like that."

"Where was this?" She said. "Where did you come from?"

"Freedom." He replied, hastily. Freedom was a large independent city-state in the empire's south-eastern provinces. Situated in the middle of nowhere, it was supposed to be a completely self-sufficient, with no need for anything from the outside world. "Look, I've told you everything I know."

Ali stepped back form him. "Go now!" She shouted, then leveled the gun at him. "Go on!"

The soldier nervously got to his feet, then ran back to the library. Realising that this may be a good time to leave, she took the rifle's clip and then dumped the rest of the weapon in a waste bin.

**oOoOo**

Jenice sat in the cockpit of her Zoid, drumming her fingers on the control panel. As far as she could tell, there was nothing wrong with its systems. The Zoid had simply not wanted to go any further down the street, regardless of what she told it. Why, she couldn't tell. Maybe it had decided that it didn't want to kill the girl in the black dress for some reason, but she couldn't think why. As soon as they got back to base, she'd have to give it a thorough examination.

"Commander!" A voice on her communicator grabbed her attention. "This is Parkes. We've found the information you were after."

"Excellent." She replied. "Wait for the Gustav to return, then we'll move out." She closed the channel and opened up a new one. "Bart, what's your status?"

"Well," he began in a slow drawl. "I've loaded the tank and the mince of the others. I'm ready to roll as soon as you are."

"Good. Pick up the troops and then get out of here."

"Sure thing, boss." He replied.

Switching channels again, she opened up al ink to her reserve troops. "Harry, Malcom, listen up. As soon as we're clear of the town I want you two to open fire. Cover our retreat and give the Imperial troops something else to think about rather then pursuing us.

"Heh." Came a guttural voice on the end. "Sure thing, boss."

"Just do it." She replied.

**oOoOo**

The Gustav, now carrying the wreckage of the Tank and the other three Zoids on its trailer, trundled out of town. The Liger walked behind it, protecting it from any potential pursuers. For a moment after they left, it was quiet. Then there was a high-pitched whistling sound, the same one as she'd heard earlier. She realised what it must have been. Artillery. Somebody was firing on the town!

The shells struck the library behind her, blasting apart the building, the shock sending her sprawling to the ground. Waiting for a moment, she warily opened her eyes. The Library was burning its roof collapsed by the force of the blast. However, she seemed to be fine. She was about to get to her feet when she heard it again. A high pitched whistling, followed by an earth-shaking explosion. A nearby building erupted into flames as another shell struck the town.

Althiea ran from the burning library, heading back towards the ruined shelter. Even though the roof was partially caved in, it was still one of the strongest buildings in the town. Another pair of explosions went off nearby, seemingly randomly targeted. They're not trying to take out anything in particular, she thought. So why are they continuing to fire? They have what they want. A nearby explosion knocked her off her feet, the world going black as she hit the ground.

**oOoOo**

"...proceed with the operation."

Althiea blinked awake to find herself staring at an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. Looking around, she could see that she was in a large hall and that she was lying on a mat on the floor with a blanket over her. There were people all around her, all lying on similar mats. She could see that most of them were bandaged.

_What happened?_ She asked herself. Then she remembered. The attack on the town. The mysterious Liger. The shelling. There had been an explosion and... She rubbed her forehead. There was a bandage around it. She must have been hit by something, maybe debris or shrapnel from a blast, and knocked out.

Pulling back the rest of the blanks, she could see that she was otherwise unharmed. She slowly stood, looking around for someone, anyone, who knew what was going on. Spying a blonde woman with another patient, she quietly walked over to her. "Excuse me." She began.

The woman turned around. To her surprise, it was Sarah. "Ali, you're-"

Before she could continue, Althiea threw her arms round the other woman. "Are you okay? What happened here? Where are we? What's going on? What's-"

"Calm down." Sarah replied. Althiea quietly backed off. "You took a bump on the head form a chunk of flying masonry. Fortunately, it wasn't bad. You were knocked out but someone found you and bout you in here." She gestured to the room. "Here, incidentally, is the community hall with is about the largest building still standing."

"What about you?" She asked. "Are you-"

"I'm fine." Sarah replied. "I'm a trained nurse, actually, I volunteered to help out." She looked around. "Its worse then it looks, actually. You and the people here are the lucky ones."

She looked around. A lot of people here looked anything but lucky. "Were there a lot of casualties?"

Sarah nodded. "And many more badly injured in the shelling."

She looked around for the moment. "What about Adam? Is he-"

"He's alive." Sarah replied. "However, he was badly hurt in the attack."

"Can I see him?"

Sarah nodded. The pair of them walked through the hall to a different room. Here there were fewer people, but they were further apart and resting on proper beds rather then the mats she and the other's were using. Sarah quietly directed her to one that Adam was lying on.

His forehead and one of his eyes were covered by bandages, while one arm bandaged and folded over his chest. The rest of his body was covered by the sheets, but she suspected that there was far more underneath. "How is he?"

Sarah shook her head. "He was badly injured, but his condition is stabilised." She explained. "Right now he's resting. He should be all right in the long term, but..."

"But?" Althiea spoke up.

"He lost two of the fingers on his right hand, and the muscles were badly damaged." She explained. "Which means that he may loose a lot of the use of his arm."

"I see." She realised the full implications of what Sarah was saying. Adam relied on having full use of his hands and arms in order to do his job. His injuries could cost him his livelihood. "The attackers, do we know where they went?"

"They fled to the South-west." Sarah replied. "Well, say 'fled', but they weren't running form anything. But the shelling began before anyone could try to pursue them."

She thought about the attackers for a moment, considering the mysterious Liger. She still had no idea what it was or where it had come from. Nor did she have any idea about who was piloting it and, most interestingly, why it had stopped in front of her. She got the distinct impression that its pilot hadn't been completely in control of that situation. A part of her wanted to know why.

"Sarah, I'm feeling fine now." She said. "I'm not doing anything here, and you can use the space or the sheets for someone who needs it more then me."

"You sure about that?"

She nodded. "The town's probably a real mess outside. I want to see what's happening out there and see if I can help out. I'm not doing anyone any good lying around in here."

Sarah glared at her for a moment. "All right." She said. "But if you feel weak or dizzy or anything like that, you come straight back here. You understand?"

Althiea nodded. "I will." She replied, then turned and left.

**oOoOo**

An hour later she was standing outside her house, which had been left miraculously untouched in the attack. Sarah's jeep, a battered and elderly vehicle that was older then any of the buildings in the town had also survived, which was perfect for her. She had spent the last half hour packing supplies into it and planning.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

She turned around to see Sarah standing behind her, glaring at her. "Can I ask why you're loading your belongings into my jeep?"

She walked over to where her friend was standing. "I have to go after them." She began.

"And do what?" Sarah asked. 'You can't stop a Liger, a Gustav and god alone knows what else with just a rusty jeep."

Althiea shook her head. "It's not that." She explained. "Sarah, there's a lot I don't know about myself and my past. My parents died when I was young, and even before then they told me very little." She looked her friend straight in the eye. "I don't even have a last name. They never even told me that."

"But what will this achieve?" Sarah asked. "What will this tell you?"

She looked over the desert, into the setting sun. "Something." She replied. "When that Liger was standing over me, I felt something a... a presence of sorts." She turned back to Sarah. "As if there was some connection between me and that Zoid."

Sarah nodded. "I'll admit that I barely knew your parents when I took you in." She began. "I wish I could tell you more about them and about you."

"I understand." Althiea replied. "But I have to do this. At the very least, maybe I can lead the Imperial forces to their base of operations or something." She considered what she'd seen of the Liger in action against the three Imperial Knights. She somehow doubted that even an Imperial Paladin would have fared any better.

"I understand." Sarah replied. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will." Althiea replied. "Thank you, Sarah, for looking after me and all you've done for me."

She nodded. "Yeah..." She said. "You probably should go before they get too far way." Althiea could tell that she was holding back, but she didn't want to push it.

"Thank you. I'll come back soon, you'll see." She climbed into the jeep and started the engine. She looked back at her friend and the wreckage of her former home. Nodding to herself, she put the jeep into gear and drove off.


	3. The Demon in the Desert

Nathan Alexander Winters looked around the devastated town. By his figuring, maybe half the buildings had been left intact, but most of the community's vital infrastructure had been destroyed in the attack. Whoever had done this had tried to do as much to cripple the town as possible, he thought. In other words, leave them in a situation where we will have to suspend our pursuit of them in order to provide assistance. _Damn them._

Tall, with short brown hair and deep blue eyes, he was handsome in a traditional 'square jawed and heroic' way. Presently he was wearing his red and grey flightsuit, a red jacket draped over his shoulders and a broadsword carried by his side. The sword was the symbol of his rank, a Paladin of the Zygra Empire. He was a lawman, the final word of the Emperor in the far-flung provinces of the empire. His duty was to maintain order and uphold the law.

And, for the second time this week, something had happened that he would have been powerless to prevent. An argument he had recently with an old friend came to his mind. At the time he'd disagreed. Now he wasn't so sure. For the last fifty years, the Paladins had maintained peace with the empire, which had in turn maintained peace between nations. And should the Empire's situation become unstable...

"So what do you think, sir?" His assistant, Captain Ling Wei asked as he walked over to him.

"From the descriptions provided by the witnesses and my own observations, I'd say we're dealing with at least five Zoids." He replied. "The eyewitnesses reported one Liger of unknown type and a Gustav. Additionally, there was a single sniper Zoid, probably a Gunsniper, and at least two artillery units, in this case I'd say Cannon Tortoises."

"A rather sizeable force for a raiding group." Wei replied. "Its certainly larger then most bandit groups."

"And the Liger's far larger then a normal bandit group would have." He continued. "The fact that nobody can identify it is even more worrying." he turned to face Wei. "Do we have any idea what they took."

"We know that their troops raided the library. We can't say why or what they took, however." Wei replied. "The library was destroyed in the artillery attack."

"I see." He rubbed his chin. "And there was no identifying marks on either Zoid. That does make it difficult." An unknown Liger, a Gustav and at least three other specialised combat Zoids. He turned around and looked at his own Godos, standing in the middle of the ruined town. You may have been right after all, he thought as he remembered the argument. _Damn you, Sturm_.

**oOoOo**

**The Demon in the Desert**

**oOoOo**

At first, trailing the Liger had been easy. It was a large Zoid and even at low speeds it left a visible path. The fact that it was traveling with a heavily loaded Gustav only served to make things even easier, as the second Zoid left wide wheel and tread tracks. The pair of them had driven up into the hills overlooking town. There, they'd met another three Zoids; one with narrow, clawed feet and another two with broad, flat ones.

Althiea suspected the former Zoid to be a Gunsniper. The tracks matched, and it seemed to her that a sniper Zoid had taken out the Tank. The latter two were most likely Cannon Tortoises; the tracks matched, and a Cannon Tortoise would be capable of launching the artillery attack that had devastated the town.

Form there, the group had headed off further into the hills. Ali had followed their tracks, despite the fact that she knew that they had a considerable lead on her. She knew she couldn't catch them, but at the same time she wanted to follow them and see if she could find the way back to their home base.

She only had a couple of hours before it got dark. She'd originally planned to continue for a few hours after dark, but circumstances had prevented that. Sarah hadn't fully charged the jeep's power cell after she'd last used it, and as a result she was slowly running out of power. Realising that a flat battery would get her nowhere, she decided to stop for the night. Finding a reasonably quiet hollow between two hills that was hidden form the main road, she parked the jeep and rested for the night.

She awoke early the next morning, startled awake by the nightmare returning again to her. Twice in a row? She asked herself. That's never happened before. She put it down to the previous day's events, deciding to set out early. Unfortunately, that proved not to be the case; her Jeep's battery would require several hours of charging form the portable solar cell before it was ready to use.

As she traveled, she found that the Zoids weren't following the main road through the hills. They veered off the path, traveling through a rather run-down and uneven side track that she suspected hadn't been used in years. As the hours passed, she noticed that the track underneath was becoming harder; changing form flat dirt to gravel and then rock. As a result, their tracks were getting less distinct and harder to follow.

At one stage, the path branched into two different roads. One path went off further into the hills, while the other one dropped down into a valley below. Looking around, she could see no sign of the Zoids or their path. The road's surface was too hard to leave any impressions.

So which way, she wondered. Then she noticed something as she looked around. There was a battered building down in the valley. In fact, she noted, there were a number of them, like a small town. While she could see no sign of life, the thought occurred that such a town would be the perfect place to hide a number of Zoids.

Fifteen minutes later she arrived in the small town. From the ground level, it was clearly abandoned and had been like that for a number of years. Empty shop-fronts stared out onto a dry, dusty main road that was little more then a patch of hard, flat ground. Tufts of grass were springing up in some places on the road, giving her some idea how long it had been since anyone had been here. She wasn't completely surprised; abandoned towns like this one had become a familiar sight to following the last war.

Getting out of the jeep, she walked around the town, looking for anything that indicated recent habitation. Instead, there was nothing but empty silence. It was clear that nobody had been here in a while, let alone used this as a base of operations. And now her trail had gone completely cold, she thought. Damn it.

Or had it? Looking around, she noticed something on the ground near an abandoned warehouse, one that would be large enough to store a Zoid in. There was a black stain of machine oil on the ground. A fresh one, she figured not more then a couple of days old. Someone had been here recently. Walking over the warehouse, she noted that one of the doors was ajar. Slipping through the crack, she stepped inside.

The warehouse was empty, but its back entrance was also wide open. Walking through it, then peering out the back, she looked around for any signs that somebody had been there recently. However, she couldn't see anything beyond some abandoned and long-rusted mining equipment. Then she looked down. There were tracks on the ground. Large, rectangular footprints, indicating a small bipedal Zoid like a Garius or Godos.

It was a lead, she thought, which was better then nothing. Climbing back into her jeep, she set off after the trail.

**oOoOo**

Jenice poured over the geological survey map inside her field headquarters. Little more then a derelict farmhouse on a long-abandoned property, it as enough to suit her needs. Her forces had arrived there early in the morning after their long trek from Sun Hill. She'd already sent Drake on to deal with other duties and left Harry and Malcom to entertain themselves, which left only the two who she considered her most important officers here to plan her next move.

"So what we got?" Bart asked. A tall man, his considerable girth made him seem even larger. He had a shaved head, small brown eyes and several missing teeth. His clothes were stained and torn, and he seemed to deliberately pick whatever was too small for him as if he was trying to be as disgusting as possible. Jenice tolerated him because she knew he was an excellent technician, and was vital to keeping her force running.

Levisha Towne, her second, glared at him. The pair of them couldn't have looked too much more different. Levisha was tall and slender, with an attractive face. She wore her hair long, coloured black with fiery red highlights and had blood-red eyes. She was a skilled pilot and a capable second in command, and had proven invaluable in running the orgnaisation.

Jenice looked up from the map. "By comparing all the information available, I've found the storehouse we were looking for." She indicated to a point on the map near a small town. "There's an imperial army supply center located here. It's been long forgotten, but it should still have some stuff in there to loot."

"It looks like we passed straight by there on our way back from Sun Hill." Levisha commented.

"Something like that." Jenice repelled. "This area was heavily mined. The Drakken Empire built a number of supply caches in the region during the war by using old mines. This one looks to be one of the most promising."

"So when do you want to go?" Bart asked. "I can't wait to get my hands on whatever's in there. The Draks tried some pretty messed-up stuff during the war." He snorted with laughter.

"We'll leave tomorrow morning." She replied. "I'll leave Harry and Malcom here to look after the place. They'd only slow us down."

"Don't you want to have Drake and Gwen along with us?" Levisha asked.

"I've got them of on other duties right now." She replied. "They're following up some very promising leads on new resources and possible new members."

"And that Peloquin guy?" Bart asked.

Jenice glanced at him. "He's following up other leads."

Bart snorted again. "Better not be anything important. That kid couldn't find his arse with a map."

_Yes, but if he does pay off, then I won't need you any more_, Jenice thought. _And that has to be a benefit_. The look on Levisha's face said the same thing. "The pair of you get some rest. Tomorrow should be a very big day." Without giving them a chance to reply, she collected the map and walked off, heading to her own private room.

"Heh... Gotta love that woman." Bart said, then belched loudly as he walked outside. Levisha followed him, stepping out to the front verandah where he was sitting and lighting up a cigarette. The pair of them looked out to where their Zoids were parked. Bart's colorful Gustav stood out, especially compared to Levisha's tan and blue Pteras. The rare flying Zoid had been modified with a large radar dish in place of its back-mounted missiles.

"What do you think we'll find there?" She asked. "I mean, has Jenice given you any ideas."

"Not a clue, little lady." He replied. "But I can't wait to see it."

She nodded. "One thing that's been bothering me, Bart." She began. "Your family name is Krark, the same as the Zoid type. It's a little unusual."

"Well, it's not really my name." He replied. "My parents were into all that sorta hippy, new-agish crap. They decided that instead of having a family name, I should have a 'name of power'. I guess the idea was that I'd be like the Zoid."

"It doesn't seem to have worked."

"Am I not a graceful creature of the air?" He asked as he stood, then snorted. "Naw, its all crap. But I gotta like it. My name's Bart Krark." With that he burst into laughter, then slapped Levisha on the rump. "You can see, I've got a lot of tha-"

Before he could finish, Levisha had grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. Pressing one forearm up against his neck, she pulled back her other arm, ready to strike him. "Don't you ever-"

"Hang on there." Bart began. "You wouldn't wanna do that."

"And why not?" She snapped.

"Because it might be a bit hard to explain to Jenice why you've just killed her best technician." He sneered.

She gave him an angry glare, and then released him. "Fine." She said. "But touch me again and next time I may not consider my options." She walked off.

Bart leaned against the wall, watching her go, staring at the way her hips moved as she walked. "Nice." He said, in a low voice, then whistled. "Real nice."

**oOoOo**

It was late afternoon before Althiea reached the end of the Zoid's trail. The terrain had become a lot more arid as she'd gone, the loose soil of the town degenerating into sand, the grasslands becoming patchy scrub. She figured that she was now on the other side of the hills, in the desert reaches to the east of Sun Hill.

She was in a long, narrow canyon, with rough stone walls rising on either side. The trail had abruptly ended near one of the cliff walls. By her figuring, the Zoid had probably scaled the cliff and was now walking along one of the ridges. Unfortunately, she had no way to get up there. Looking around, she figured that the best way to go was to keep driving along the canyon and see where it led her. Maybe she might find a way up onto the ridge.

Some fifteen minutes later, she came across a rusted, chain-link fence. Large sections of the fence had fallen into disrepair, leaving huge gaps that she could easily drive the jeep though. A sign was hanging form one of the more intact sections, rust and the weather had reduced it to near illegibility. In the distance, however she could see something extraordinary.

There were a pair of massive doors set into the cliff face. She figured them to be ten to twelve meters tall, large enough to let most small to medium sized Zoids to pass through. There appeared to be no other structures around, but there was some wreckage. She couldn't tell the Zoid type, but it looked like it had been there for ages.

Starting the jeep again, she drove slowly towards the doors. Maybe the Zoid she was following was based in there. Or maybe they were after something in there. She thought back to the battle at the library. The attackers were after maps. Could they have been looking for this place?

The sand in front of her jeep suddenly started shaking, then erupted in a huge cloud as something leapt out of it. She swerved the jeep, stopping right in front of the eruption. When it cleared, she found herself face to face with a blood red and black Zoid. She didn't recongise the type, but it had a long, narrow face with green eyes and a large mouth full of teeth. A pair of huge horns protruded back from the head, while a pair of small claws gripped the ground at the back of the head. She figured the while thing to be about the size of an Arosaurer or even a Deadborder, but still mostly concealed in the ground.

The Zoid roared at her, a terrifying, feral, predatory howl emerging form its mouth. Figuring it to be hostile, she immediately threw the jeep into gear and began driving away form it at speed. Behind her, the thing turned around and, to her surprise, broke into a run after her. She'd expected to see it pull the rest of its body out of the ground first, but then she realised what she was seeing.

She'd just seen the whole Zoid. It was just an enormous head on a pair of tiny little legs with a long tail. The sight of it running after her would be comical, if its intentions weren't so obviously hostile. Instead, the sheer size of the maw as well as its speed made it more terrifying then anything else, like some creature from a nightmare. Fortunately, it seemed to have no ranged weapons of its own, and instead was concentrating on trying to eat her jeep.

Ahead of her, the ground erupted again as a pair of huge arms came out from the ground. Another Zoid emerged, this one with massive arms and a compact torso balanced on top of a pair of very small legs. It had a turtle-like head, and a large shell that it was wearing on its back and shoulders. In all, it only looked a bit less comical then the other one. As she swerved away form it, a pair of cannons in its shoulders opened fire, spraying the ground around her with shots. Seeing her escaping, the Zoid took off after her, adopting a bizarre loping gait, using both its massive arms and tiny legs for propulsion.

A second one of the gorilla-turtle Zoids emerged form the ground in front of her, opening fire with its cannons. She frantically served the jeep's steering wheel to avoid it, managing to evade its fire for long enough to steer around it. Unlike its compatriot, this one merely turned to track her, opening fire again

"What are they?" She asked herself. They didn't look like any Zoid she had ever seen. Yet at the same time, they looked like they had been manufactured like that, rather then modified or derived from some other Zoid. She couldn't begin to think how long they'd been concealed underground for, but it could have been decades. Presumably then they had no pilots. She couldn't see anything that looked like a cockpit on the turtle, which seemed to support this theory.

Which meant they were either controlled by some sort of artificial intelligence, or being remotely controlled by somebody else. But who? And where from?

Another burst of fire raked the ground near the jeep's rear quarter, then tore into its back. The right rear wheel was shredded, taking a good chunk of the jeep's back with it. The damaged vehicle veered across the sand, wildly out of control, before flipping over onto its side. Ali was thrown clear, rolling along the sand as the Jeep skidded by.

She looked up form the ground. The three bizarre Zoids were slowly advancing towards her and the wrecked jeep. Did they think she was dead, she wondered. Or were they just coming over here to make sure?

A burst of laser fire stabbed into the back of one of the turtle-monsters, sending it staggering forwards. The three of them turned, turning towards the source of the attack. A dark shape crashed down on the back of the damaged Zoid, impaling it with what appeared to be an improvised spear made from an iron girder.

The figure turned towards her. It was about eight meters tall, most of that height wrapped in a tattered, desert yellow tarpaulin that had been modified to serve as a cloak. Its shape was vaguely humanoid, with a slightly hunched back and what appeared to be a tail under its cloak.

The other two Zoid, having apparently forgotten her, turned to face this new attacker. As the second turtle, opened fire, the Zoid leaped into the air again, a thruster firing from its back. As its cloak billowed out, she could see that the Zoid was an Iguan, one of the most common Zoids in the Draken Empire's forces.

The second turtle Zoid opened fire on the Iguan, which took off in a run. The shots tore through the Iguan's cloak, shredding it. Landing, the Iguan broke into a run, trying to evade the other Zoids' fire. The monster heat charged after it, swinging its two horns forwards in an apparent attempt to impale the Iguan. The Iguan managed to sprint away from its pursuer, firing a few shots from its tail cannon as it went.

The Turtle hurdled over a rock, swinging at the Iguan with one of its oversized fists. Ducking backwards, the Iguan kicked at the smaller Zoid, knocking it aside. Turning from the Turtle for a moment, it was rammed by the other Zoid, one of the horns gouging out a chunk of the armour on its leg and side. The Iguan leaped backwards, kicking at the monster head, snapping one of its horns loose.

The turtle recovered and opened fire on the Iguan, the shots scoring armour off its flank. Ducking behind a rocky outcropping, the Iguan opened up with its two head cannons and the quad cannon in its hands. The smaller Zoid charged forwards, blocking the shots with one of the turtle shell sections on its shoulder. It swung at the Iguan again, however the other Zoid leaped out of the way, firing the quad cannon into its shoulder at near point blank range. The arm was blasted off the shoulder, throwing the smaller Zoid aside.

The monster head Zoid charged at the Iguan, snarling and roaring at it, apparently trying to bite the other Zoid and crush it between its massive Jaws. The Iguan leaped out of the way, then fired its boosters taking it straight above the small Zoid.

The creature roared, opening its mouth to snap at the rapidly descending Iguan. Before it could act, however, the Iguan slammed its left arm into the monster's mouth, shoving the quad cannon all the way into the back of its jaw. The Iguan pilot fired, the shots tearing into the other Zoid's now exposed inner systems. There was an explosion that tore the other Zoid in half, sending its upper jaw flying off to land in the sand nearby.

Standing up, the Iguan turned to Althiea. For a moment, she glared back at the Zoid, as if she was trying to read the expression on its eyeslit. "Thank y-" she began.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" The male pilot of the Iguan began, shouting over his Zoid's PA system. "Didn't you see the warning signs?"

"Well, I-" She recalled the sign, but it was too illegible to make out.

"Damn it!" He shouted. "You've ruined everything! And I had it set up so well!"

"What?" She snapped. "What are you talking about?"

The Zoid looked around, then kneeled down. Its cockpit swung open, a rope ladder dropping out form the side. The pilot climbed down then stood in front of her, taking off his neurohelmet before speaking. He was tall and slender, with a handsome face framed by long black hair and blue eyes. He was unshaven, but was still a long way form a full beard. He wore a rather plain grey jumpsuit, and carried his neurohelmet by his side. "I was planning an ambush." He said, angrily. "There's a man who's after me, and I was trying to trap him and hopefully activate their security systems at the same time."

"I just found this place by accident." She looked around at the three wrecked Zoids. "What were those things?"

"Chimeras." He replied. "Unmanned Zoids used by the Drakken empire during the last war. They left a lot of them buried across the desert, guarding old installations like this." He grimaced. "A lot of them were disabled by the enemy's EM weapons and never recovered."

"I didn't know-" She began, but he cut her off.

"Forget it." He said. "He's probably heard the fighting from here and taken off. I've lost my chance now." He walked over to the imposing door in the side of the cliff. "Might as well see if I can get something out of all this." For a moment, he stood there, glaring at the door. Noting a small panel by the door, he flipped it open. He jabbed inside the panel for a moment and then stood there.

Puzzled, Althiea walked over to where he stood. He was glaring at a keypad built into a wall. "Can't open it?"

"No." He shook his head. "I guess I could get my Iguan to pound at it, but that would take all day."

She looked at the keypad. "Give me a minute." She said, and then waked over to the wreckage of her jeep.

"Oh?" He asked. "You've already messed things up so far. What do you think you can do now?"

Ignoring him, she picked up a bag form the jeeps debris. Walking back to the door, she opened the bag, revealing a collection of various types of tools inside. Picking out a screwdriver, she began unscrewing the keypad. "Back home, I was an expert technician and electrician." She replied. "I think I can bypass all this."

"Sure, right. Whatever." He turned around and walked away from her. "Like some small town fixit girl could get into a military base." He looked up at the Iguan. "I probably could have planned this all a lot better. Ah hell, this is totally stuffed up. And frelling Jake is still after me and..."

He was distracted by the sound of massive motors whirring to life. Turning around, he could see that the two huge doors were slowly opening. The woman was standing by the door, a mess of wiring in her hand. He walked back over to her, holding his head low. "I'm, uh, sorry about that." He began, and then offered his hand. "Jason Simons."

She nodded, then shook his hand. "Althiea." If he'd noted her not offering her family name, he didn't say anything. Single names weren't uncommon around this region.

"Can I, uh, ask what you're doing out here?" He began. "Only you don't look like the rugged explorer type."

That much was true. She was still wearing her long black dress which had become rather frayed at the ends from the last days' action. "A bandit group attacked my home town." She admitted. "I was following them but I got lost along the way."

His brow furrowed in thought for a moment. "There wasn't a red Liger amongst them?" he asked.

She nodded. "You know about them?"

"I've, uh, just heard of them, that's all." He replied. "The guy who's following me claims to be a member of their gang."

"I see." She commented. The doors locked wide open, revealing a passage inside. "Want to see what's in here?"

"Just a minute." He replied and walked back to the Iguan. He climbed back into the cockpit and raised the rope ladder, but didn't close the canopy. Instead, the Zoid bent down further, placing its vice-like hand on the ground. "Hop on." He called out. "It'll be easier then walking. Besides, I'm not leaving my Zoid out here alone."

She climbed onto the Iguan's hand, seating herself on the top of the wrist, her legs hanging down over the hand itself. "Thanks for that" She replied.

The Iguan walked into the empty passageway, which slowly sloped downwards. It had clearly been designed for Zoids to move through, which seemed to confirm what Jason had said about this being an old supply base. Lights blinked on in the ceiling as they went, probably as a response to the door opening. Another security door was at the end of the corridor, but also opened as they entered. "I guess I must have overridden everything when I opened the door." She offered.

The Iguan stepped into a second, larger room. Aside from a few small side offices, most of it was one large, empty hanger space. There were a few Zoids parked in the room, arrayed against the back wall. Besides a pair each of the two Zoids she'd seen outside, there were several others. There was another pair of Zoids that resembled birds or pterosaurs, but had insectile heads with huge scissor-like mandibles, and a pair of what looked like fish with oversized, wedge-shaped heads.

The Iguan kneeled, gently putting Althiea down. "More Chimeras?" She asked as she walked towards the row of parked Zoids.

"Yep." He replied. "Looks like somebody cleared this place out before we could. Either that or most of 'em were left outside." He looked around. "Damn. I was hoping there'd be more in here."

"There is." She said as she looked around. "Far corner."

There was a lone Zoid parked in the corner, its design far more conventional then the Chimeras. Its form resembled a Gorilla, hunched forwards and walking on its knuckles, but without the disproportionate arms of the monster outside.

"Great." He replied. "One Hammer Rock. I suppose I could sell it or something."

Ali walked over to the Zoid and looked up at it, then over to the wall. There was a gantry that lead up to the cockpit, and had a walkway that would have provided cockpit access to other Zoids had there been any. "I think I can operate it." She spoke up.

"You can?" He asked. "How much Zoid piloting experience do you have?"

"None." She replied. "But I learn fast."

"Its not like riding a bike or driving a car, you know." He began as she climbed up the gantry. "You can't just jump into a Zoid, press a few buttons and make it work for you."

Ignoring Jason's comments, Althiea located the cockpit access panel on the side of the Hammer Rock's head. Opening it up and turning the lock to the left, she then stood back as the back of the Hammer Rock's head flipped open. This revealed the actual canopy, which also opened. Stepping into the cockpit and seating herself, she looked over the control layouts.

The Hammer Rock's cockpit components were shared with a number of other early Imperial Zoids, including the Iguan. For the sake of simplicity, ease of training and simplifying production, they'd tried to make as many of the controls common between all the Zoids. Even though she'd never seen a Hammer Rock's own internal cockpit layout, it looked similar to the pictures she'd seen of the Iguan and Marder's controls.

Having located the master on switch on the console, she turned it to the "on" position and quietly hoped that the Zoid would react as she hoped. The cockpit came to life, various indicators and displays powering up, while below her the Hammer Rock's powerplant warmed up. She smiled as she surveyed the Zoid's status. It looked like it was in near perfect condition.

"I guess I can but try." She said to herself as she took hold of the control stick.

**oOoOo**

Jason watched the open doorway, ready to blast anything that came in. He'd prepared so well for this, but nothing had come of it. Damn it, he thought, then sighed. Naw, if Jake was coming for me, he'd have been here long ago, he thought. Maybe I lost him after all.

He squinted out the doorway again. No sign of any movement outside. No, Jake wasn't coming. Maybe he'd managed to shake him at last. _Fine then, _he thought. _Looks like I'm in the clear. What to do now?_

He considered his options. He figured that he'd give Althiea a few more minutes to tool around with the Hammer Rock, then they'd move on. This whole warehouse had been a big dud anyway. The Chimeras were worthless to him; he knew that they were uncontrollable and in battle tended to attack anything around them, friendly or enemy. The secret to controlling them was apparently one of the empire's best guarded technological secrets. Maybe he could bring someone back here and they could take the Chimeras for parts and he could sell the Hammer Rock and...

_Ah, what was the point?_ This was a total bust.

That's it, he thought. Time to go. The Iguan span around to face the back wall. "That's enough, Ali." He began. "Let's get-"

He was cut off as the Hammer Rock walked over to the Iguan, its armoured knuckles clanging on the concrete floor. "Well, I'm pretty much ready to go." Ali replied over the Hammer Rock's PA system. "I think I've got this thing pretty much figured out." The Hammer Rock looked around, then stood up for a moment, balancing on only its stubby hind legs.

"Wh..." He began. "How did... I mean... you've got it figured out already?"

"Yep." She replied. "I'm pretty good with machines. And I need a new vehicle since the jeep was blown up." She continued. "Besides, I think it likes me."

_Fine_, he thought. _It likes her. Perfect._ "Right well, I'm going now. I don't know about you but I'm done here."

"Me to." She replied. "I doubt there's much here of any use." The Hammer Rock dropped back down to all fours then walked past the Iguan. Reaching the door, it turned around again. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd, uh, if you'd like to travel with me?"

"Me?" He asked. "Why?"

"Well, you said you knew about them, and there was that guy following you who said he was a member of their gang." She explained. "And I'm following them. I think we could both help each other out. Besides, if there's two of us, we're a lot safer form attacks then just one person on their own."

"Well..." he began, and then stopped to think about it. _Damn it, that made sense,_ He thought. _Besides, she's kinda cute in a bookish way_.

"Sure thing." He said. "Makes perfect sense to me."

**oOoOo**

Some hours later, a lone Tarantulon scurried into the valley, stopping in front of the abandoned base. The canopy opened, its pilot standing up in his control seat. He was of average height but a muscular build, with long black hair and a scruffy beard. He wore what appeared to be a racing driver's firesuit that had been patched and repaired numerous times.

"What the hell happened here?" He asked himself. The wreckage of a trio of Chimeras lay in front of the base; one blown in half, another shot apart and the third impaled on a metal pole. An overturned jeep and a pile of rusting Zoid wreckage served only to make the scene even more confused. The doors to the base were half open, probably jammed in place.

A shadow passed over his Zoid's cockpit. Looking up, he could make out the form of a Pteras passing across the late afternoon sky. A Pteras with some sort of radar dome on its back. _Oh crap._

The communicator on his control panel beeped. He hurriedly sat down then turned the communicator on. "Jake Peoloquin!" Levisha shouted over the communicator. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I-" he began.

"Stay right where you are!" She snapped. "Jenice will be here soon. Then you can explain it all to her.

Now he really was in trouble.

A few minutes later a pair of Zoids emerged form further down the canyon. Jake instantly recongised them as being Jenice's Liger and Bart's Gustav. This was definitely not going to go well, he thought. Scrambling out of the Tarantulon's cockpit, he jogged over to where the other two Zoids were pulling up. Levisha's Pteras didn't join them, instead it remained overhead, circling the site. For some reason, he couldn't help but think of a Vulture, circling a dying animal.

"What the bloody hell is going on, Peloquin?" Jenice shouted down from the Liger's cockpit.

"I..." He began, trying to think about just how much trouble he would be in if he gave the whole story. He doubted that 'I decided to abandon the mission you gave me to pursue my own personal vendetta' would be a valid excuse. "I was trailing the target, but he managed to lose me."

There was a long pause. "You lost him." Jenice eventually replied. "You lost a large, slow moving target in your small, fast-moving, agile Zoid."

"He's..." He began nervously. "He's surprisingly cunning. And I think he was prepared for me." Inwardly he hoped that she'd believe him. He didn't want to think about what would happen otherwise.

There was another pause. "Fine then. Resume your mission. But do not fail me again, understand?"

"Yes commander!" he replied, snapping off a salute.

"Now go!" She shouted.

Wasting no time, Jake scrambled back to the Tarantulon and clambered into the cockpit. Sealing it shut, he powered up the Zoid's systems. Turning away from the others, he opened up the Zoid's throttle, sending it scurrying up the canyon at full speed. "You'll have to wait, Jason." He muttered to himself. "But I'll get you yet. You'll see."

**oOoOo**

Jenice watched the Tarantulon scurry away, then turned back to Bart. "Now that we've dealt with that, let's see what we have here." The two Zoids walked over to the entrance to the partially opened gate. She glared at it for a moment. There wasn't nearly enough room for either of their Zoids to get through.

"Bart, deal with this." She hissed into the communicator.

"Sure thing, boss." he replied. Clambering out of his Gustav, he walked over to one side of the door and studied the access panel. "Bad news, boss. Someone's been here recently."

"What?" She began. "What's happened?"

"They ripped apart the access controls to break in. Pretty much the same thing I woulda done." He said. "Work's good though. Whoever did it knew what they were doin' too."

"Can you open the doors?" She replied.

"Shouldn't be a problem." He replied. "Just gimmie a minute."

"Fine then." Closing the comm link, she sat in the cockpit and glared at the doors. The last few days had gone well for her and her forces, but there had been a number of small things that were bothering her. Her Liger's strange behavior in the town was the one thing that bothered her the most. She knew this Zoid. She knew how it should act. She'd checked all its systems. There was nothing wrong with it, and no way to explain what it had done.

And now it seemed that somebody had found this facility before she had, and, more to the point, recently. It occurred to her that Peloquin's target could have done it. In fact, that would make sense to her. Maybe that idiot had been on the right track after all. She'd let him off the hook for now, but he had better give her a result, she thought. She asked herself why she had assigned this job to him. Probably because everyone else was doing something else.

"Got it." Bart spoke up. The doors slowly ground open. "Whoever got in last musta shorted something out when they tried to close 'em afterwards. Nothin' I couldn't fix." He finished with one of the snorts that passed for a laugh.

_I hope Peoloquin can find him, _she thought to herself. _Then I won't have to rely on you as my chief technician for too much longer. _"Good." She replied. "Let's see what's in here."

The Liger stepped in through the now open doorway and slowly advanced down the ramp. The second set of doors were still opening when she stepped in to the room. Halting the Liger, she looked around. The room was largely empty, save for a few Chimeras up against the back wall. Damn it, she thought. The last person through here must have cleaned it out. She wasn't surprised that they'd left the Chimeras. Anyone who knew about them would have realised that they were almost completely uncontrollable.

"Well this looks like a bust." Bart spoke up and snorted. "Crap all in here, unless you like them little roadkills over there."

"Hmmm..." She examined the cluster of bizzare Zoids. "Get them." She commanded.

"Boss?" He asked.

"I want to see if we can override their controls. There must be some way to command them." She explained. "And if we could figure out how to do it, then we could dramatically increase our forces." Yes, she could see it now. If her theory was correct, she could broadcast a signal to take control of Chimeras. She could build an army of them out of just the forces left buried in the desert, guarding forgotten facilities or simply abandoned when the empire pulled its forces out. Her army would grow dramatically without having to worry about issues like payment, food, morale... or loyalty.

"Heh..." Bart snorted. "I think I know what yer thinking of, boss. And I like it."

**oOoOo  
**

Outside, Levisha's Pteras flew over the canyon, doing long, slow laps while scanning the surrounding area for any other activity. Save for Peloquin's rapidly retreating Tarantulon, there was nothing around to see. So far, it was quiet enough.

The silence of the desert evening was interrupted by a beeping from the Zoid's communications panel. Flicking on a switch, she answered the message. "Towne here."

"We've secured the site." Jenice replied. "What's the situation out there?"

She flicked between several different displays. Like Bart, Levisha had her place near the peak of Jenice's organisation due to her skills. Besides being a good pilot and one of only two people in her force who were any good with flying Zoids, she was an expert on sensory and surveillance systems, electronic warfare and communication. Her role was to provide intelligence at the head of any attack.

"Nothing around." She said. "Things look clear until at least the hills. I suspect we have an uninterrupted run back to the base."

"Good." Jenice replied. "We're going to load up with what we found and then leave here."

"Can I ask what was in there?"

"Not much." Jenice began. "There were a number of Chimeras. Even though they're of no real use to us now, I think we be able to do something with them."

"Right. I'll keep watch out here."

"I'll tell you when we're done. Do a sweep of the area, give us the situation and then we'll move out." Jenice finished, then closed the link.

Levisha sat back in the control seat. "Chimeras, huh?" She said to herself. "Interesting." She smiled to herself as an idea began to form.


	4. Gunfighters

Jason cautiously moved the Iguan forwards, peering around the wall of the canyon. Nothing. As far as he could tell, there was no sign of his opponent. He hoped it meant that he had managed to evade his opponent. Alternatively, it meant that his opponent had managed to sneak past him and was waiting in ambush.

Seeing that it was clear, he opened up the Iguan's throttle. The Zoid broke from cover, sprinting across the open distance between outcroppings. He'd almost made it when the sensors began beeping. Another Zoid had dropped down form the canyon walls and had landed behind him. He spun around, only to find himself face-to face with his opponent's guns.

"Bang." Althiea called out over her Zoid's loudspeakers. The Hammer Rock stood in front of the Iguan, one of its arms raised to point the cannons into the Iguan's face. For a moment, the Iguan stood still, staring at the other Zoid. Then it slowly backed off, raising its arms in a surrender gesture.

"Damn." He muttered. Looking around, he could see what had happened. The Hammer Rock had climbed up one of the ridges and then waited up there for him to pass. Then she dropped down and attacked him from behind when he wasn't looking. _Not bad for a rookie._

"So how did I do?" She asked.

"Not bad, actually." The pair of them had spent the last couple of days practicing at fighting each other. Even though Ali was rather good at maneuvering her Zoid, she had no combat experience whatsoever. So he'd been training her, hoping to impart at least elementary Zoid combat skills. She'd been doing well so far, picking up on a lot of things rather quickly. Althiea claimed it was because her Hammer Rock "liked her." Whatever that meant.

The only problem is, he knew she'd need all he could teach her.

**oOoOo**

**Gunfighter**

**oOoOo**

Mount Thomas was about the same size as Sun Hill, but that was about where the similarities ended. Whereas Sun Hill had been a thriving, prosperous town, Mount Thomas seemed to be slowly dying. Nestled in a narrow valley, it consisted of an ugly cluster of run-down prefabricated buildings clustered around narrow streets.

Althiea looked around her as the two Zoids slowly ambled into the town. From down here, things managed to look even worse. Many of the buildings were derelict, and several had collapsed. The streets were cracked and uneven, with rubbish and rusting vehicles plied by the side of the road. Very few people were out, most of those that were either ignored the two Zoids or scurried out of their way.

A large warehouse served as a Zoid hanger. The doors were long gone, leaving the two Zoids largely exposed to the street. Climbing out of the cockpit of her Hammer Rock, Althiea locked it securely. "Are you sure this is safe?" She asked. "I mean, just leaving our Zoids like this?"

Jason nodded back. "Around these parts, only two types of people have Zoids." He explained. "The first are members of larger gangs. You mess with one of them, he's usually got a few buddies to back him up."

"And the other type?"

"Loners." He explained. "Who often are more dangerous by themselves then a whole gang."

She clambered down the rusty gantry and stepped out into the town. "Why did we come here?" She asked as she looked around at the debris-choked street.

"Simple." He explained. "There's been a number of sniper attacks around this town. That is, attacks by a sniper Zoid."

"Like the one that attacked my town." She replied. "You think there may be a connection?"

"Possibly." he replied. "But it's a lead."

The pair of them walked across the street and into a poorly lit, run-down looking bar. The smell of the place hit Althiea in the face, a mixture of sweat, alcohol, second hand smoke and a number of other things she didn't want to thinking about. Stepping through the doorway, they were confronted by a large, scarred man in a black suit with dark glasses. Without saying a thing, Jason pulled a pair of pistols out form inside his jacket and handed them to the man, who then passed him a small tag. Letting him past, the man then stopped in front of Althiea. "Excuse me." She began.

"Weapon check." Jason replied. "Hand him your weapons."

"But I'm not carrying any." She replied. Jason looked back at her incredulously, almost refusing to believe that. "It's the truth."

The man stepped aside, allowing her in. As she passed, she caught a glimpse into the weapons store by the doorway, and surprised herself with how many guns she could see inside there. Then she got a look at the pub itself, and realised just how different the place was.

Compared to the places she knew in Sun Hill, it seemed a lot smaller. That was because it was quite a lot darker, with the tables packed in a lot closer to each other. The patrons were huddled around their tables or the bar itself, trying not to draw attention to themselves while avoiding each other. The place had an oppressive atmosphere, its patrons tired and weary of the world.

Trying not to seem nervous, she decided to stick close to Jason. He seemed to know this place, and seemed to fit in a lot more readily. "What happened to this place?" She asked quietly as she followed him over to the bar.

"Its not one thing as a series of events." he replied. "This is a poor town. The only industry, a mine, closed down many years ago. A lot of people moved out, looking for other opportunities. As this place is on the fringe of the independent city-states, it fell through the cracks in the Empire's planning." He looked around. "This place is a hole. It's the home to the poor and the desperate. And also, incidentally, our best lead."

"Is it really that bad?"

He nodded. "I suspect that if anyone kept records, then they'd find that this place has the highest rate of serious crime anywhere in the empire. Especially murder."

She considered the implications of that as Jason leaned on the bar. The bartender, a large man with a shaved head and a twisted scar going down the side of his face leaned closer to him. "I'm guessing you and the lady aren't from around here."

Jason nodded. "I'm looking for some information." he began.

"About the sniper?" He asked back. "You're not the first one today." He indicated over to a table. Althiea turned around and tried to figure who he was indicating to, before spotting a table midway to the back. A man in his early twenties sat at the table, talking to a young woman. He had short, spikey black hair and a rather pale complexion, and was wearing a black coat that seemed a couple of sizes too big for him. The woman was only a little shorter then him, with short, scruffy red-brown hair and blue-green eyes. Her attire seemed more at home with the inhabitants, being a battered tank-top and pants topped off with a bandanna.

"That him?" Jason asked.

The bartender nodded. "Yep. And I can tell you what I told him."

Jason pushed a twenty Imperial note across the bar. "And what did you tell him?"

"That there hasn't been any new attacks in the last week." The bartender replied.

"So that makes... what, five in two weeks and then nothing?" Jason asked.

"Yup. All along the same pass too."

"I see." He said. "You think the Sniper's gone quiet?"

"Couldn't rightly say." He replied. "Either that or they moved on. Couldn't imagine that there'd be much about here to take anyway. The sniper seemed to be more interested in shooting things then actually robbing people."

"Interesting." Jason replied. "And all the attacks took place on the old McCune road, right?" He asked.

The bartender nodded. "Pretty much." He said. "Its one of only two ways out of town."

"So any idea where they could be hiding?" Jason asked.

"Couldn't say." He replied. "There's a lot of places a tricky Zoid could hide up there." Jason passed another ten imperials across the bar. "But there may be one thing."

"Go on."

"Back in the war, some guerillas established a route up into the hills that could get them to the old mines." He continued. "It branches off the old road up to the Dogabo hills." He looked around. "A sneaky Zoid could get up there and get a good shot at a passer by before anyone knew he was there."

Althiea listened intently to the conversation. It sounded like the perfect setup for a Gunsniper to operate from. The more she thought about it, the more it sounded like the situation in Sun Hill. The Gunsniper would have used one of the old roads in the hills to get there, and then would have had a perfect place to attack from. "And you think he's up there?" She finally asked.

The bartender turned to look at her, as if he'd noticed her for the first time. "Seems likely. The guerillas that hid out in those hills were said to be very hard to locate and flush out."

She turned to Jason. "What do you think? There's two of us and probably only one of him."

"I dunno." He replied. "We'd probably get nailed trying to get up there."

Althiea considered the situation. Jason was right, the sniper would probably see them coming, and would have an ample opportunity to take them out before they could get to him. Unless...

The sound of a loud argument caught her attention. Looking around, she could see that a pair of large men standing by a table, arguing with the red-haired girl she'd seen earlier. Her companion in the black coat was still sitting, apparently trying to be inconspicuous and stay out of whatever was going on.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." Jason replied. "But it's probably best if we don't get involved."

The redhead turned her back on the two men, as if to leave. One of them placed a meaty hand on her shoulder and muttered something. Ali didn't catch it, but by the look on the redhead's face, it wasn't what she wanted to hear. She sharply snapped her elbow back, ramming it into his gut just below the ribcage. The man staggered long enough for her to flick her arm upwards, smashing him in the nose.

The second moved to grab her from behind, but she was a little faster then him. Grabbing his outstretched arm, she pulled him forward then tripped him, sending the large man sprawling onto the table where she had been sitting. Hitting his face in the table, he rolled off, clutching his forehead in agony.

The first man got up and lunged at her. Spinning around, the long tails of her bandanna following in a slow arc, the woman slammed a foot into his already-bruised gut. The man staggered back, clutching his midsection and giving her a chance to strike again. Rushing forwards, she elbowed him in the throat, sending him to the ground, wheezing.

A third man entered the fray, swiping at her with massive, meaty fists. She nimbly stepped back out of his way, ducking and dodging his clumsy blows. Before she could strike back, however, the second man, the one who had wound up face-first on the table, grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her. The girl struggled in his arms, kicking back into his legs but, for the moment, he seemed unmoved.

The third man walked towards her, a sneer on his face. "You gave us a lotta trouble there, girl." He began. "I oughta make you pay for that." He grabbed her face and leered at her.

Ali turned to Jason. "We have to help her!" She began.

Jason shook her head. "It's nothing to do with us." He replied.

She glared at him for a moment, then grabbed a beer mug from off the bar. Before Jason could do or say anything, she threw it at the third man's head. The glass hit him and shattered, momentarily stunning him. Surprised by this sudden attack on his comrade, the second man wasn't prepared for the redhead's next move. She jerked her head backwards, hitting him with the back of her head and crushing his nose. He let go of her and staggered back, one hand clutching at his nose.

Regaining his feet, the third man turned around to glare at his attacker. Before he could size up Ali, however, Jason stepped between the pair of them. "Don't even try it." He snarled.

The thug considered his options, but then stopped as he heard the sound of splintering wood and something heavy hitting the floor. Spinning around, he could see his companion lying in the wreckage of the table, the redhead standing over him. Glancing around nervously, the thug ran for the door everyone turning to watch him as he went.

"Why did you go and do that?" Jason snarled at her.

"Because I couldn't stand by and do nothing while those two attacked her." Ali replied. "I'm not normally a violent person, I don't like to fight. But I felt that I had to." She stepped past him and over to the redhead. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She snapped. "And I can look after myself, thank you." She stormed past Ali, then turned back to glare at her companion who had shuffled his chair back to keep out of the way of the fight. "And you were a big help too!" She snapped at him, before storming out.

"But..." Ali began. "But I helped her out. There was no reason for her to snap at me."

"Unfortunately, things like that will happen." Jason replied. "People around here like to think they're tough and self-reliant. They don't like others interfering in their matters. To them it shows that they're weak if they need help from others.

"I see." Ali replied quietly as she watched the red-haired girl leave.

"Don't worry about it." He said. "Let's just concentrate on finding your sniper."

The pair of them left the bar, moving to a quiet table in a corner. Althiea laid out a map on the table. "Now where did you say the attacks had taken place?"

"Along the old McCune road." he said, Indicating several points on the map.

"And we know he's up here." She replied, indicating to the abandoned mining village on the map. "And moving through an otherwise hard to find path."

"Yeah." Jason analyzed the map. "So my question is, how do we get to him without getting shot first? The only way up to the hidden route is still very exposed."

"We approach up the side of the mountain." She replied. "The Hammer Rock is designed for mountain warfare and is very adept at climbing. And you've shown me that you're good with the Iguan's boosters." She pointed out a route up the side of the mountain. "We can climb up this way and get in close with him."

Jason studied the route. "Hmm... it makes sense. He wouldn't be able to drop his gun low enough to hit us as we come up the mountain. Heck, he may not even spot us as we approach.

"That's what I'm counting on." She replied.

Jason nodded. "Good thinking there. I like it."

She smiled. "So should we get going?"

Jason looked around then stood. "I don't see any reason for us to stay here any longer." The pair of them left, only stopping for Jason to collect his guns form the doorman.

**oOoOo**

The black haired man had waited quietly at the back of the bar. Things had been going well with the girl, but had suddenly had fallen apart. He had been waiting to follow her, but the two strangers who helped him out caught his attention. He watched them while they planned at the back of the bar, and then left. Then after waiting a couple of minutes, he got up to follow them.

A few minutes later, a second man stood. He was tall and gaunt, with long dark hair and dark eyes that were mostly hidden by a large hat. His features were further obscured by an oversised coat. Walking out of the pub, he watched the Iguan and Hammer Rock departing the hanger and then stride out of the town, heading off into the west.

Perfect, he thought. Climbing onto a battered dirt bike, he sped out of town in the opposite direction. After about five minutes, he pulled up in a secluded gully off from the main road and stepped off the bike. Looking up at seemingly thin air, he spoke a single word.

"Open."

The air seemed to shimmer, then a green line seemed to emerge in the air. The line widened, opening to reveal a Zoid's cockpit similar to the Hammer Rock's. He climbed in then closed the cockpit, leaving nothing visible to the outside world.

**oOoOo**

As its name suggested, Mount Thomas was in the middle of a mountainous region. While the town itself was nestled neatly in the middle of a valley, much of its surroundings consisted of steep-sided cliffs and jagged peaks, with very little in between. The abandoned mining town that the bartender had mentioned was near the peak of one of the mountains closer to town, the Mount Thomas from which it took its name.

Examining the mountain, Althiea could see why any approach to the sniper's position would be difficult. The road up to the mining town was rather open and exposed to fire, the gentle slope that had allowed mining Zoids to easily scale it also meant that a sniper would have an easy time angling down to target them on approach. The area around the path, however, was largely broken and rocky cliffs that would be difficult for most Zoids to scale.

_No wonder the enemy never flushed the guerillas out of here_, Ali thought as she sized up the cliff. Most of their Zoids wouldn't have been able to make it through here.

"You ready?" Jason asked. His Iguan was standing near the base of a cliff, looking up at the climb above. While not vertical, the cliff was certainly steep enough to make an approach difficult.

"Yes." She replied. They'd chosen an approach that would allow them to loop around the sniper's anticipated field of vision and approach him from above. If he did spot them, he'd have far less time to attack them before they could reach him. And once they were there, he'd be able to answer her questions about who was behind the attack on her town.

Or at least in theory.

The Hammer Rock turned towards the cliff and grabbed onto a large rock above it. Pulling on it to test its strength, it then used its massive arms to haul itself up. After waiting a moment, Jason's Iguan fired its boosters and leaped up to a nearby rock shelf. So far, so good.

It took them the better part of half an hour to reach the top. While the mountain wasn't especially high, it was however rather difficult going. Finding rocks and ledges that would support the Zoids' weights had proven difficult in places, almost forcing the pair of them to consider turning back on a few occasions before they could find an alternative path. Eventually, they were able to reach the top of the cliff, placing them on a relatively narrow ridge below the old mining town, overlooking the road.

"We made it." Jason began, looking around. He sounded genuinely surprised. "I wasn't sure if it would work."

"Well it did." Ali replied. "And we weren't attacked once. I'd be surprised if he knows we're here."

"Yeah, yeah." Jason muttered. A part of him was glad they made it up here. A part of him was upset that she was the one who had gotten them here. Ah well, at least the bounty on this guy would cover for some of his lost self esteem.

The Hammer Rock looked along the ridge. "According to the information we got, the hidden path should be further to the west." She explained.

"Good." Jason replied. "So lets get going."

The Iguan took the lead, advancing ahead of the Hammer Rock while Jason looked out for any potential threats. Ali followed him, watching all around in case there was someone else following them or trying to get the jump on them. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she had this feeling like they were being watched, as if there was someone here besides the pair of them and their target. Could he have moved, she wondered. Had he seen them coming and was preparing an ambush of his own? Or was it something else?

The pair of them slowly moved over the ridge, passing over the road and then further on. Looking down, Ali was able to see the hidden side rode in amongst the cluttered rocks and sparse vegetation. Then something caught her eye. A bit further down the path was a cluster of camouflage nets. They were old and worn, but still were enough to remain mostly hidden. However, the material had worn thin in one place, revealing a metallic glint. By her estimate, the cover would be enough to hide a Zoid of about the Iguan's size - like a Gunsniper.

"Jason." She quietly spoke into the communicator. "Down there."

"I see it." He replied. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"Good." He finished. "Go!"

The Iguan fired its boosters and leaped into the air, sailing down towards the camp. The Hammer Rock scampered down after it, clambering over rocks as it went. In response, the large tent erupted open as a bright blue Zoid broke from cover, running out to face its attackers. Ali immediately recognised it as a Gunsniper.

The Gunsniper opened fire with its two forearm-mounted beam cannons, spraying shots at the Descending Iguan. One or two winged the Zoid as it went past, but the rest went wide. In response, the Iguan fired its two beam cannons as it descended, then broke into a run the instant its feet hit the ground. Ali's Hammer Rock skidded to a halt at the base of the slope, opening fire with its shoulder cannon as it went.

Cornered, the Gunsniper desperately tried to evade its attackers. It charged at the Iguan, firing as it went. The other Zoid ducked to one side, the fired back, hitting the sniper in the side with a couple of shots. Damaged but not out of action, the Gunsniper charged at the Iguan, lashing out with one of its hooked toe claws. The Iguan leaped aside, but not before the Iguan gouged a chunk out of the leg that had been earlier damaged by the Chimera.

Breaking into a loping run, the Hammer Rock sprinted after the Gunsniper, firing as it went. Not used to combat, Ali's aim was less than perfect, the shots going wide. Cursing herself for her lack of experience, she tried to close the distance between the two Zoids. The Gunsniper veered off, however, trying desperately to evade her.

Jason's Iguan spun around to face the fleeing Zoid, opening fire on it with the head-mounted cannons. One of the shots seared along the side of the Gunsniper's leg, shredding armour off the hip. The blue Zoid turned around to face it, opening fire with the chest and arm guns. Jason's Iguan stumbled aside, barely avoiding the shots.

The Gunsniper was better armed then either of them, Ali realised. It was just as fast and agile as them as well, and farm ore capable in close combat. But they still outnumbered it. Springing the Hammer Rock past the Gunsniper, she scrambled up the side of a cliff then leaped off at the enemy Zoid. The Hammer rock crashed into the Gunsniper's side, grabbing hold of it and bearing the other Zoid Down to the ground.

"Jason!" She shouted.

"I've got him!" he replied. The Iguan stepped towards the Gunsniper, placing its foot on the other Zoid's neck, holding it in place. He pointed the quad cannon at the Zoid's cockpit. "Start talking." He growled.

"Will you get off me!" The Zoid's female pilot shouted back.

"Why did you attack my home?" Ali shouted as she struggled to keep the enemy Zoid in her grasp. "Who are you with? Who's your leader?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" She shouted back.

"Don't lie to me!" Ali shouted. She'd been trying not to think about the attack for the last few days. Now that she had her hands on one of those responsible, all her pant up anger was beginning to surface. "Four days ago a group attacked my home town of Sun Hill. There was a sniper amongst them."

"That's nice, but I wasn't there!" The woman shouted back. "I was stuck here in the mountains on my own! Besides, I can't snipe anyone!"

"What?" Ali asked.

"The sniper gun on this Zoid's busted!" She snapped back. "It has been since before I got it! Let me up and I'll show you!"

"It's a trick!" Jason shouted. "Don't listen to her!"

"No." Ali replied. "I want to hear her out." The Hammer Rock released the Gunsniper and stepped back. Turning to Jason, she watched as the Iguan raised its foot off the neck.

"Thank you." he snapped. The Gunsniper rolled to its feet, and shook its head. "I'll show you what I mean."

The Zoid squatted to the ground like it was lying down. Once the Zoid was down, the pilot opened the cockpit and climbed out. To her surprise, Ali saw that it was the red-haired woman form the pub. "Right. Take a look at this." She walked over to the base of the tail and opened up a large inspection panel. "The mechanism's a wreck."

Ali opened her cockpit and climbed down form the Zoid. She walked over to the redhead who glared angrily at her while standing by the panel. Looking at the Gunsniper, she could see that it was rather worn and battered, as if it had seen a lot of action. She peered inside the panel. "So I see." She said. "You couldn't have shot at anyone with this."

"Told you." She replied. "Besides, I don't have any ammo anyway."

"So then who's the sniper?" Jason asked.

"That's what I've been trying to find out for the last three weeks." The woman replied. "I walk into town with a Gunsniper and all of a sudden everyone's out to kill me. I took off and hid the Zoid in the hills then went out to gather information. It turns out that there's been a sniper in the hills for weeks, taking shots at passers-by. Everyone saw my Zoid and figured I was the one. So I ran back up here and have been trying to find the guy ever since. I figure if I bag him I can prove that I'm not the guilty party."

"And have you found him?" Ali asked.

"Almost." She replied. "I thought I had him, but he vanished about five or six days ago." She finished. "There haven't been any attacks since."

"Five or six days..." Althiea quickly tried to figure it out. "That would give him enough time to get to Sun Hill from here."

"So what you're saying is the two of us are after the same tool." The woman replied.

"It appears to be the case," She said. "Maybe we would be better off working together then fighting each other."

The woman looked around, eyeing the damage to her Zoid. "I guess that makes sense." She said. "Leanne Wilds." She offered her hand.

"Althiea." Ali shook it. "I'm sorry about attacking you. All the evidence pointed at you."

"I'd been framed anyway." She explained. "Thanks for helping me out in the bar earlier."

Before Ali could say anything, Jason spoke up. "Hang on, if she's not the sniper..." He began. "And if Ali's right, then the real sniper has had the time to get back here..."

"Crap!" Leanne shouted. "I was so busy fighting you guys that I forgot about him!" She sprinted over to the Gunsniper's cockpit and clambered in. "He's probably above us!" She shouted. "Look for cover, now!" The Gunsniper rose to its feet, looking around for an attacker.

Ali climbed back into the Hammer Rock's cockpit and looked around. Ever since they'd gotten here, she'd had a feeling like they were being watched. Now it was back. The Hammer Rock looked up, searching for a potential attacker.

**oOoOo**

From his vantage point higher up on the cliffs, Drake looked down at the battlefield and tried to figure out where he was going form here. Things had been going so well. He'd had his target pinned down in the valley. He'd gotten them to the point where they knew they couldn't go anywhere without revealing themselves to him. And when they did, he would have been there to disable them and claim their Zoid.

He'd put a lot of work into this. He'd gotten them so paranoid that they weren't going to go anywhere but the narrow strip of land that he controlled. Everyone around was hunting for a sniper. They were on the right track, only they were hunting for the wrong person and the wrong Zoid. He'd hoped that the target was so paranoid that in the four days he'd spent away from Mount Thomas with Jenice they wouldn't move. He'd been right. Things had been just perfect for him. He'd even been making progress with that cute red-haired girl he'd met in the town. Pity about the things that attacked her though.

And then it had all gone to pot. A Hammer Rock and an Iguan had come out of literally nowhere and picked a fight with the Gunsniper he'd been trailing. Then they'd bought it down and had it within their grasp. This was not what he wanted. He wanted that Zoid. He was going to bring it back to Jenice and give it to her as a gift for her forces. He figured that she'd be grateful for a second sniper. He'd been trying to figure out what to do next. Maybe he should just pot off the two attackers and then grab the Gunsniper.

Something caught his eye in the valley below. Something on the old Dogabo road seemed... different. There was something wrong, almost out of place. He zoomed in on the road. There were tracks on the road, like Zoid footprints. He zoomed in his scope further, focusing on the road and following the trail of the prints. Small, regularly shaped footprints with claws at the toes. Zooming out, he could see no obvious source of them. It was as if they were coming out of thin air.

He swung back to the battlefield. The Iguan and Gunsniper were pressed up against the wall of the cliff, trying to present the smallest possible target to an attacker form above, like him. Crap, he thought. Could they know I'm here? How did they find my location?

And then he noticed something else. There was no sign of the Hammer Rock.

**oOoOo**

In the valley, everything happened at once.

A burst of gunfire raked across the Gunsniper and Iguan, tearing armour from their flanks. The two Zoids suddenly burst into action, leaping out from their cover to respond to their unseen attacker.

"What was that?" Jason shouted as he checked his statures board. The Iguan's flank had taken a hammering from that last attack, in fact the last few days had been murder on his Zoid.

"I have no idea!" Leanne shouted. "I can't see anything!"

"Then keep moving!" He yelled back. The two Zoids sprinted off in opposite directions as another burst of gunfire went off around them, tearing up the cliff face where the Gunsniper had been. A second later, an explosion sent huge chunks of dirt and rock flying where the Iguan had been standing, as if the shot had come from directly above. "It's the sniper!" Jason shouted.

"I knew it!" Leanne replied back. "And he's got a friend too!"

"I just hope Ali can take care of him!" Jason yelled as he looked around for the unseen attacker. Who or what was it, he asked himself. How were they able to attack without him seeing? Was it another sniper or...

There was a brief burst of fire, weapon flashes hanging in the air for a moment before vanishing, and a flash of some shape around them. The shots hit the Iguan's damaged leg, sending it sprawling to one side. "Crap!" Jason shouted. "Leanne! There's something behind us!"

"What?" She spun around, the Gunsniper's wrist-mounted gattling cannons spraying fire into the air between their two Zoids. For a moment it seemed nothing was happening, but then, for an instant, a blue-green shape appeared in the air and then shimmered away. "What?" Leanne shouted. "Its... its an invisible Zoid!"

_An invisible Zoid? _Jason asked himself. He'd heard something about Zoids like that; ones that had the ability to turn invsible and hide form their attackers, even while fighting. Their attacker could take them out before they ever saw him. Unless...

"Leanne!" He shouted. "How are your Zoid's sensors?"

"Wha?" She replied.

"Gunsniper's got a 3D radar antenna, right?" He yelled. "Is it working?"

"Should be!" She shouted as her Zoid spread fire across an empty space in the vain hope that she might hit her attacker.

"Good. I think I have a plan."

**oOoOo**

Drake watched the valley, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. The Iguan and Gunsniper were running around in random, erratic ways while firing into seemingly empty air. And whereas they'd been fighting each other before, they were now apparently working together. He tried to draw a bead on the Iguan, only to find that the damned Zoid woudn't stop moving. Leaving it for the moment, he dropped his scope over the Gunsniper which, while still mobile, was a lot less so then the Iguan.

He decided to risk the shot. He still wanted that Zoid, and he wasn't going to pass up this chance. He lined up the Gunsniper in his sights and then squeezed the trigger. Just as he fired, however, something it his Zoid, sending it sprawling forwards.

**oOoOo**

As Althiea's Hammer Rock vaulted over the ridge at the top of the cliff, she spied a blue and white Zoid leaning over the cliff, tail first. She recognised it as a Snipe Master, an advanced derivative of the Gunsniper, more specialised but at the same time, more effective. Her Hammer Rock swung at the Snipe Master with its armorued knuckles, striking the Zoid and sending it sprawling backwards. At the same time, its gun fired with a thunderous retort, the shell's course being thrown off by the Zoid's movement.

"You!" She shouted. "You attacked my home town!"

"I don't know anything about it!" He shouted back at her as the Snipe Master scrambled back to its feet, then fired the two boosters on its side-mounted pods, leaping away from the Hammer Rock. She fired at it as it went, her shots streaking past it. Not wanting to let him get away, she opened up the Hammer Rock's throttle, the small Gorilla Zoid breaking into a lumbering run after it.

The Snipe Master leaped away, landing on a nearby ridge, before opening fire with the beam cannons moutned on the boosters. The shots narrowly missed the Hammer Rock, which continued to run at it, firing its shoulder cannons as it went. Not wanting to risk being hit again, the Snipe Master broke into a run along a ridgeline, firing its boosters for extra speed.

Ali scrambled up the ridge, desperately trying not to let the enemy Zoid get away. He was the fist link to the attack on the village she'd found. She couldn't let him escape. She fired on the fleeing Zoid, one of the shots tearing along the side of the booster. The Snipe Master ducked to one side, then fired its boosters again, leaping over a ridge.

The Hammer Rock scrambled up after it, firing as it went. One of the shots hit the ground near the enemy Zoid, blasting away a chunk of rock and sending the Zoid scrambling for a better purchase, allowing her to catch up with it. The Hammer Rock leaped across to the ridge, slamming into the Snipe Master's side. The enemy Zoid stumbled, then spun around to face her, snarling at her Hammer Rock.

"Where were you three days ago?" She yelled as the Hammer Rock swung at the enemy Zoid. The Snipe Master stepped back, then slashed with its claws, tearing a chunk out of the armour on the Hammer Rock's forearm.

"What's it too you?" He asked as he tried to follow up the first attack with another swipe. The Hammer Rock stepped out of the way and then swung back, its fist catching the Snipe Master on the side of the head.

The enemy Zoid staggered in place for a moment, which gave Ali a chance. Grabbing the enemy Zoid, she slammed it into a cliff wall. "That was my home!" She shouted. "You hurt and killed my friends!" The Hammer Rock drew back a fist to strike the Snipe master in the head.

"Okay!" The pilot shouted. "I was a part of that attack! But all I did was take out the tank! I had no idea that they were going to shell the place!"

"Where are they?" She snarled. "Where are the rest of your troops?"

"We've got a field base to the west!" He yelled back, clearly frightened. "But we usually work out of Freedom!"

So now she had some idea where they were. "Where's the-" She began, but stopped as a shadow passed over the pair of them. Looking up, she could see a winged Zoid pass overhead. A flying Zoid, she thought. They're rare. Who'se is it?

"Heh." The man replied, suddenly very confident. "You better start running. You're in real trouble now."

The flying Zoid looped around and dived back at the pair of them, clearly on an attack run. Releasing the Snipe Master, Althiea threw the Hammer Rock into a run. The small Zoid scrambled across the rocks, trying to get away before it could be attacked. The enemy Zoid dived at her, firing a pair of cannons mounted on its wings. The shots struck the ground near the Hammer Rock, throwing her around in the cockpit. The enemy Zoid pulled away, but not before Althiea got a good look at it. "A Redler..."

Looking over her shoulder, she could see the Snipe Master scrambling away in the distance. No chance of her catching it now, she realised. Above the Redler also wheeled away, following the Snipe Master and content to leave her alone for the moment. She mentally added it to the list of suspect Zoids; Snipe Master, Gustav, Cannon Tortoise and that mysterious Liger.

**oOoOo**

Leanne nervously watched the sensors, looking for something, anything that would reveal the presence of her attacker. So far there was nothing. Where was she, she wondered. Their plan, such as it was, had her hunched over the scope, peering into it and looking for something that may indicate the enemy Zoid. Jason's job was t fire where he thought it was in the vain hope that something may happen, or that he may hit it. So far, no good.

What made the task even more difficult was the way she had to keep moving in order to avoid being hit. if she stood still for too long, the attacker would have a perfect chance to take her out. But at the same time it was a lot harder to get a good sensor reading when she was running around. Not easy, but she was leaning towards living.

"Anything?" Jason shouted.

"Nothing yet..." There was a brief signal from the sensors, then nothing. "Wait! I've got something! On your three!"

The Iguan span around, opening up with its quad cannon and beam guns. For a moment, there was a brief burst of fire as the unseen attacker opened up, which was followed by a burst of fire form the Iguan. There was another flash of blue-green as the Iguan's shots apparently found their mark, then a brief sound of machinery in motion that faded away. "I lost him!" Jason shouted. "Where is he?"

"Uhh..." Leanne peered into the scope. "I can't see-"

There was a loud explosion, then the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. "Jason! He's right Behind me!"

Jason turned to see... well, he couldn't think of how to describe it. There was a section of blue armour literally hanging in the air, a long tear along the side of it. A shot from somewhere, possibly above had apparently struck their attacker. "I've got him!" He shouted as he opened fire.

The blue panel blurred for a moment, then suddenly started moving, apparently along with the rest of the Zoid. Shots went off around it, then struck the target. The air shimmered for a moment, then blurred, revealing the form of their attacker. It was a small blue and green Zoid, smaller then either of their Zoids and cat-like in shape. A six-barreled gattling cannon was mounted on the back, and there was a large tear in its side armour.

"A Helcat!" Leanne shouted as she turned to face him. "Now you're mine!" She opened fire on the enemy Zoid. Realising he was visible and apparently aware of its vulnerability, the enemy pilot swerved out of her way, firing back with the gattling gun. The Gunsniper ducked to the right, and continued firing, shots digging into the enemy Zoid's damaged back. "Jason!"

"I know, I know!" He opened fire with the quad cannon, the shots tearing into the Helcat's side. Damaged, the Zoid turned away form them and broke into a run "He's getting away!"

"Not if I can help it!" The Gunsniper took off after it, opening fire with its gattling guns. The Helcat leaped into the air to avoid the enemy fire, hoping to evade its attackers. "Not so fast." A quartet of missiles launched from one of the Gunsniper's missile pods, tearing into the enemy Zoid in mid leap. The force of the impacts knocked it further sideways, tearing one of the legs form is body and sending it plummeting over one side of the ravine.

"Ha!" She shouted. "Got him!"

The two Zoids walked over to the edge of the cliff. Looking down, Jason could just see the crumpled form of the Helcat at the bottom of the cliff. It would take them some time to get down there, he relaised. And none of their Zoids were in great shape. He turned back towards the Gunsniper. "Sorry about earlier." He began. "We thought-"

"Yeah, yeah." She replied. "It happens to a lot of people. Fortunately, your friend should have taken care of it." The Gunsniper indicated further up the cliff. "Certainly we don't seem to have had any further trouble from the sniper."

"I think that it was a stray shot or something that crippled the Helcat to begin with." Jason explained. "I can't see what else it could have been. Maybe you should thank him."

"Yeah, right." She replied. "Maybe I should just kill him for what he tried to do to me."

A beeping from her sensors caught her attention. "What?" She began. "Another one?"

"No." Jason replied. "It's Ali."

The Hammer Rock emerged from around the bend ahead of the pair of them. "What happened down here?" She began. "I thought you two were backing me up."

"We were attacked by a Helcat." Jason offered. "But we took care of him."

"What happened to the Sniper?" Leanne asked. "Please tell me you got him."

"He escaped." She replied wearily. "There was a Redler there who covered him."

"Damn it!" Leanne shouted angrily. "That little creep..."

"But I did find out where's operating from." She replied. "And that he was the one I was after."

"Well that makes two of us after him." Leanne added. "Because I'm not going to stop until I catch that guy."

"Maybe we could work together." Ali offered. "I mean, we're all chasing after the same people here. It makes sense for us to work together then."

"Hmmm..." Leanne considered this. "You any good with a Zoid?"

"I am." Jason replied. "And she's learning from me. She's doing pretty well too."

"And can you do anything else?"

"Well, I am rather good with machines and electronics-" Ali began.

"Well why didn't you say so?" Leanne replied excitedly. "I think we could make for a great team."

**oOoOo**

Drake kept the Snipe Master's throttle open and the boosters on, trying to get as far away form the battlefield as possible. If he was very lucky, he thought, she didn't hear what I said to that woman in the Hammer Rock. If. He tried to figure how badly things had gone. Then he tried to figure what had gone right. Well, he was alive. That was a good start. But then, he figured, that may not be entirely to his advantage. He looked nervously at the Redler flying overhead.

Time to make amends and see how dead he was. He flicked on the communicator. "Thanks for helping me out there, Gwen. I-"

"I only saved you so that I could watch you squirm as you explain to Jenice exactly what happened there and why you're not returning with that Gunsniper." The voice on the other end replied. "Don't think I did it because I like you or anything."

The Redler activated its boosters and sped off into the distance. "Thanks, sis." Drake muttered as he watched it go.

**oOoOo**

The pilot forced open the cockpit of his Helcat and stumbled out. He was bruised and battered, but for the most part surprisingly intact. Looking around he made a quick assessment of the machine and its condition. Probably all it was good for now was parts, he grimly reflected. Between the damage done to him by the enemy Zoids and the fall, he doubted that there was anything worth salvaging. A pity. Such a rare and valuable machine shouldn't have been written off in a simple operation like this.

He pressed a button on a small console on his wrist. "Jaeger here." He began. "The operation has been a failure. Both objectives escaped and my own Zoid has been disabled. Security has not been compromised. I will arrange alternative transport and meet at the previously arranged rendezvous."

With that he turned around and walked off, leaving the wrecked Helcat behind.


	5. Night Sky

Frank Mundine looked down from the ridge at the small homestead below. Aside form a handful of farm buildings, there was no sing of civilization for miles around. Or, for that matter, any defenses. It was remote, exposed and, best of all, ripe for the picking.

He looked around at his cohorts. Like him they were hardy survivors, men who had spent months or years out here in the desert. They were criminals the lot of them, accustomed to living well beyond society's mores. Normally there'd be very little to make this gang different from any other group of desert raiders. But they had something else.

Their battered Diloforce stomped forwards, looming over him. They'd found it abandoned in a pile of other junk on a long-forgotten battlefield. It had taken some time, but they'd hammered it back together into some semblance of working order. Now with it, they had the power to do what they liked and take what they liked. Some of the men were thinking that their small Zoid could even give an Imperial Knight a run for his money.

"You ready?" Frank asked.

Before the Diloforce's pilot could reply, there was a roar of approaching jet engines. A shadowy, winged shape swooped down from out of the sky, twin streams of energy bursting form its front. The shots tore into the Diloforce, tearing its body apart. The small Zoid collapsed on its side, little more then a smoking wreck.

Looking up, Frank could see the attacker soar overhead and disappear into the distance. The rest of his men were scattering, running in case they should be the next target. Looking over at the Diloforce, he could see that it was a wreck, in even worse shape then they'd found it.

"Damn you!"

**oOoOo**

**Night Sky**

**oOoOo**

It had taken a bit more explaining, but Leanne had pretty much forgiven Jason and Althiea for attacking her. She'd even been something resembling grateful for the information that Althiea had given her about the attacker's identity. The Snipe Master was a pretty rare Zoid, even more so then her Gunsniper, as such it made the attacker kind of distinctive. Find it, and they would have found their man.

The three of them were traveling sought-west, away from the mountains and slowly heading towards freedom. It was the best lead they had so far as to the whereabouts of the Red Claw's base of operations. Additionally, it was the direction the Snipe Master was last seen heading in.

Dropping down from the mountains, they had arrived on a wide open desert plain that seemed to stretch off into infinity with no other signs of life. The road they'd followed down from the mountains quickly vanished into the sand. From the maps they'd studied, Jason and Ali could see that there were a handful of small towns between here and Freedom. Otherwise, it was empty.

The three of them had gotten to talking to each other as a way to pass the hours while they traveled. Initially quiet, Leanne had eventually relented and opened up to the pair of them, pretty much spilling her life story. She said that she'd run away form home at seventeen, setting out to find her own life and her own direction in the wilderness. Instead she'd lived off a succession of part-time jobs in small towns before she'd gotten lucky and found the Gunsniper in an old shelter that dated from the last war. She figured that it had been left there because of its damaged tail gun. From there, she'd pretty much taught herself how to use it.

Jason had proven to be a little less forthcoming. He mentioned that he came from Gayos, the Imperial capital, but had said very little beyond that. At some stage, Ali figured he'd set out into the wilderness like Leanne, and had about the same degree of luck. She could tell he was hiding something, however. He didn't bring up the matter of how he knew of the Red Claw, or any details on the man in the Tarantulon. However, she didn't feel like pressuring him.

It was three days after they met in the mountains before they saw any sins of civilization. The damage both the Iguan and Gunsniper had suffered to their legs was slowing them all down, making the journey a lot longer. However, the sight of a small town in the distance seemed to make it all worthwhile.

"Hey Ali." Leanne asked. She'd taking to calling her that very quickly. "You're really new at this whole wilderness explore thing, aren't ya?"

"What do you mean?" Althiea asked.

"Well, for starters, you're going around in that black sack of a dress." She explained. "That skirt is gonna be nothing but trouble. You'd be hard pressed to do any serious climbing or running in that thing. And the weight and colour of that whole outfit in the middle of the desert… wow. You must be cooking in that."

"I… I hadn't thought about that." She admitted. She was still wearing the dress she'd worn during the attack, the one she'd worn for the inspection. It had been her favorite. "Is it really that impractical?"

"Do you see me in a skirt?" Leanne replied. "First thing we're doing when we get to town is getting you a pair of pants."

"I've got-" Ali began, but never finished. The roar of jet engines cut her off.

The three of them looked up to see a pair of shapes pass overhead. The first, smaller one was a small, winged Zoid with a long tail and a pair of large boosters under its wings. Before Althiea could identify it, the second one passed overhead. This one was far larger, with clawed feet and a pair of large cannons on its wings. A Redler, she thought. Just like the one she'd seen in the mountains.

The two Zoids sped off into the distance. The lead Zoid banked way sharply, the Redler following it. As the smaller Zoid weaved and swerved, its pursuer opened fire with its two wing-mounted cannons. The shots went wide, the smaller Zoid weaving through the sky, desperately trying to avoid getting hit.

"That's the same Redler form the other day." She called out. I'm sure of it."

"So what's the other Zoid it's attacking?" Jason asked.

Althiea watched the two of them duel, trying to make out the other Zoid's shape. Then she realised what it was and she hadn't spotted it before. It was a Sinker, a small Zoid designed to operate both in the air and underwater. She just hadn't expected to see one out in the middle of the desert.

"So what do we do?" Leanne asked. "That Sinker's not gonna stand a chance against a Redler."

"We've got to stop it." Althiea replied. "That's got to be the same Redler as the one that attacked me." She found it very unlikely that a two of the same rare flying Zoid would be operating so close to each other. She opened up the throttle on her Hammer Rock, the Zoid loping after the two airborne combatants.

"Wait a second, Ali!" Jason shouted. 'We don't know what's going on!" is Iguan hobbled after her Zoid, its speed reduced by the damage to the leg. Normally it was faster then the Hammer Rock, but now it was being left behind.

"Wha?" Leanne added, her Gunsniper looking around at the two other Zoids. "What the hell do you two think you're doing?"

The Sinker veered away from the Redler, then suddenly cut back across its course. Firing its beam cannons wildly, it scored several hits on the other Zoid's back. The Redler broke and climbed, desperate to avoid the Sinker's fire. This must have been what the Sinker's pilot was hoping for, as their Zoid dropped down flat to near ground level, skimming across the desert while kicking up a huge cloud of sand behind it.

The Redler circled around, searching for the Sinker. Having apparently sighted it, the Redler turned to chase it down. As it s pursuer closed, the Sinker suddenly leaped into the air, arcing up before diving steeply behind a ridge.

"What's he doing?" Althiea asked. "He's going to crash!"

But there was no sign of an impact. The Redler banked, circling above the ridgeline where the Sinker had disappeared. Then it climbed away, firing its boosters and speeding off. Althiea watched as her lead disappeared over the horizon. Then something else came to her mind.

"The Sinker!"

Her Hammer Rock lumbered over to the ridge where the Sinker had vanished. Climbing up it, she saw something she hadn't expected on the other side; a large lake. The Sinker hadn't crashed she realized, it had escaped.

"A lake, huh?" Jason asked, his Iguan pulling up next to her Zoid. "Yeah, I should have figured. There's a few of them around here, all connected by an underground cave system. That pilot would have to be pretty ballsy though to try to go through there."

"Why?"

"Very narrow passages." He replied. "They'd be driving their Zoid around underwater in tight spaces in the dark. And if they get stuck, well… you'd have no way out of there."

Althiea digested all this information. "I wonder who that was?"

"No idea." He replied. "Cone on. Let's get to town before it gets dark. I'm dying for a wash and a proper bed."

**oOoOo**

The first thing that Althiea noticed upon approaching the town was how much more alive it looked then Mount Thomas. The second thing that caught her eye was the low walls of several ruined buildings jutting out of the grass on the outskirts of town.

"This place was probably a lot bigger before the war." Jason explained. "Unlike a lot of communities on the other side of the mountains, its population probably didn't return on their own."

"Are things really that bad on this side of the mountains?" Althiea asked.

"Mount Thomas was probably an extreme case." Leanne replied. "But certainly things are a lot less nice then you'd be used to. Most of the area around the free cities is a bit on the crap side. Well, a lot."

Their three Zoids caught more then just a bit of attention when they came into town. Althiea was reminded of how she used to feel about them only a few days ago. She'd never thought she'd pilot one in her life. Now she was walking around in one like it was perfectly normal. But then, in the last week she figured she'd seen more Zoids then she'd seen in her entire life.

Jason had arranged some security for their Zoids while they were there, probably through the simple expedient of paying off a couple of local toughs. Even then, she noticed that Leanne seemed a little reluctant to leave her Zoid behind. Possibly it was because it was an uncommon Zoid, she thought. Or maybe she just likes it.

Then again, when she'd fist started p the Hammer Rock she'd gotten a feeling from it for want of a better term. It seemed as if the Zoid, well, liked her. As if the two had somehow conversed without saying anything, and it had come to the conclusion that she was a decent person. At least, that was what it seemed like to her.

At the same time, of course, she also remembered that incident with the mysterious Liger back in Sun Hill. Was that something similar?

"Are you coming or what?" Leanne called out from halfway across the road. Leaving the Zoids behind, she caught up with the others.

"A Sinker and a Redler." Jason commented. "And then before that, a Snipe Master. This area seems to be crawling with rare Zoids. Not bad for such a hole."

And that Liger, Althiea mentally added. Strange Zoids seemed to be more common then she'd thought. But then, the Empire was also turning out to be a lot less peaceful then she thought. She wasn't even aware that places like mount Thomas existed until a few days ago.

"I've heard of that Sinker." Leanne began. "It's meant to be something of a local myth. A lot of people claim to have seen it, but nobody knows for sure. Well, some have seen a Sinker. Some have seen all manner of bizarre flying Zoids that could be the combination of Sinker and cheap liquor." She mimed swigging from a bottle.

"Well it looked real to me." Jason replied dismissively.

"I passed through her a little while ago before I got stuck in the hills." Leanne continued. "I didn't put much truck in it myself. It all seemed a little unlikely, a mysterious Sinker buzzing around in the middle of nowhere."

"Does anyone know anything about its pilot?" Althiea asked. She'd gotten no closer to finding the identities of any of the people involved in the attack.

"The few people who have supposedly seen him say he hides his identity." She replied. "He wears a helmet and a mask or a bandanna or something. Nobody's heard him talk either." She wrapped the tail end of her bandanna around her face to illustrate. "May be a bit hard to, though." She added, a bit muffled.

"Well now we know that it is real and how he's been hiding for so long." Jason replied. "Now if Ali's right, that Sinker may lead us to the Redler which may lead us in turn to the sources of all our woes. So let's see what we can find out."

**oOoOo**

Gwen had been having a bad day, and as a result, she was ready to lash out at the first person who annoyed her in any way. She'd had her target, that damned Sinker, in her sights and then it had slipped away from her. All because she'd been momentarily distracted by another group of Zoids.

Now those Zoids were in residence in the town, which could mess up her plans. She couldn't help but notice that one of them was a Gunsniper, the same sort of Zoid that her stupid brother had been chasing after. If that was the same Zoid that had gotten away due to his incompetence, then she would have to hurt him.

And she figured that at least half the room was staring at her. _Great._ She'd have been the first to admit that she stood out in the pub full of burly, ill-bred farmers. She was short and slimly built, with shot-cropped black hair that featured several purple highlights. (Drake had joked that she was Levisha's fanclub. She knew she was better then Levisha. She had a Redler, while Levisha only had that stupid Pteras). A black and purple shirt and matching pants only served to make her stand out more.

Looking around, she noted three more people entering the pub. A tall man with long hair, a black-haired woman in a black dress and a red-haired woman in a tank-top and tattered pants. They stood out about as much as she did. _Could they have been the pilots of those three Zoids_, she wondered. The man and the redhead looked it.

Her study of the newcomers was disrupted by a buxom black-haired waitress delivering her drink, almost slopping it all over the table. _Right_, she thought. _You are now the target of my rage_. She was about to get up and see to the waitress, when something caught her eye. There was a piece of paper wedged under the glass.

She gingerly lifted it out, noting that it was soaked through. Carefully unfolding it, she studied the note.

Back of the pub. 10:30 pm tonight.

_Perfect, _she thought as she screwed up the note. Maybe today hadn't been a total write-off.

**oOoOo**

The first thing they'd done after parking their Zoids was to get rooms at the town's sole motel. Althiea had been particularly insistent on this idea, having spent the last few days sleeping rough, something that she was definitely unaccustomed to. She had washed thoroughly, spending far more time in the shower then she normally would in order to wash away the last few day's worth of dust and dirt until she had a feeling of being human again.

She also noticed, to no small degree of embarrassment that Leanne and Jason seemed to be perfectly fine with this lifestyle. They've been doing this for a lot longer then I have, she admitted to herself. They're probably both a lot tougher then me as well.

Still, as much as she'd been missing the thought of a wash and a clean bed, she was still glad that they hadn't stayed in mount Thomas. She'd be happy if she never saw that town again in her life.

There was a pub just across the road form the motel, probably deliberately placed. Jason had figured that it was the best place to start looking for information, and Leanne had agreed. Althiea quietly wondered if, after her experience in Mount Thomas, they weren't just using information gathering as an excuse to get a little drunk.

Fortunately, this pub was far cleaner and safer-looking then the one in Mount Thomas. It put her more in mind of the places she'd been in back in Sun Hill then anything else. Most of the people appeared to be locals; many of them were farmers from the properties around the town. Only one of them immediately stood out, a short, dark-haired woman sitting on her own at a table.

They took a table near the back of the bar. "Okay, here's the plan." Jason began. "I'm going to talk to the bartender." He glanced at Althiea and Leanne. "I want the pair of you to talk to a few of the others, chat them up a bit and see what they know about this Sinker."

"Now wait a minute." Leanne snapped. "Why do I have to play the part of the floozy?"

"Because almost all of the patrons here are men, in case you hadn't noticed." Jason replied, eyeing one of the waitresses as she went past.

"Hmph." Leanne snorted out. "Fine then." She stood up and walked over to the bar.

"I… I'm not very good at talking with strangers." Althiea admitted.

Jason muttered something under his breath. "Right, well, you stay here and, uh, ask the waitress if she knows anything when she comes past." He stood up and left, also walking over to the bar where Leanne was loitering at the far end.

She waited at the table, trying to look as small and invisible as possible, while thinking about the situation. Hopefully someone in this town knew something concrete about the Sinker or its pilot, or even the Redler.

"Can I get you something?"

She looked up to see a dark-hired waitress standing next to her table. She had long, black hair and was wearing a tight shirt and shorts that only served to show off her figure. "Uh, just a lemonade." Althiea stammered out.

"Right. One lemonade." She scribbled something on a notepad. "Anything else?"

"Um, yeah." Althiea nervously replied. "When I was coming into town earlier today, I saw a Sinker fighting with a Redler. You wouldn't know anything about that?"

"Not a clue." She replied, and walked away.

Well that helped, Althiea thought to herself. She watched the other two at the bar, hoping that they were having more luck. A few minutes later, the waitress returned with her lemonade, setting it down on the table and nearly spilling it. Too embarrassed to say anything, Althiea simply paid for the drink and sipped it quietly.

It was a while before Leanne and Jason returned. "So, did you find out anything?"

"This town is full of unwashed hicks." Leanne replied.

"I meant anything useful." Althiea replied.

"Not much." Jason admitted. "A handful of people have seen the Sinker, but nobody knows anything about where it came from. Apparently not a single person saw what happened this afternoon either, so I couldn't get anything on that Redler." He replied. "You?"

Leanne leaned back on her chair. "Well, a few people I spoke to had seen him around, and one even claimed to have seen his face. Well, his face which was mostly hidden by his mask and helmet, so that don't count for much." She replied. "As to who he is… well…" She leaned back further.

"Who is he?" Althiea asked.

She slumped forwards. "Well, he's either a famous mercenary pilot from before the war, or an ace pilot who fought for the enemy during it." She began.

"Interesting. Jason replied." Either way, he'd have to be, what, eighty by now?"

"It gets better." She continued. "Some say he's an Imperial Paladin who left the army and now wanders the desert dispensing his own unique brand of justice. Others say he's the Draken Empress' illegitimate son who's fled his royal heritage. And others think he's some sort of ancient robot."

Althiea had heard the legends of the race of androids who supposedly inhabited the Shelflands before humans arrived. While she personally believed them, she doubter that this man was one of them.

"So in other words, we know bog all about him." Jason summarized.

"Got it in one." Leanne replied, nodding. "That was a total waste of my time, you know. I think I spoke to more farmers then I ever have before in my life."

"So what's the plan now?" Jason asked. "Any ideas?"

"Could we go down into some of those caves and try exploring them?" Leanne asked. "You think he could be hiding out in one of those?"

"That's not going to be possible." Althiea replied. "We'd probably need an Aquadon in order to get through most of those caves."

Leanne looked up. "Where could we get one?"

"The Imperial army." Jason replied. "So that's a no." Leanne was visibly disappointed.

"The best idea I can think of would be for the three of us to split up and search the area. I figure separately we can cover more ground quicker, and have a better chance to spot either the Redler or the Sinker."

"Makes sense to me." Jason grudgingly replied. "I guess it's our best plan."

"Maybe I'll get lucky and find 'em first." Leanne replied. "That would be nice. Maybe I could have a go at swatting that Redler."

"We'll set out first thing in the morning." Jason replied. "So we may as well get an early night."

Leanne sat up. "Makes sense to me. There's nothing happening here anyway."

**oOoOo**

The alley out the back of the pub was about the highpoint of all the unpleasant places Gwen had ever hung around. Dark, cluttered with garbage and foul smelling, it reminded her uncomfortably of home. Now _there was a place she didn't miss_, she thought. _Now if only Jenice would stop using it as a base of operations. And this place had even less of a nightlife. Did all these stupid farmers go to bed at ten or something,_ she wondered.

She checked her watch again. Ten fifty. Still no sign of her contact. Wonderful. Were they late, she wondered. Or were they deliberately testing her, to see what she really wanted? She couldn't tell. But if they were just accidentally late, she'd make them suffer. Oh yes, suffer. She'd turned up early, just to be sure. The only person she'd seen in the last half hour was that waitress as she left for the night. And that was after she'd spent a hellish eternity sitting around in that damned pub waiting for something - or anything - to happen.

She heard something from the far end of the alley, away from the single light above the bar's back door. Turning to face the sound, she could make out a figure moving around form the other side of the pub. Squinting into the darkness, she couldn't make out much. They were wearing what appeared to be a fligthsuit and a helmet, but their facial features weren't visible. The figure stopped short of the light. She couldn't tell if they were armed or not, but felt it safe to assume that they were.

"You wanted to see me?" The man began in a quiet, horse voice.

Gwen nodded. "I saw what happened to you this afternoon." She began. "You were really lucky to get away from that Redler."

He shook his head. "Skill and practice and careful planning."

"Whatever." She replied. "But if half the stories about you are true, then you're a good pilot."

"Your point?"

"I think that a good pilot and a rare Zoid like yours are wasted out here in this rat-end of a town." She replied. "And operating on your own, you're very vulnerable."

"And?" He replied.

"I'm with… a group of pilots. We're good, we're skilled. We know what we're doing." She was glad that nobody could hear her saying this, especially not Harry, Malcom or, Tomy forbid, her stupid brother. "I think that someone like you would be a valuable addition to our group."

"I work alone." He replied. "No offence."

"None taken." She said. "But I'll be here for the next few days, should you change your mind."

The figure departed soundlessly. _Damn it, you were supposed to accept, _she thought to herself. _I wanted this to go well. But it hasn't. Fine then. I guess you'll just need a little more persuading._

Then it began to rain, just to make her night.

**oOoOo**

The next morning, the three of them set out, heading away from the town in different directions. Following a map of the area that Jason had obtained, each was heading towards a large lake that the Sinker could likely use as a hiding spot. The theory went that if they found the Sinker, they may find the Redler. And the Redler's pilot could provide them with the information they needed.

Althiea found it interesting how each one of them had become involved with the same objective. She wanted to locate the Red Claw and get even with them for what they did to her home. Leanne wanted to get even with them, specifically the Snipe Master pilot, for their framing of her. And Jason was being perused by a member of their forces in the Tarantulon…

He hadn't said much about that, and had seemed rather evasive when she had asked him. She suspected that there was more to it then just that, but didn't want to say anything right now. At the moment, there were more important things for them to deal with.

And now they were looking a total stranger who also seemed to have become involved with this group. It made her want to find out more about them. Who they were, what they were doing… and where that mysterious Liger had come from.

The area around the town was mainly open grasslands and farms that quickly gave way to flat, open deserts. Apart from the subterranean caves and rivers, there were very few places that a Zoid could hide. As her Hammer Rock loped through the countryside, Alithiea could see more signs of the old city. The occasional jutting piece of wall or bit of twisted metal sticking out from the long grass served as a visible reminder of what had happened here decades ago.

A group of trees in the distance indicated the presence of one of the lakes. Checking her map, she could see that she was at the southernmost tip of their search range, near a line of low hills. So far, nothing.

She opened up a comm channel to the others. "Althiea here." She began. "I'm at the southern lake. No sign of either the Redler or the Sinker."

"Copy that." Jason replied. "I'm at the western lake, nothing here."

"I'm still heading for the north-eastern lake." Leanne added. "But so far it's quiet."

"Right." Althiea replied. "I'll keep-" Her sensors beeped to warn her that another Zoid was approaching. "Hang on. I've got something coming." She looked over the sensor readings. The target was airborne and heading straight for the lake. "It's an airborne contact!" She shouted out.

"Which one is it?" Jason shouted.

There was a roar of engines as the Zoid passed overhead. Glancing up, she could see that it was the Redler, carrying something in its foreclaws. "It's the Redler!" She shouted out. "I'm going to take it out!"

"Wait a second!" Jason shouted. "Wait for us!"

"I can't!" She replied. "I can't loose this opportunity!"

The Redler dived towards the lake, releasing whatever it was that it was carrying. A black, wedge-shaped object fell towards the lake, splashing into the water and vanishing. He Redler climbed away, then suddenly fired its boosters, seeking to increase its acceleration.

He's spotted me! She thought. She pushed the Hammer Rock into a run, loping after the enemy Zoid. "The Redler dropped something into the lake!" She called out over the comms. "He's trying to escape now! I'm going after him!"

"Don't get carried away!" Jason shouted. "We're coming!"

"He's going to get away otherwise!" She shouted as she opened fire with the Hammer Rock's shoulder cannons. The shots went wide, falling far short of the fleeing Redler. Before she could close the distance, the ground underneath her shook, shaking around the small Zoid. Behind her, the waters of the small lake shook and rippled, as if something had disturbed them.

The Sinker burst from the lake, a large gash visible in its side. No sooner was it out, then the Redler wheeled around, turning back towards the smaller airborne Zoid. Quickly closing the distance between them, the Redler opened fire with its twin booster cannons. A pair of shots hit the Sinker in its damaged flank, tearing armour off the side and then tearing into the Sinker's body. The smaller Zoid shook in the air, and then began to slowly roll over, slowly descending towards the desert floor.

The Redler continued to close the distance, presumably trying to finish off the damaged Sinker. Before it could attack, however, Althiea opened fire again. One of the shots grazed the Redler's armour just behind the cockpit, while the other went wide. Surprised by the hit, the Redler's pilot suddenly pulled away, once again climbing.

Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, Althiea opened fire again. This time a pair of shots narrowly missed the Redler's back. The enemy Zoid climbed, then turned around and came back at her.

Another burst of cannon fire filled the air around the Redler with energy beams. Abruptly, the purple Zoid pulled away and began climbing again. More beams joined the cannon fire, coming at the Redler form the other side. Looking around, Althiea could see the Iguan and Gunsniper racing towards her, firing as they went.

The Redler climbed away, accelerating as it went. Clearly the pilot didn't want to risk further exposure to their fire, and decided to make his escape. The Redler streaked off, leaving the three of them behind.

Looking around, Althiea could see that the Sinker had made a belly landing on a nearby sand dune. The Zoid appeared to have suffered no further damage during the landing, however she couldn't tell what state its pilot was in. The Hammer Rock turned and lumbered towards the crashed Zoid. As it stopped, Althiea could see the pilot opening the cockpit.

The pilot was wearing a baggy, blue and black flightsuit and had a red bandanna and black helmet covering most of their face. He stood in the cockpit, clutching his side, and dried to climb out. Instead he fell, landing on the sand by the side of the Zoid.

Althiea clambered out of the Hammer Rock's cockpit, running over to the fallen pilot while the other two Zoids stood behind her. The Sinker pilot tried to stand, but slumped forwards, Althiea catching him before he hit the ground again. His helmet tumbled off his head, revealing long, black hair underneath and a pair of bright green eyes.

"Are you all right?" Althiea asked. "Can you hear me?"

"Owwwww…." The pilot replied in a surprisingly high voice… like a woman's voice. "I think so… my side…" And the he suddenly stopped. "Oh." He looked up at Althiea.

"You're…" She began. "You're a woman."

"I guess the game is up." She replied, pulling away the bandanna with her free hand. Althiea blinked for a moment, then recognised the pilot. It was the Waitress from the pub. "Oops."

"You?" Althiea asked. "What's going on here? And why is that Redler after you?"

The woman stood up, and winced in pain. "Help me out here and I'll tell you everything." She began. "Oh gords, that hurts."

"What do you need?" Althiea asked.

"I've got a hideout near here." She replied. "Help me get myself and my Zoid there, and I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know."

"And why should we help you?" Jason asked, his voice booming out form the Iguan's PA system.

"Because you're after that Redler." She replied. "And I can help you catch it."

Althiea looked up at the Iguan. "We should help her." She knew that Jason wasn't in the habit of helping total strangers. Yet she could also tell that the girl needed help.

"All right." He muttered. "So what do we have to do?"

**oOoOo**

It turned out that there were some entrances to the cave system that weren't underwater or completely flooded. The girl had been using a couple of those in order to get access to the caves - and her Zoid - as well as using them as emergency exits. The three Zoids had dragged the Sinker through several caves, often needing to wade through partially flooded passages, following directions that she shouted to them.

Eventually they'd arrived in a large cavern, one corner of which was flooded out but provided access to the rest of the cave system. The cave itself had been converted to use as a home and launch facility of sorts. Besides some primitive maintenance equipment for the Sinker, it had been furnished with a bed and several chairs. A generator hummed quietly in the background, providing power for the lights that illuminated it.

"You like it?" She began as she stepped out of the Sinker's cockpit. "It's my home away from home."

"It's…" Leanne began. "Kinda cool, actually."

"Yeah." She replied. "Make yourselves at home. Give me a couple of minutes, and I'll be with you guys." She walked off to one side of the cave, out of the sight of the others.

The three of them clambered out from their Zoids. There was no immediate sign of danger, and it didn't seem likely that she was about to betray them. Turning around, Althiea examined the Sinker. It had clearly seen a long and exciting life, and showed signs of numerous repairs. The large gash in its side appeared to not have been the first serious injury it had suffered.

"How do you know you can trust her?" Jason asked.

"We helped her get away from the Redler." Althiea replied. "And she's let us into her, uh home. Isn't that good enough?"

"Besides, she works at the pub." Leanne added. "I remember her from last night. She slopped my beer." She turned to Jason. "And you spent half your time gawping at her while I was talking to fat farmers."

Jason was about to say something when the girl walked back in. Dressed in baggy pants and a tight top, there was no mistaking her gender. There was a bandage on her right side, heavily taped down. "Sorry to keep you." She began. "And since we didn't get round to it earlier, Hi. Name's Rayvenne. Nice t'meetcha."

"Althiea." She replied.

"Jason Simons." Jason offered, all but barging past the other two. "Sorry for doubting you earlier. You feeling okay? How's the side?"

"Hello, my name's Leanne, good to meet you." Leanne added, sticking her head around Jason.

"Cool." Rayvenne replied. "Thanks for helping me out back there. I don't know what would have happened otherwise. Unfortunately, now I'm almost as sunk"

"Why's that?" Althiea asked.

"I've got a few parts for the Sinker, but I'll admit now that I'm no good at fixing it beyond simple maintenance. I've never dealt with anything like a hole in the side." She said, shrugging. "So much for my fantastic career."

"I can take a look at it." Althiea offered. "I know a bit about Zoid mechanics and design. I may be able to fix it up for you."

"Cool, and thanks for that." Rayvene replied. "It's an old machine, I know, but I like it."

"Can I ask where you got it from?" Jason began. "It's unusual to see a Sinker out in the middle of the desert."

"This thing?" She asked. "It belonged to my great-grandfather or something like that. He was a famous pilot or something before the war. I copied my outfit from his, actually, complete with the whole 'helmet and bandanna' look. Anyways, he squirreled it away and noted down where it was."

"And you found his notes, right?" Leanne asked.

"Sorta." She replied. "I was going through my mum's stuff and found the notes. I took 'em and figured that she'd never miss 'em. Not much for reading or the like is my mum."

"And do you think anyone else will miss them?" Leanne continued.

"Not likely." She replied. "Mum's my only family, and even then, we don't get along. I'm just the latest in a long line of illegitimate single kids going back to, uh, at least my grandmother."

"I'm sorry-" Althjiea began.

"It's not a problem, Ali." She replied. "I don't miss her and she doesn't think much of her mum and… well, none of 'em were going to use this thing anyway." She turned back to the Sinker. "So I figured, hey, why not take this thing and do something exciting with my life." He shrugged. "Beat being an exotic dancer or a barmaid or whatever else I was planning to do."

"So what's up with that Redler?" Jason asked. "Why has it after you?"

"Personally, I have no idea why he's got a mad-on for me. I know he don't know who I am, personally." Rayvenne continued. "You guys are the only people who have seen me go from hottie waitress to enigmatic androgynous Sinker pilot. But I do have an idea."

"Go on." Leanne began, sounding less then thrilled.

"A couple of days ago, this weird girl started poking around the town, asking about me. At the same time, a Redler turns up and starts hassling me when it can find me."

"Weird girl?" Althiea asked.

"Yeah, short, purple hair, horrible dress sense. You probably saw her in the pub last night."

Althiea nodded. "Go on."

"Then she turns up and asks me, that is to say, me the Sinker pilot, if I want to join a 'group' of 'expert pilots' to avoid something like this from happening to me again." She replied. "Sounded like a protection racket to me."

"That's the Red Claw." Jason replied. "They're a group of Zoid pilots that the three of us have had problems with in past. What you've described sounds similar to things I've heard happening to others." He paused. "They find some pilot who has their own Zoid and bully them into joining their forces."

"The Red Claw destroyed Ali's home town and tried to frame me." Leanne explained. "We're sort of on a joint revenge trip."

"Revenge trip, huh?" Reyvenne replied. "I can go for that." She looked over at the Sinker. "That is if you can get that thing working again."

"What we need is a way to trap that Redler." Leanne continued. "If we could guarantee that it'd be in a certain place at a certain time, then we could catch it."

"I can manage that." Rayvenne continued. "But I'll probably need some help form you guys. In fact, you'd be perfect." She turned towards Leanne, a smile on her face. "Want to earn a little extra cash?"

**oOoOo**

Gwen tapped her fingers angrily on the table. She'd been waiting in this stupid pub for ages and her temper was beginning to fray.

Today had been a complete and utter disaster for her and her little operation. She'd expended all the torpedoes that she'd been lent for the mission in the process of blowing up random chunks of desert. Then when she'd finally flushed out that stupid Sinker, that trio of Zoids had shown up out of nowhere and attacked her, driving her away before she could claim the Sinker for her own.

Her Redler had taken some damage which, while not severe, was enough to annoy her. Of course, it did mean having Bart slobber all over her while he inspected every minute detail of her Zoid before fixing it. The very thought of which was enough to make her shudder and wish that he'd suffer a violent death.

A red-haired waitress walked over to her table, wearing what seemed to be the standard uniform here of tight pants and a tight top. She also wore an angry look on her face. This made Gwen smile, after a fashion. It seemed that someone was having a worse day then she was.

The waitress slammed her beer down on the table and angrily walked off. Her attitude may be terrible, Gwen thought, but she serves the drinks better then that other stupid waitress. She waited until the waitress had gone before picking up the note from underneath it.

Tonight, back alley, 10:30 pm

She scrunched it up, a smile on her face. Maybe things were going to go well for her after all.

**oOoOo**

Leanne angrily stalked into the back alley behind the pub. Making sure nobody was looking, she darted across the alley and into the back of a house two doors down. Currently vacant, she knew exactly who would be in there.

"Why the hell did I have to do that?" She shouted as she entered. Jason and Rayvenne looked up from the table in the otherwise abandoned back room. "I felt like an idiot dressed like this!"

"We went over this before, Lee." Rayvenne replied. "I'm all bruised up following today's little encounter and thus would look a little silly in the waitresses' outfit. And you're close to my height, if not my, uh, size. Besides, we need someone in top shape to play the second part, and, well, you look like you could beat the crap out of her if needs be."

"Besides, Ali is busy fixing the Sinker." Jason added. "So that left only you."

Leanne fumed. "Fine then. But stop calling me Lee!" She stomped off angrily to the next room, slamming the door shut behind her.

For the better part of a minute, there was silence. Then finally Rayvenne spoke up. "Is she always this angry?"

Jason nodded. "Since I've known her, yes. And that's only been a few days."

"Ah." Rayvenne replied. "So what did you do for a living before you started running around the desert in an Iguan?"

"Not much." He muttered. "Bumming around on my own, mainly."

"And your beef with the Red Claw?"

"There's a guy who I had an argument with that's been after me since." He replied. "He's got a Tarantulon. So far I've been able to avoid him, but…"

"Well good thing then that there's four of us now." She replied. "I mean, four Zoids could beat the crap out of a single Spide."

Leanne walked back into the room, dressed in Rayvenne's flightsuit, complete with helmet and bandanna. "So you know what to do and say?"

"Yes." He replied, sounding somewhat strained. "I still can't see why we don't just beat the snot out of her here."

"Because she may be just a messenger." Jason replied. "If we take her out now, then the Redler pilot may never get the message. And if she is just a patsy, then she probably won't know anything important anyway."

"Right." She replied, rolling her eyes.

"And remember, low throaty voice." Rayvenne added. "She thinks you're a man."

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered. "I've got it, already."

**oOoOo**

Gwen waited by the back of the pub. Again, her contact was ridiculously late. There hadn't even been any waitresses scampering out if the back of the pub tonight. Still, if she was right, then tonight would be the payoff. Everything that she'd gone through so far would work out just fine. It made spending the last few days in this rat-hole almost worth it. Almost,

She scanned the far end of the alley again. Still nothing. Then she heard the sounds of footsteps, somebody in heavy boots. A figure emerged at the end of the alley, still mostly hidden in the shadows.

"You wanted to see me again." He began in his low, hoarse voice.

"Yeah." She replied. "I heard about your little accident earlier today. Your Zoid got busted up. Real shame about that."

"And?" He replied.

"And my offer's still open to join us." She replied. "Remember, we can make sure that things like that don't ever happen again. Ever."

"Sounds tempting." He replied. "Of course, I'd have to see what you can offer me."

"I'm sure we can arrange a meeting. I'd like to see that Zoid of yours."

"Fine then." The pilot replied. "There's a ruined homestead north-west of town, by a large lake. Meet me there at midday."

"What about those other Zoids?" She asked. "I heard you had some help earlier today."

"Don't worry about them." He replied. "They're no friends of mine."

"Good." Gwen finished. "So tomorrow then?"

The man nodded, then backed off, vanishing into the shadows.

_This was all working out, she thought_. _Maybe this hasn't been a complete waste of my time after all. And I'm certainly doing better then my stupid brother did_. She sniggered to herself. _Time to go to work._

**oOoOo**

Gwen circled the ruined homestead, surveying the area from the air. From her Redler's cockpit, she could tell that there wasn't much to see. Most of the area consisted of open grasslands, with the lake being the only remarkable terrain feature anywhere in sight. The homestead itself was long gone, consisting of only a few piles of rubble that once, long ago, had been buildings. A few piles of broken, rusted equipment served to only complete the scene.

_What a dump, _she thought. _And I thought home was dull. It's got nothing on this place. _The Redler circled the homestead a few more times, waiting for some sign of the Sinker. She knew he had a habit of never being on time, but, at the same time, she figured that today's meeting was important enough for him not to miss.

Finally, the Sinker broke the surface of the lake. Skimming just above the ground level, it flew over to the ruins, stopping in the middle of the rubble. _Right on time,_ she thought. The Sinker appeared to have been repaired since yesterday's battle, a large patch visible on its side. If the pilot was surprised to see the Redler here, he didn't show it. Instead, he waited paitiently for her to make the next move.

The Redler stopped over the Sinker and began to descend slowly. So far, everything was going well, she thought. Not long now and I can go back to Jenice. I will look so damned good.

Then the rubble around her Zoid began to shift and move. Glancing around, she could see forms emerging form under cover. One of them caught her eye, being bright blue with a splash of orange. She immediately recongised it as being a Gunsniper, the same Zoid that had attacked her yesterday.

Crap.

**oOoOo**

Ali's Hammer Rock shook off the rubble around it as it stood up. The Redler was literally right in front of her, hanging in mid-air, the pilot caught by surprise. Around her, she could see the Iguan and Gunsniper also both breaking cover.

The Redler's pilot must have seen them, as he opened up the throttles on his Zoid, trying to get away from them as quickly as possible. The three of them opened fire on the enemy Zoid as it tried to tear away, peppering its flanks with his before it quickly sped away.

"I'm on him!" Rayvenne shouted over the comm. link. Her Sinker turned around and took off after the Redler, opening fire on its rear with its twin beam cannons. Several shots struck the enemy Zoid before the pilot veered away.

"Don't let him get away!" Leanne shouted.

"I won't!" She replied, diving after it before opening fire again. The Redler veered off again, desperately trying to avoid the Sinker's fire. Coming around, it dived at the three of them.

"What the hell is he doing?" Leanne shouted.

"No idea!" Jason replied. "Scatter!"

The three Zoids broke and ran as the Redler opened fire on them, its beam cannons tearing into the ground near where the Iguan had been. It swooped down as low as it could go, continuing to fire on them as it went before pulling up and trying to climb away, its booster on full reheat.

Not wanting to loose this chance, Alithiea opened up the Hammer Rock's throttle, the small ape Zoid loping after the fleeing Redler. Switching the fire control over to the missiles, she lined up the Redler in her sights and waited for the lock on tone from the missiles. Within seconds they acquired the target and confirmed the lock. Squeezing the trigger, a pair of missiles shot from the Zoid's back towards the Redler.

The enemy Zoid veered off, twisting and turning through the skies while desperately trying to avoid the missiles. The first one lost its lock and exploded harmlessly in mid-air. The second one continued towards the Zoid, hitting one of the boosters and exploding, blowing it apart.

The enemy pilot, realizing that he couldn't win, jettisoned the other booster and climbed away, opening the Redler up to its full mach three speed. The Sinker tried to follow, but was quickly left behind as the Redler vanished into the distance.

"Ah, crap." Rayvenne swore. "We almost had her too." The Sinker looped around, heading back towards the other Zoids.

"But we have driven her off." Althiea offered. "And she's going to be reluctant to come after you now."

"I guess so." She replied as the Sinker stopped between the three Zoids. "You guys are still after 'em, aren't you?"

"We still have scores to settle and issues to resolve." Jason replied as he looked around at the others.

"Well in that case, count me in." Rayvene replied. "Having someone who's Zoid can fly will be a big help. Besides, I still want to get that Redler pilot for what they did to me."

"You don't mind leaving your home?" Althiea asked.

"Naw, this isn't really my home." She replied. "And there's not much in the cave that I can't take that I'll miss anyway."

"Well I'm all for it." Leanne replied. "If we'd had somebody who could fly, you guys would have found that sniper without having to beat me up."

"I agree." Jason added, enthusiastically. "Welcome onboard, Rayvenne."

"Cool." She replied. "Say, you guys got a name yet?"

**oOoOo**

As it stepped, Sturm noticed that the Godos had developed an ever so slight limp in its left leg. He'd thought he'd gotten away from his last battle unscathed, but now realised that the Guysack had done more damage then he thought. While minor now, the damage would only get worse with time. And with a long distance until the next place he could possibly repair the Zoid, it was defiantly going to get worse before it got better. All the other systems on the Godos seemed to still be working normally, which was a relief. He had a feeling he would need them again.

As if to confirm his statement, the sensors beeped with a warning of an approaching Zoid. Ahead of him, a bulky black form stepped out form around a sand dune, its dark armour standing out against the yellow of the sand. _A Darkhorn_, he thought. _Have I wandered into their territory already? Or are they merely being adventurous? _He examined the Darkhorn closely. A large cannon, possibly the same weapon used by the Iron Kong PK was mounted alongside its Beam Gattling cannon.

"Paladin Sturm Trogdor." A female voice came form the Darkhorn's PA system. "The Black Paladin himself. So good to see you here."

"What do you want?" He shouted back. He could tell that the Darkhorn wasn't going to let him past.

"You've created quite a stir in the Empire." She continued. "You burned down a village, defeated three knights at once and hospitalized a fellow Paladin. Well done."

"Let me past." he said. "I have no quarrel with your people."

"None the less, I can't." She said. "We have a treaty with Zygra. Any criminals wanted in the Empire are wanted here. We apprehend them and send them back where they came from."

_And you have a habit of enforcing and twisting that treaty when it suits you, _he mentally added. _You make us jump through hoops to get what we want in a way that advantages you. _"So you wish to take me in." he replied.

"That is correct." She said. "So if you would quietly shut down your Zoid and step out of it, we can avoid any... unpleasantness."

"I cannot do that." He replied. "I will not allow myself to be taken prisoner by you."

"So instead, you choose to fight." She said. "A Godos against a Darkhorn. Hardly seems fair. Still, it should be interesting. I've always wanted to fight a Paladin." The Darkhorn glanced around. "Very well. Defeat me, and you may pass."

Sturm knew what were the odds of that happening. She had a Zoid that was better then his in almost every way. He knew that all their pilots were of exceptional quality, with raw recruits being the equivalent of seasoned Imperial Knights. And if this one was who he suspected she was, then she was amongst their best. But at the same time, he knew that he couldn't allow himself to be captured by her or anyone else.

The Godos charged at the Darkhorn, then suddenly veered to the left. This way he figured, she could bring only one of her main weapons to bear on him, a definite advantage. He opened fire with the long-range beam cannon, the shot scoring the Darkhorn's amour over its flank.

In response, the Dark Zoid charged forwards, not trying to immediately match his path but rather running parallel. To his surprise, the entire rear weapons array slewed around to face him, both the Beam Gattling cannon and the Hyperbeam Launcher coming to bear on his Zoid. The enemy pilot opened fire with the gattling cannon, the shots kicking up sand, then tearing into the armour on the Godos' leg and tail.

A number of system lights flashed red in the Godos' cockpit, indicating damage to the leg's systems. And that was my healthy leg too, he thought. Turning around, he bought his main guns to bear, only to see that the Darkhorn had also come around and was now facing him.

The two of them charged, opening fire at the same time. The beams from the Weasel pod dug scars into the Darkhorn's neck shield and flanks, wounding it but not doing anything serious. The Darkhorn's reply as more substantial, however. The Beam Gattling cannon tore apart the armour on the Zoid's upper side, while the beam launcher capitalised on this, tearing the left arm free form the body. The Hyperbeam cannon finished the job by tearing into the already damaged right leg, shearing it off at the hip. The damaged Godos fell, red warning lights flashing all over the status board.

Stum desperately grappled with the controls, trying to prop up the damaged Zoid. Instead all he got was system shutdown warnings as the badly damaged Godos powered itself down. The small Zoid collapsed to the ground, the Darkhorn walking towards it. The Dark Zoid stopped just short of his machine, and then raised one of its massive feet above the cockpit. He knew what was about to happen, and, in a strange way, welcomed it. Anything was better then going back to the empire now.

The Darkhorn stepped back, its foot planted in the ground next to the cockpit, clearly not intending in crushing him. Instead, a pair of soldiers, each clad in grey and black uniforms and armour, clambered out of the Darkhorn, walking towards the Zoid's cockpit.

_Damn it was her_. He thought. This could either go very well, or very badly.

"So good to see you, Mister Trodgor. I have been looking forward to this." She said form the Zoid's cockpit, a hint of smugness in her voice.


	6. Fugitive

Jake's Tarantulon sprinted into the dark canyon, relentlessly following his target. He'd been perusing this man for… well, he didn't care to think how long it had been, but now he had him cornered. There was no getting away now.

He'd lured his opponent into a maze of canyons where he knew that the large, slow Zoid couldn't maneuver. He'd taken the liberty of getting the best and most up-to-date maps possible of the area. He'd mapped out all the best routes that he could use to cut off or head off his opponent. He knew all the places where he could lurk and wait and attack his opponent while remaining immune from harm.

And now the fool had blundered into a dead-end box canyon that he had no way out of. In the dead of night, it had been easy for him to track his prey; a large, slow, clunking Zoid versus his small, fast and nimble Tarantulon was hardly an even in this kind of country. It was perfect. The long hunt was over. He could go back to Jenice with his prisoner and prove his worth to her. He knew how important this man was to her, and how vital it was that he succeeded. And he did not intend to let him go now.

The Tarantulon skittered into the canyon, rounding the bend to the dead end where he knew his prey was waiting. "Give it up!" He called out over the PA. "You can't esc-"

The glare from the headlights caused him to pause. Turning down the Tarantulon's low-light optics, he could see the Zoid looming in front of him. Through the glare of the multiple searchlights directed at him, he could see that it had turned around. And he could hear that its motors were revving, as if it was preparing to move.

There was only one way it could go, he realized, and that was straight through him. All of a sudden, he realized just how small his Zoid was.

He turned and ran.

**oOoOo**

**Fugitive**

**oOoOo**

For what she figured was the dozenth time today, Leanne wondered who's bright idea it had been to travel through the canyon rather then around them. And for the dozenth time today, she figured that she'd kill them for it.

The information Jason and Althiea had provided indicated that the enemy's central base of operations was in Freedom, a large independent city-state to the south-west of their present location. For a lack of better leads, they were all headed in that direction. Unfortunately, the Redrock canyon formation happened to be directly in their path.

Some bright spark had figured that it'd take hours for them to go around it, so why not just go straight through the middle? Rayvenne had volunteered to fly on ahead of the rest of the team to check the canyon was clear, find the best past and, if needs be, provide a warning about any potential attackers.

Of course, the canyons had proven to be much harder going then anticipated, with a lot of broken and uneven terrain that slowed their speed considerably. Rayvenne's recon had also proven to be less useful then anticipated, as the narrow canyons often made seeing what was at ground level difficult. Several hours later they realsied that it would have been faster for them to go around the canyon. Of course, by then it would have taken them more time to go back so…

She sighed. Somebody was definitely going to pay for this.

"Heads up guys." Reyvenne said over their comms systems. I've got a bogey moving around in one of the canyons ahead. Definitely a Zoid, small and fast moving."

"Any idea what type?" Jason asked.

"And is it hostile?" Leanne added. She was itching for an excuse to hit something.

"It looks like a… uh…" Rayvenne paused. "Whatsit. The mutant version of a Gargantulus."

"Tarantulon?" Althiea offered.

"Yeah, that." She replied.

"Don't take your eyes off it!" Jason shouted back. "Keep us updated as to its location and movements. I'm going to join you!" The Iguan fired its booster, vaulting over a large rock before sprinting off down a canyon.

"What?" Leanne shouted. "What's going on?"

"He's being hunted by a member of the Red Claw in a Tarantulon." Althiea explained. "If it's the same guy-"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Leanne replied. "Let's get after him!"

**oOoOo**

The Iguan sprinted through the canyon as fast as its damaged legs could carry it, dodging and weaving past obstacles, or simply vaulting over them using its boosters. He couldn't be certain that this Tarantulon was what he thought it was, but he was pretty certain. And he didn't want to risk loosing it if it was.

"What's it doing now?" He shouted into his mike.

"It's stopped at a canyon junction up ahead." Rayvene replied. "Like it's waiting for something."

"Do you think it's aware of your presence?"

"I don't think so." She replied. "It's not going anywhere, and its not following my movements. I think he's looking for something else."

"Good." He replied. "Let me know the instant he does anything."

"I will. Where are you at the moment?"

"North of your location, heading south-south west."

"Right." She studied her map of the area." Hang a right at the next canyon junction. That'll get you into a narrower canyon, but the ground's a lot clearer and more level. Once you're in there, you're all set."

"Thanks." Spotting the junction ahead, he turned the Iguan off down the canyon that Rayvenne had indicated. This is it, he thought. Everything that's happened in the last few weeks ends here and now. He considered the series of events that had lead him here, with these people. How ironic it was that he was hunting the Red Claw, instead of them hunting him.

"Where now?" He asked as the Iguan approached the end of the canyon.

"Keep going straight ahead." She replied. "He's around the next bend."

"Right." Closing the connection, he focused on the canyon. Sure enough, as he rounded the bend, he caught a glimpse of the Red and Silver Zoid waiting by a junction. Jason figured that he hadn't spotted him yet. Perfect.

He squeezed the trigger for the quad cannon, the shots leaping from the Iguan's arm and slamming into the side of the smaller Zoid. The Tarantulon was shaken, but remained upright for the moment.

"Surprised to see me, Jake?" He called out. "I thought you were the one who was hunting me."

"Jason!" He shouted back as the Tarantulon scrambled away form the Iguan. Skittering away, it fired back with the grenade launcher mounted on its back. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question." He replied as the grenade bounced past his Iguan. "I thought I'd lost you!" He fired again, adding the Iguan's head guns to the volley.

"You lousy traitor!" The Tarantulon scrambled across the canyon, running in a frantic, zig-zagging pattern to avoid Jason's fire. "I'm not after you any more! I've got more important things to do!"

The Iguan burst into a run, chasing after the smaller, faster Zoid, firing its head guns as it went. "I'm no traitor!" Jason shouted. "I just did the right thing!"

"Yeah, right!" The Tarantulon swerved away from the Iguan, part scaling a cliff wall while firing back with its rear machine guns. "You left us and took a valuable Zoid with you! They want that Zoid back!"

"I'm flattered." Several shots hit the Iguan, the light rounds form the machine guns mostly bouncing off the armour. "So what are you doing out here then?"

"None of your business!" He shouted back. The Tarantulon scurried away, trying to put as much distance between it and the Iguan as possible.

Jason could tell see that he was getting away. No, he thought. I'm not going to pass up this chance. The Iguan ran after the Tarantulon, trying its best to keep up. "Don't run, Jake! Fight me like a man!"

**oOoOo**

"What's happening down there?" Althiea asked as her Hammer Rock loped through the canyons.

"No idea." Rayvenne called back. "Jason and the Tarantulon are fighting and, form the sounds of it, shouting at each other as well. No idea what they're saying though."

"What the hell?" Leanne shouted. "What does that nut think he's doing?"

Althiea considered this. She knew that the man in the Tarantulon was pursuing him, but she suspected that there was something else going on here. _Why else would he suddenly run off like that, she wondered. He knows that he's far better off working with us then on his own._ Their experiences in the last few days had proven that much.

_So what was he up to?_

**oOoOo**

Jake swerved the Taranulon through the canyon, desperately trying to avoid the fire from Jason's Iguan, while returning fire with his own weapons. He knew that in a straight up fight, his Zoid didn't stand a chance against Jason's. His only chance was to use his speed and agility, and try to get the Iguan in a situation where he had the advantage.

_Damn you, Jason, _he thought. _I had it all planned out perfectly. I could have caught him and gone back to Jenice to be covered with praise. I knew I should have eliminated you when I had the chance_. An explosion threw his Zoid around, almost tipping it forwards. Fighting with the controls, he was able to keep it upright and moving.

"Damn you, Jason!" He shouted. "Why won't you just die?"

The sensors beeped as a new target appeared on the screens. Reading off the displays, he could see that this one was airborne, but moving relatively slowly. Looking up, he saw the shadowy winged shape of a Sinker pass overhead. Crap. He knew that Jenice didn't have any Sinkers in her army, and two Zoids showing up here at once was too much of a coincidence for him to ignore.

That meant that there were at least two of them. He was now out numbered and out-maneuvered. Getting away from the Iguan was one thing, but evading the Sinker would be a completely different matter. From above, there would be precious few places that he could hide.

He yanked on the controls, pulling the Tatantulon around in a very sharp turn. The Zoid ducked into a narrow canyon, skittering along at high speeds, its pilot trying to put as much distance between him and his opponents as possible. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to put any ideas of getting his revenge on Jason behind him for the moment and concentrate on getting away. There was no way he could do it now.

The Tarantulon bust out into another, wider canyon, its proximity warning alerts going crazy. Looking around, he could see another pair of Zoids, a Hammer Rock and a Gunsniper, advancing towards him. "Crap, where'd they come from?" He shouted to himself. Jason clearly had gotten himself some protection, he thought. _Unless..._

He wheeled the Tarantulon around, sprinting away from the other two Zoids at speed. The pair of them chased after him, opening fire with their various cannons. Fortunately, he was able to keep maneuvering enough to stay out of their way and evade their fire. As he went, he considered the options.

Could it be that his target had acquired the services of these Zoids to protect him? He considered the options. He thought he had lured his target in here in the hope of cutting him off. Then he was attacked form all sides by these hostile Zoids. Could it be that his target had actually tricked him and allowed him to think he had the advantage, when in fact he had been preparing a trap all along?

It made perfect sense. It also meant that he had no chance now of capturing his target unassisted. Damn it. He would have to call Jenice for help, something that he doubted that she would be pleased to hear. But at the same time, he figured that she would be more accepting of the situation when she found out that the target now had his own escorts.

But first he had to get away from them.

He ducked into a wider, more open canyon that would allow him to get the most speed out of his Zoid. The Gunsniper and Hammer Rock burst into the canyon behind him, but he pulled ahead of them. The pair of them opened up on him again, the shots going wide.

There was no sign of the Sinker. He hoped that it had lost track of him, otherwise he didn't have a chance. Sinker aside, however, he was almost away, he thought. Only a little further…

The hulking grey and green shape of a Gustav suddenly lumbered around the corner. It was his target, he realized, and now it was blacking the canyon, squeezing him between it and his pursuers. Suddenly, a plan formed. He'd been doing everything possible to catch this guy until now. Now he'd allow him to escape.

The Tarantulon charged straight at the oncoming Gustav, as if it was going to ram it head on. At the last possible second, however, it leaped up, landing on the Gustav's armoured shell. Skittering across its back, it leaped off and onto the first trailer, then the second before jumping off the back. No sooner had he hit the ground then he opened up the throttle again, sprinting away form the enemy Zoids at full speed.

For the moment, he was safe, he realized. Now he had to pass on this valuable information.

**oOoOo**

Althiea had been momentarily surprised by the Tarantulon's sudden appearance. The Zoid had literally come out of nowhere, seen her and Leanne's Zoids and then run off. For want of a better plan, the two of them had gone after it.

Then Jason had started shouting in their ears. "Don't let him get away!" He called out. "Whatever you do!"

Unfortunately, the Tarantulon's pilot had other plans. He'd sprinted across the canyon, outpacing their Zoids by a considerable degree. Rather then trying to return their own rather inaccurate fire, the pilot had concentrated on evasion and preventing himself from getting hit.

"Stupid… damn spider!" Leanne shouted, her Gunsniper spraying fire from its forearm guns across the canyon. "Stand still and let me hit you!"

Althiea concentrated on trying to hit it with the Hammer Rock's shoulder cannon. Her target, however, seemed to know what he was doing and how to avoid their fire. Looking at it, she could see that the Tarantulon already had a large gap in its side, probably from Jason's Iguan. _He's trying to escape, _she thought. _He's in no condition to fight us._

Then a Gustav had come out of seemingly nowhere, all but blocking the canyon. The Tarantulon's pilot had seized his chance to get away, his Zoid vaulting over the slower moving transport. Althiea and Leanne had bought their zooids to skidding halts before they literally ran straight into it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Leanne shouted at the Gustav. "Damn it, he's getting away!"

"Young lady, I feel that I should apologize to you, but at the same time, I should thank you." A voice came form the Gustav's PA system.

"What in the heck?" Leanne replied.

"Hmm… I'm guessing that you're not from Jenice since you were chasing after yon hooligan." He continued. "So the question is, why are a Hammer Rock, an Iguan and what I'm guessing is the legendary Sinker of Bartonsville wandering around in the middle of the Redrock Canyons?"

"How did he-" Leanne began.

"That's a rather nasty gash you have there on your Zoid's leg, however." He added "I suspect that there's also some damage to your motive systems, making you a little slower then you should be, right?"

"Um... Well, yeah…" Leanne was sounding more then a bit confused. Althiea couldn't help but feel the same. It was as if he didn't care what had just happened.

"Very well then. I cannot bear to see such a rare Zoid in such a state! For saving me from the clutches of evil, I, the greatest mind in all of the Shelflands, shall repair your Zoid!"

The Gustav's cockpit swung open to reveal a rather startling looking figure in the cockpit. He was tall and lanky, with a brown beard and what could only be described as a poofy mound of hair. He wore a battered lab coat, the pockets of which appeared to be stuffed with all manner of unidentifiable objects.

"Who the hell are you?" Leanne asked.

Apparently ignoring her, the man stepped out of the Gustav and walked over to the Gunsniper's leg. He stopped by the tear in the side, examining it. "Hmmm…" He began. "Interesting."

Althiea opened the cockpit of the Hammer Rock and climbed out of the Zoid. Up close, she realised that he was a lot taller then she thought, but also rather lanky. "Excuse me." She began. "Can I help?"

He suddenly stopped and turned abruptly. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

"My name's Althiea-" She began.

"I see. And do you have any qualifications?"

"I've got no formal degrees, if that's what you mean. I was trained by an expert technician." She replied. "And I've always been good with machines."

"Good with machines?" He paused, and then spun around. "Good with machines, eh?"

"Yes?"

"You ever hear strange voices in your head?"

"Huh?"

"When you're around Zoids?"

"Well… no."

"Or ever gotten a certain 'feeling' or emotion off a Zoid?"

"Well, my Hammer Rock does seem to like me…"

"Fascinating. Any strange dreams? Delusions of power? Feeling like you can control the world and reshape it in your very image to create a perfect universe in which your will is absolute and your power is unquestioned?"

"No-"

He pulled out a torch and flashed it in one of her eyes. "Normal". Before she could do or say anything else, he moved around behind her and poked her in the back of the head. "Normal." He moved back around to in front of her and eyed her wearily, rubbing his chin. "Never had any urges to put on a black cloak, have you?"

"No." She admitted, now thoroughly confused. "Black dress maybe but-"

"Fair enough then. For you shall help me with repairing this Zoid!"

"Well… okay. Thanks." Althiea replied, nervously.

Leanne opened the cockpit of her Zoid and clambered out. She stalked over to the man. "Okay, mister. Who the heck are you and what are you doing here?"

His reply was cut off by Jason's Iguan walking into the canyon and joining them. "What happened here?" Jason asked.

"He got away." Leanne replied. "Thanks to Dr Weird here." She indicated at the man.

"Who?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out." She replied. "So far he's poked Ali a few times and is now trying to fix my Zoid's leg. But I don't trust him."

"Fine then." Jason replied. "I'll keep watch."

"Hmmm…" The man began, still staring into the gash on the Gunsniper's leg. "Yes, that would be a superlative suggestion. After all, none would dare attack us while we are protected by Iguan, the mightiest Zoid ever."

There was a long, long silence. "Who the hell is this guy anyway?" Jason finally muttered.

"Yes, I admit that I have been rather deficit in my manners." He began. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Floyd Glass, the greatest technical genius in al of the Shelflands." He stood, grinning, as if he was expecting some sort of reaction. "You have heard of me, right?"

There was another long silence.

"I'll get back to fixing the Zoid."

**oOoOo**

Jenice paced around the briefing table in their field headquarters. Levisha was calmly standing by the door, feigning indifference to the whole scene. Part of her didn't really care what happened here, but another part of her wanted to see - and enjoy - what was about to happen. Gwen and Drake stood in the middle of the room, looking for all the world like a pair of naughty schoolchildren dragged to the headmaster's office.

Bart was outside, looking over Gwen's Redler. From what she'd gathered, the Zoid had come back with severe damage and the booster cannons missing. She figured that Bart would have been initially furious at what she'd done to it, and then tearful as he tried to repair it with just the parts they had on hand. And then furious when he tried to find a replacement pair of booster canons, which would not be easy. Now that would be fun to watch.

But the situation at hand was currently holding her attention.

"So let me get this straight." Jencie began. "Drake, you say you had your target cornered and pinned down. You were ready to bring them in when you were suddenly attacked by a Hammer Rock that climbed up the cliff and punched your Zoid out. And you didn't spot it because it was under your visual sight."

"There was also an Iguan." He offered.

"An Iguan. I see." She paused. "And then you were forced to flee before your Zoid took more damage, aided by Gwen here."

"Yes, commander" He sheepishly admitted.

She turned towards Gwen. "And now you claim that you had your target beaten and ready to surrender. Then you say that you were attacked by a Hammer Rock, an Iguan and a Gunsniper." She glanced at Drake. "The three of them and the Sinker, then attacked your Zoid, doing a substantial amount of damage to it before you were also forced to flee. Am I correct?"

"Yes commander."

"I see. And would you be prepared to say that these were the same Hammer Rock and Iguan that Drake encountered as well as the Gunsniper he had been tailing?"

"It's possible, commander."

"I see." She replied and turned away, walking a little away from the table before turning back to face them. "Are you two both incredibly inept or incredibly stupid? I assign the pair of you simple recruitment tasks that could have been achieved by anyone else in this sordid little organization and you two, obstinately two of my best pilots, manage to mess them up. What exactly happened out there?"

"Well, there was a Hammer Rock and an Iguan…" Drake began.

"And a Gunsniper-"

"No more excuses!" She snapped. "I'm getting the distinct impression that the pair of you only managed to scrape by on the quality of your Zoids rather then your actual skill as pilots. Levisha is a better pilot then you, Gwen. Maybe she should pilot your Redler."

Levisha smirked at the thought. It'd take some modification work to get the surveillance and control equipment form her Pteras adapted to the Redler, which was currently beyond the groups' technical ability. Of course, should Peloquin succeed at his mission, against all odds…

A beep from the communications headset she wore grabbed her attention. "Towne here." She began.

"It's Peloquin" The voice replied. He sounded tired and, as she expected, desperate. "I've cornered the target, but there have been complications."

"What complications?" She asked.

"Is that Peolquin?" Jenice asked. Levisha nodded.

"I have him cornered in the Redrock Canyons. But he's met up with another group of Zoids." He replied. "There's a Hammer Rock, a Gunsniper and a Sinker."

"I see." She looked up to Jenice, temporarily covering the mike. "The target has met another group of Zoids. Specifically-" She glanced at Drake and Gwen.

"Give me that." Jenice replied. Levisha quietly handed her the headset. "Peloquin, this is Jenice." She began. "Maintain your position and watch the target. Do not allow him to escape."

"Yes commander." He replied. "But what should I do about the others?"

"I'm sending you the entire Bravo Talon." She replied. "They will assist you with the capture."

"Thank you, commander!" He replied enthusiastically.

"Do not mess this up, Peloquin. Do you understand?"

"I won't, I mean, yes, I understand perfectly commander." He stammered out.

"Very good. I'll give you more info when they're underway. Out." She handed the communicator to Levisha. "Towne, collect the Bravo Talon and join Peloquin."

"Yes, commander." She replied.

"And I want you to lead them." She continued. "I don't want Peloquin or anyone else to mess this up."

"Of course, commander." She replied, a smug smile forming on her face. This was going better then she had hoped.

**oOoOo**

Repairing the Gunsniper's leg had taken about an hour. Floyd had provided parts from a supply that he kept in one of the Gustav's trailers. Instead of the usual open flat-top trailers, he instead had a pair of huge container trailer, almost twice as long as the standard Gustav trailers. He didn't mention where he had gotten the parts from or why he was so freely giving them to Leanne's Zoid. For her part, Leanne didn't care, being just glad to have her Gunsniper's leg repaired.

He'd also repaired the more severe gash in the Iguan's leg, once again donating parts from his own personal supply. Althiea found it interesting; he seemed to just vanish into his trailers and then emerge a few minutes later with what he needed. It made her wonder what he had in there. At the same time, she found that she liked working with him. He reminded her of Adam, but a lot louder. Still, it felt good to be working on Zoids again, rather then blowing them up.

No sooner was his Iguan's leg repaired then Jason had volunteered to watch the area, in case the Tarantulon or anyone else returned. Rayvenne had instantly agreed with the idea, as she had been hovering around for the last few hours keeping an eye out for any further attackers, and claimed that she was getting sick of it.

As soon as Jason had departed, she bought the Sinker down in the canyon where the others were. Opening, the cockpit, she clambered out. "So who's the new guy?" She began.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Doctor Floyd Glass, freerange mechanic and expert on stuff." Floyd began, loudly. "I'm guessing that you're the legendary Bartonsville sinker, right?"

"That's me, Rayvenne." She replied. "I see I've become something of a legend."

"Rayvene, eh?" He began. He pulled a tattered book out from one pocket of his coat. "Sinker pilots…" he flipped through a few pages. "Of course! I should have known." He shoved the book back into his pocket. "So good to meet you, ms Rayvenne." He took her hand and shook it vigorously.

"Uh, yeah." She replied. "Nice to meet you too."

"Could have been worse." Leanne added, quietly. "He could have spent all his time staring at your chest."

"So?" She replied.

"Dr Glass-" Althiea began.

"Please, call me Floyd."

"Okay then, Floyd, do you know why that Tarantulon was chasing you?" She continued.

"Hmmm…" He considered it. "Yes, it's almost certainly Jenice. She's been after me for some time. Clearly, she's desperate fro me."

"Jencie?"

"Ah, yes, Jenice." He replied. "Lovely woman. Fancies herself as a bit of a desert warlord, really. And there haven't been any of those in ages. Still, she does have a small army at her disposal…"

"Her army… It's not called the Red Claw or something to that effect, is it?" She asked.

"Why yes, yes it is."

"In that case, join the club." Leanne interjected. "We're all after them for various reasons. They blew up Ali's home town, framed me, tried to force Rayvene to join their gang by shooting at her…" She indicated over her shoulder. "And the guy in that Tarantulon did something to Jason, apparently. Not that he wants to let us know what it was."

"Really." He replied. "I'm guessing then that this is some sort of collective cross-country revenge road trip that you're on."

"Something like that." Leanne replied, turning to Ali and then Rayvenne. "We all have our reasons."

"Ah, but you're not going to get very far." He replied. "I see that in only a few days you have managed to make quite a mess of your respective Zoids. What you need…" he paused. "Is the help of the greatest scientific genius I the world!"

"Right." Leanne replied. "Well, I guess that if you can fix Zoids and have a beef with the Red Claw, that's a good enough start for us."

"I'd certainly appreciate your help." Althiea added. "I'm able to do some repairs, but for the most part we don't have a lot of parts or equipment. And I'm still very new at being a field technician."

"Cool." Rayvenne replied. "Can you take a look at my Sinker? It got a hole in its side that Ali patched up, but it'd be good if an expert like you could take a look at it."

"Lead on, young lady." He replied. "I would very much like to see this legendary Sinker, if only to confirm that it is indeed what I think it is."

"And that would be?" Rayvenne replied, somewhat confused.

"Why, a Sinker, of course." He finished, confidently.

"Right." She shook her head. "Well, uh, this way."

The two of them walked off towards the sinker, rambling on as they went. "Well, what do you think?" Leanne asked Alithiea as soon as she thought they were out of earshot.

"About Floyd?" She asked. "Well he seems nice enough. And we do need someone who can repair our Zoids."

"Hmph." She muttered. "I dunno, something seems just wrong about him." She replied. "I mean, what was with that whole act he put on, asking you those weird questions then poking you in the back of the neck?"

"It was a bit odd." She admitted, blushing. She'd been more embarrassed by the attention then anything else. "But I'm sure he had his reasons."

"I'll bet." She replied. "Maybe he's just a perv."

"On the other hand, he does seem to know more about the Red Claw." She continued. "Like he's met them before, and more then just the individuals we've seen."

"Maybe we should wring him out for information." Leanne replied. "You and me could question him." She looked over to where Floyd and Rayvenne were looking over the Sinker. Rayvenne was stretching and bending over the Zoid in a very deliberate way. "Or we could get Rayvenne to ask. I'm sure he'd happily tell her anything."

"What?" She asked, somewhat confused. She hadn't quite caught what Leanne had said.

"Ah, forget it." Leanne replied.

**oOoOo**

Jake had hidden the Tarantulon away in one corner of the canyon network, trying his best to make himself invisible. He knew that there was no way that he could fight of four Zoids at once, especially not while he was truing to capture the fifth one and its pilot as intact as possible. Until the Bravo Talon arrived, he figured, he had to make himself as elusive as possible.

It wasn't fair, he thought. He had been so close to catching the target and then he'd lost it. Not only that, but his old enemy, Jason, had been responsible. The more he thought it over, the more he could see a pattern to it. They weren't just guarding that Gustav, they were deliberately setting him up. Jason had gone first, luring him out and leading him towards the others where they would have finished him off.

Brilliant, he thought. They knew just what they were doing.

Of course, once the Bravo Talon had arrived, he'd fix that. He'd now have the advantage of numbers. He could set up his own ambush, using some of the Talon's more stealthy and evasive Zoids, and then use himself as the bait. Once they were lured into the right spot, it'd all be over. Excellent.

It was already getting dark. He pushed the Tarantulon a little further back into the canyon, trying to make himself harder to spot. He had no idea when the Talon would arrive, so he had to wait and hope that they didn't catch him first. Of course, once it got dark, he was safe.

For about an hour, it was quiet. Then his sensors beeped as something passed overhead. Scrambling to the controls, he tried to locate and identify the threat. Could they have found him already he wondered. That could have been the Sinker he'd spotted earlier. If so, then he was in trouble. He'd have to run for it, and hope that none of them found him before he could escape and meet up with the others.

He furtively looked around. So far, nothing. He was doing well. Then his sensors beeped. A new contact was approaching the canyon at ground level. Then it was joined by two others. They'd found him, he realised. They were trying to surround him and cut him off. No way was he letting that happen.

Before he could move, the ground in front of him erupted in a cloud of dirt and rock. A Stealth Viper reared up out of the ground, its hooded head and twin cannons pointed directly at his cockpit. Behind it, a Rev Rapter walked into the canyon, hissing and snarling as it went. In turn, it was joined by a Merder and a Geruder.

The Stealth Viper bowed its head for a moment, revealing a familiar logo on the top of the canopy. The Red Claw. It was the Bravo Talon, he realized. They were already here. Perfect. Now he could strike.

"Good to see you guys." He Began. "Now before we strike-"

"Not so fast." A female voice came over the communicator. Looking up, he could see something hanging in place overhead, blotting out the setting sun. He recognized the Zoid as a Pteras, specifically one with a radar dome on its back.

_Oh no, _he thought_. Not now. Don't do this to me._

"I am taking command of this operation, Peolquin." Levisha began. "As of this moment, you and your Zoid are a part of the Bravo Talon."

Crap. Now he didn't have a chance.

**oOoOo**

Jason carefully maneuvered the Iguan through the narrow canyon, looking for signs of the Tarantulon's passing as he went. He knew from experience that the Tarantulon was an evasive and stealthy Zoid, and that Jake, when he wanted to, could be a very sneaky pilot. But then, in a Tarantulon, you had to be.

He moved the Iguan deeper into the canyon network, leaving behind the camp. He'd figured that Jake wasn't going to try to attack all five of them, at once, and was probably hanging back and trying to figure out a new plan of attack. By his figuring, it was only a matter of time before Jake struck again. From what Floyd had said, the Red Claw was after him. And Jake having Floyd and Jason in the same place at the same time might just be too much of an opportunity to pass up.

He was in two minds about going off on his own like this. On one hand, he knew that it was probably a bad idea to separate himself from the rest of the group He knew that going with at least the one partner was a far better idea as it would make him a lot harder to take out or ambush. And he felt bad about not telling them everything. He'd begun to realize that he was enjoying their company a lot more then being on his own, and the fact that the rest of the team were cute girls didn't hurt either.

On the other hand, he had to confront Jake away form the rest of the team. He knew that should Jake start talking, a lot of unpleasant truths would come out. That could make things very uncomfortable for him with the rest of the group, and that was the last thing he wanted. Of course, this raised the thorny issue of how he was going to explain those things to everyone else…

He checked the time on the Iguan's displays. Damn, it was already sixteen-thirty. The shadows in the canyons were lengthening as the sun began to dip towards the horizon. Pretty soon it would be dark here in the canyons, which would make finding Jake and his Zoid difficult, if not impossible. He had to hurry.

He opened up the Iguan's throttle, heading further into the canyons.

**oOoOo**

Levisha had ordered the group to make camp in the particular bit of canyon that Jake had been hiding in. It was reasonably remote and could be easily defended, and she saw no point in moving the unit when it was getting dark.

He'd joined her in her tent to plan their operation. He'd have been the first to admit that he was hoping for more. To say that he found Levisha attractive would be an understatement. There was something about the black and red coloured hair, red eyes and evil glare she gave that was just right to him. Of course, he never was going to admit that, especially not where she could hear him.

"So, tell me exactly where they are." She began as she unrolled a map of the canyons.

"I last saw them here." He replied, pointing out the particular section of canyon where he met the Gustav. "They made no effort to chase me down afterwards, which leads me to suggest that they may have stopped their." He looked up at her. "I noticed that the Iguan had a slight limp, which leads me to think that they may have stopped for repairs."

"And at this stage, they're very unlikely to move before morning." She finished. The canyon maze would be very hard for them to navigate at night, especially with the slow-moving bulk of the Gustav. "Good. We'll set out in the morning and attack before they can break camp. That should give us the opportunity to strike before they're ready for us."

"I doubt they're expecting any reinforcements, certainly." He replied. "As far as I can tell, they're not aware of the Talon's presence here."

"Excellent." She finished. "We'll break camp at Oh-four hundred tomorrow morning. You will be our guide and point man."

"I see." He replied, a little disappointed.

"You know these canyons better then anyone else here. You've been chasing after the Gustav for weeks. And you're the only one who's faced these other Zoids before." She explained.

Something didn't seem right to him, but he left it off. "Is there anything else?" He asked, hopefully.

"No." She replied. "I thought that it was all perfectly straightforward."

"But nothing…" She looked up at him, glaring at him with those blood-red eyes of hers. He knew they were just contacts, but he couldn't help but feel intimidated when she looked at him. "No, that's all good."

"Good." She replied, angrily. "I recommend that you get to sleep early so you can be ready for tomorrow morning."

Taking that as a sign that his presence was no longer needed, he left the tent. Standing up, he looked around the canyon. The rest of the Bravo Talon had made camp, save for a few Zoids that were still on watch. He counted seven in total, plus a battered Tank Zoid for support duties and his own Tarantulon. More then enough to beat them.

In fact, enough to beat them without his help.

_Face it, Jake, you're not needed any more,_ he thought. _Levisha knew where they were and could easily find them with her Pteras. Why did she need me to lead their attack? Because it would make me first in the line of fire, _he thought_. Because it would allow me to trip any traps they may have set. Because I was now expendable, that's why._

Levisha didn't want to help him capture Dr Glass. No, she wanted to capture him and claim the glory for herself while he took the fall. And nobody would know about this, except for him. But he'd be dead, so he wouldn't be able to do or say anything about it. He glared back at her tent. _Damn her_. He could do this without her help. In fact, he didn't need any help whatsoever.

He walked angrily over to his Tarantulon and clambered into the cockpit. He was going to prove to Jenice what he was capable of. And he was going to show her that he was far more capable then Levisha. He deserved a place in the Crimson Talon far more then she did. After all, he did all the hard work. All she did was buzz around in her stupid Pteras and watch what happened. But when it came to actual fighting, he knew he was better.

He activated the Taranulon's systems and closed the canopy. The Zoid was still damaged form the previous days' battle, but most of its systems were working at close enough to full capacity. Enough for him to take out a group that was completely unprepared for him.

The Tarantulon skittered out of the camp, unchallenged by the sentries. Jake steered it into the canyons, heading towards the enemy camp.

**oOoOo**

Above the canyons, a lone Saicurtis waited on top of a cliff, watching the camp below. The pilot noted the Tarantulon's departure, observing the Zoid as it skittered off into the canyons.

"Kord to Towne." The pilot began. "Do you read me?"

"I'm here." She replied. "What's happened?"

"Peloquin has left the base, heading into the canyons." He explained.

"Good." She replied. "Follow him, keep an eye on him and keep me updated with his movements. Do not loose sight of him."

"Yes commander."

The Saicurtis took to the air, buzzing along above and behind the Tarantulon, matching its pace and course through the canyon.

**oOoOo**

Jason stopped his Zoid, looking around at the canons_. Damn it,_ he thought. At night, all these canyons looked the same to him. He had no idea whereabouts he was and, more to the point, how he had gotten here. All he knew was that he was now lost.

Damn. His excuse of going out on patrol had been enough to get him away from the camp. Unfortunately, he'd gone too far without figuring exactly how large and involved these canyons were. As a result, he'd quickly lost his direction and now was stumbling around miles from anywhere else, specifically the rest of the group. _Great. Well done, Jason_, he thought. _Now what?_

A blur of movement caught his eye. Something moved around in the shadows in the depths of a nearby canyon. For a monument, there was nothing, then he saw it. A shape moved quickly, briefly visible between two rock walls. It was a Zoid, he figured. A small, fast-moving Zoid. Like a Tarantulon.

It was Jake, he thought. He was trying to sneak up on the camp to launch a surprise attack. As he opened up the throttle to chase after him, Jason reflected on the irony of the situation. If he hadn't gone off on his own, he probably never would have spotted the potential attack. Now to do something about it.

The Iguan remained close to the rock wall, trying to be as stealthy as a twenty-ton war machine could. Waiting until the last possible moment, he fired the Iguan's booster, leaping into the air and sailing up and over the Tarantulon. Waiting until he was right above it, he fired the quad cannon.

The shots hit the smaller spider Zoid, gouging out chunks of its armour and structure. The Iguan landed in front of it, looking down at the damaged Zoid. "Should have known you would come out from hiding sooner or later." Jason began. "I knew you couldn't resist taking another shot at me."

"I'm surprised you were brave enough to face me on your own." Jake replied. "Rather then hiding behind your friends." The Spider, despite the heavy damage, burst into a run coming straight at the Iguan while opening fire with its forward cannons. The shots hit the front of the Zoid, tearing armour from the legs. "So now it's just you and me."

Jason veered out of the other Zoid's way, ducking to one side and opening fire with the head cannons. The shots went wide, the Tarantulon ducking out of the way. "I didn't feel that I needed to drag them into our little feud." He replied. Besides, I can easily handle you on my own."

"Didn't want to…" Jake weaved around the canon, ducking behind a large boulder. "You haven't told them have you? They don't know about your past. They don't have any idea, do they?" He popped up the back of the Zoid, firing the grenade launcher at Jason.

The shot went off near the Iguan, staggering it while tearing armour off its left side. "So what is it to you?" he asked as he fired back. "I don't see you exactly going around and advertising your allegiance!" He opened fire with the impact cannon, shattering the boulder. "Do you?"

The Tarantulon broke out from cover, firing the launcher as it ran. "But then, I hide it because I want to, not because I know there are people out to get me!" He shouted. "Let's face it, Jason. All you're good at is running away!"

The Iguan burst into a run, following the Tarantulon. "That's rich coming form the guy who's doing the bolter right now." He called out as he opened fire with the head and arm cannons. "All I've seen you do so far is cut and run! What are you, afraid to face me in an open battle?"

"Damn you! Just…" The Tarantulon turned around, charging again at the Iguan, firing its two chin cannons as it went.

**oOoOo**

Levisha clambered into the cockpit of the Pteras and switched its systems on. As the Zoid powered up, her communicator beeped. She casually flicked on the receiver. "Towne here." She began.

"It's Kord." The voice on the other end replied. "Peloquin is engaged in combat with an Iguan."

"An Iguan?" She replied. All the reports indicated that an Iguan was amongst the Zoids used by the group traveling with the target. "Are there any signs of any of the other Zoids?"

"No, commander." Kord replied. "Just the Iguan."

"He must have been on patrol." She concluded. "Where are they relative to the position of the targets?"

"They're approximately three kilometers east of the targets, and getting further away." Kord stated.

"So he's managed to draw their patrol away…" She began. "Excellent. Kord, monitor them for the moment. I'll lead the rest of the Talon to the targets while their patrol is distracted."

"Yes commander."

She closed the link. She'd hoped that Peoloquin would run off on his own and end up stumbling into their camp. But distracting their patrol was an even better result then she had hoped for. Now to take advantage of it.

"Bravo Talon, move out!"

**oOoOo**

Althiea had been trying to get some rest. The day had been long and tiring, and they still had a lot of travel ahead of them tomorrow morning. And while Dr Glass had proven to be invaluable in keeping their Zoids operational, she was worried that the Red Claw may come after him, and as a result the rest of them, again.

Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to sleep. She had way too much on her mind to relax. She stood up and walked over to the edge of the camp, where Leanne was resting by her Gunsniper. She seemed to have no trouble sleeping, Althiea noted. Maybe she was just more used to living like this.

It wasn't the first time Althiea had noticed something like that. Despite the occasional whinge, Leanne, Jason and, to a lesser degree Rayvenne, all seemed to be happy with living rough, camping out under the starts and spending endless hours tramping across the desert. On the other hand, she'd always been an indoors person, preferring a comfortable bed and a roof over her head.

_Maybe I'm not as tough as them, _she thought. _They've been doing this far, far longer then I have._

For a moment, she thought she heard something. A scraping noise, like something heavy moving on rock... some animal in the distance... She looked around. There was nothing. What was going on? "Leanne?" She began. "Did you hear something?"

"Wha?" The red-haired rolled over in her sleeping black. "What in the heck are you going on about?" She muttered.

"Did you just hear something?" Althiea asked. "Like an animal or something moving?"

"I was asleep, okay." She replied. "I didn't hear a thing."

"I thought I heard something."

"Fuggedaboutit." She muttered and rolled over. "I'm trying to get back to sleep."

Could she have imagined it, she wondered. No, there was something out there. She was sure of it. Althiea walked over to the Hammer Rock and turned on the Zoid's sensors. Nothing. There, she thought. _You were probably just imagining it_.

The sensors bleeped. A single dot appeared on the edge scope, moving towards them. It was joined by another one and then a third. Then more of them. She couldn't make out exact numbers, but she figured that there were at least six of them.

"What's going on?" She asked herself.

**oOoOo**

The Tarantulon skidded around the side of the canyon, scurrying partway up a canyon wall as turned. The pilot desperately fired the grenade launcher and the chin cannons as it went. Jason slewed the Iguan's controls to the right, narrowly avoiding the shots. "Give up, Jake!" He shouted. "You know you can't beat me in that thing!"

"Never!" He replied. "I'm not letting you get away from me this time, Jason."

Grunting out a reply, Jason opened up the Iguan's throttle. The Zoid chased after the Tarantulon, Jason firing as it went. One of the head cannons hit the other Zoid, tearing the grenade launcher free from its top mounting.

In reply, the Tarantulon ran straight at the Iguan, firing the chin cannons frantically. Several shots hit the Iguan, scoring armour form its legs and chest. Gritting his teeth, Jason fired the booster, leaping into the air, straight over the Tarantulon's shots. Before Jake could respond, his Zoid had come down right in the path of the charging Tarantulon.

"This ends now!" He shouted as he yanked on the Iguan's controls. The small Zoid reared back, then swung around, its foot digging into the underside of the underside of the Tarantulon's cockpit. The smaller Zoid was lifted into the air, its head and neck denting, one of the cannons shearing off and the cockpit glass shattering under the force of the impact. The Tarantulon crashed to the ground, one of its legs crumpling under its weight.

Not wanting to take any chances, Jason opened fire with the quad cannon, the shots tearing into the Tarantulon's already damaged flank. Fire and smoke bloomed form the damaged Zoid's hull before it finally collapsed.

Breathing heavily, Jason solely raised his thumb away from the trigger. It was over, he thought. He'd done it. He slumped back into the command couch. Thank god.

Inside the wrecked cockpit of his machine, Jake sniggered and then laughed out loud. "What's so funny, damn it?" Jason shouted, pointing the canon claw at the Tarantulon again.

"You got me good." He replied. "Yeah, you beat me. But I just figured it out." He replied, then laughed again.

"I fell for her, I did what she wanted." Jake replied. "But then, so did you. We both walked into her trap."

"Who's trap?" He shouted. "What's going on, damn it?"

"The Bravo Talon are after you and your friends." Jake explained. "Levisha's leading them. Of course, you'd know all about what she's capable of."

As if to confirm his statement, a shadowy shape passed overhead. Turning to watch it pass, Jason could make out its shape. A flying Zoid, with a radar dish on its back. _Levisha's Pteras. And if she was here then…_

"If I were you, I'd run." Jake continued. "Leave the others behind. Its what you're good at."

In the distance, he could hear the sounds of weapons fire.


	7. Gathering Darkness

"Everyone!" Althiea shouted over the Hammer Rock's PA. "We're surrounded!"

Leanne and Rayvenne reacted almost instantly, leaping awake and running to their Zoids. She suspected that the pair of them were used to sudden wake ups. There was no sign of Floyd, however. Whether he was already in his Gustav or off somewhere else, she couldn't tell. She only hoped that he was safe, wherever he was.

"Where's Jason?" Leanne shouted over the communicator as she powered-up her Gunsniper.

"I don't know." Althiea replied. "I haven't seen him since before you went to bed. He said he was patrolling the area."

"Great." She replied. "Bloody hell. Where's the bastard got to? And what in the heck is going on?"

Althiea checked the sensors again. She could make out at least five blips approaching the area. More worryingly, they seemed to have divided into two groups. _As if…_ "There's at last five unidentified Zoids heading towards us. I think they're trying to surround us."

"Crap!" Leanne shouted. "So much for Jason's patrol. I ought to clobber the guy."

"Let me check out the situation." Rayvenne offered. "Maybe I can get a better look at things and figure out what we're up against." The Sinker lifted off, heading out in the direction the unknown Zoids were heading from.

"You don't think it could be these Red Claw people do ya?" Leanne asked.

"I hope not." Althiea replied. The last thing she wanted to do was face that Liger again. Being in a Zoid wouldn't be any additional security. It'd just make her a target.

"Guys." Rayvenne spoke up. "We've got a problem. We're surrounded."

"What?" Leanne asked.

"I'm counting at least six of them and they're covering both sides of the canyon. I'm not sure if we can get out of here."

Floyd's Gustav rolled over to join the other Zoids. "Did I miss something?" He asked.

"We're surrounded by unknown Zoids that are probably hostile." Leanne snarled back. "How could you miss that?"

"Oh, that?" Floyd replied. "I thought it was something exciting going on."

Leanne didn't reply. Instead, he Gunsniper backed closer to the Gustav. Althiea's Hammer Rock did the same, the three of them closing in. "So what now?" Leanne asked.

"I don't know." She replied. "I guess-"

Before she could finish, there was a burst of fire from one side of the canyon. The shot narrowly missed the Hammer Rock, instead scoring the armour on the Gustav's shell. "What?" She shouted.

"Get down!" Leanne yelled back as a volley of fire opened up from the other side of the canyon. Several shots hit the Gunsniper, scoring armour of its flank. The small Zoid staggered, but remained in pace. "You little…" Leanne shouted as the Zoid came around, opening fire on the unseen attackers with the Gunsniper's wrist cannons.

On the other side, Althiea tried to duck out of the line of fire. The Hammer Rock knuckled off to one side, firing its shoulder cannons as it went. Several more shots trailed it, one hit scoring armour off the shoulder. Squinting through the heads-up display, she could barely make out the shapes of the attacking Zoids; they were well hidden inside the canyon and firing from cover.

"You don't have any guns on that bug of yours, do ya?" Leanne shouted over the PA.

"Of course not." Floyd replied. "Why would I need them?"

"Well what do you do if you're attacked?" She asked back.

"I rely on my wits, cunning, superior intellect and not inconsiderable charm to keep me alive."

"How's he lived so long?" Leanne muttered.

A pair of shots from a well-concealed Geruder narrowly missed the Hammer Rock. Twisting around, Leanne fired back, her shots blasting away the rock near its head, but doing little else. "Rayvenne!" She shouted. "Where are you? We need some help!"

**oOoOo**

**Gathering Darkness**

**oOoOo**

"I'm a little busy right now!" Rayvenne shouted as she yanked the control stick hard to the right. The Sinker banked hard, pulling away form the stream of cannon fire directed at it. "I've got a crazed Pteras trying to blast my rear off!"

The Pteras had come after her while she was trying to get a better look at the enemy Zoid force. It had been something of a shock to her; one moment she'd been the only thing in the air for miles around, the next the Pteras had literally come out of nowhere and gone straight after her. It was only due to sheer luck that she hadn't been hit so far.

And so far she hadn't been able to shake it. Rayvenne knew she was a good pilot; she was almost entirely self-taught, but had no small degree of natural talent. She'd been able to prove that against the Redler. However, the pilot of the Pteras was proving to be better then the Redler's pilot had been. Despite the fact that it was slower and less agile then the Redler, the Pteras was proving to be harder to shake.

She veered sharply to the left, diving towards the canyon floor. Despite being only half as fast, the Sinker was still more agile then the Pteras in flight. Rayvenne's plan was to take advantage of that. Her Sinker would be able to do things the Pteras couldn't. Maybe she could use that to her advantage.

The Sinker ducked into the canyon, Rayvenne pushing open the throttle as fast as she dared while being able to control the Sinker's movement. Sure enough, the Pteras broke away, the hail of fire coming at her ceasing.

Or at least, for a moment.

To her surprise, the Pteras soared over, then dived into the canyon after her, trying to close the distance. Is he crazy? she asked herself. There's no way the Pteras could match her, especially with that heavy radar dome on its back. _The pilot had to be crazy_, she thought. _Either that or incredibly brave._

She pulled the Sinker around an impossibly tight corner, pressing it almost up against the canyon wall as it turned as tightly as possible before ducking into another canyon. Rayvenne all but fought with the controls as she pulled the Sinker around, managing to make it through without damaging her Zoid.

No sooner was she straight and level, then the gunfire started again. Glancing at the rear monitor, she could see that the Pteras was behind her, matching her move for move and slowly closing the distance between the two.

_Forget crazy or brave,_ she thought, _this guy's good. Which means I'm in trouble. _She pulled the Sinker around, diving into a different canyon. Maybe, just maybe I can loose him, she thought. It's a maze down here, and he can't just fly over it and try to monitor me with his search radar. I'd be lost in the ground clutter.

She veered the Sinker around another sharp bend in the canyon, approaching a branch where it broke off into two separate paths. _Now lets see how good he really is, _she thought. The Sinker dived into the left canyon, turning to enter the narrow entrance at an angle. _Now, he'll have to try to figure where I went. And even then, let's see him follow me now._

**oOoOo**

Jason's Iguan sprinted through the canyons, the pilot desperately trying to find his way back to the battle. He had no idea where the others were or where their attackers were coming form, but he figured he could get a good idea form the sounds of battle that filled the air.

If Jake was right and they were facing the Bravo Talon, then the group would be outnumbered by at least two to one, and that was assuming that Bravo's ranks hadn't grown since… he shook his head. And Levisha's Pteras took away their only trump card, being Rayvenne's Sinker. The Pteras could match the Sinker, thus robbing them of the air support they'd need to break out of here.

And that was before he factored in what Levisha herself was capable of.

As the Zoid ran, he tried to figure out what was going on. What could be so important that the whole talon, and Levisha herself, were out here? Floyd had said that the Red Claw were after him, but he couldn't so important that they'd send out a third of their total Zoid force to capture him.

Could he?

But why? He asked himself. What was it that was so important that…

He stopped as the Iguan's sensors beeped, indicating more Zoids nearby. The Zoid halted by the edge of a canon, Jason pressing it up against the wall. Peerig around, he could see a Geruder and a Diloforce in the next canyon, both squatting behind rocks while firing on some unseen enemies. Geruder and Diloforce... that matches, he thought. Which means they must be firing at...

He tried to asses the situation. If they were firing from cover, then they hadn't completely overrun Althiea and the others yet. So maybe their ambush was a failure. Which meant that he may just have a chance.

The Iguan darted out from cover, running at the two enemy Zoids. Before either of them could react, he opened fire with the quad cannon. The shots struck the Diloforce in the back, tearing into its back and exposed cockpit. The Zoid roared in pain as it crashed forwards, its pilot either dead or incapacitated.

The Geruder broke off its fire, turning to face him. Jason fired a pair of shots form the Iguan's tail-mounted cannon as he ran, one boiling armour of the other Zoid's flank. The Geruder replied with its two horn-like cannons, but the shots missed the fleeing Zoid. Not wanting its attacker to escape, the enemy Zoid broke into a run, chasing after him.

Perfect, he thought. Okay, guys, I've given you a chance. Now the rest is up to you.

**oOoOo**

Althiea's Hammer Rock loped across the clearing, enemy fire scoring the rocks around it. She ducked behind a boulder, sheltering form the expected next volley of fire. To her surprise, it didn't come.

"What the…" The Hammer Rock cautiously peered out from behind the boulder. Where there had previously been a Diloforce and a Geruder firing at her from behind cover, there was now nothing. The valley was clear, with no sign of either Zoid. Were they hiding in preparation for an ambush, she wondered. No, why would they need to do hat? Thy already had us pinned down. Why would they risk letting us escape?

She opened up a comm. Link to the rest of the group. "Guys, listen up.", she began. "There's a hole in their firing line. The east side entrance to the canyon is clear with no sign of the Zoids that were previously occupying it."

"The hell?" Leanne replied. "You mean there's a way outa here?"

"I think so." She searched the canyon again. "I can't see any sign of them in there."

"And they've got us nicely pinned down otherwise." Floyd added. "Well, cats, I say we go for it. What's life if you don't occasionally go wild and take a few risks."

"Right." Ali finished. "I'll lead and-"

"Don't you worry your self about that, prey little lady." Floyd cut her off, having adopted a drawl for no real reason. "I'll lead with my Gustav. If they are hiding in there, I'll plow straight through 'em."

"Are you sure?"

"This here Gustav has taken more abuse and run over more Zoids then you can imagine. I'll charge, you two follow me up"

"And Jason and Rayvenne?"

"We can't do anything for Rayvenne from here." Leanne replied. "And Jason's on his own, wherever he's gotten to." She added a few curses under her breath, but still audible enough to be heard.

"Right before they realise what's happening." Floyd began. "On the count of three. One… two…"

The Gustav accelerated away before he hit three, kicking up a cloud of dirt and loose rocks behind it. Steering straight for the gap in their lines, the Gustav charged straight at the enemy formation. Several Zoids opened fire on the Gustav, realizing that it may be trying to get away. Beams and projectiles flew at the Gustav, most of them just bouncing off its heavily armoured shell.

As soon as the enemy pilot's attention was distracted, the Hammer Rock and Gunsniper started running after the Gustav. Both opened fire with their arm mounted guns, spraying shots at the well-dug in enemy Zoids. Ali saw several of Leanne's shots strike the rocks near a Merder, then clip its shoulder. The Merder rocked with the hits, then suddenly staggered forwards and stumbled onto the rocks.

"Nice shooting." She spoke up.

"The hell?" Leanne replied.

"That Merder you hit. I think you may have knocked it out."

"I didn't hit him that hard." She replied. "Coulda been someone else though."

Before Ali could say anything to that, Floyd interrupted the pair of them "Hang on, ladies!" He shouted over their comm Link. "We're going wild and getting funky! Yeeeee-haw!" The Gustav crashed straight through the rocks, sending clouds of dirt and rubble flying. There was a metallic crunching noise as it ran over something, the Zoid briefly rising then setting as it went. "Better watch out back there. I think I hit something."

As Althiea's Hammer Rock charged through the gap, she spotted the wreckage of a Diloforce lying in amongst the rubble. It looked like it had been shot in the back and then run over by the Gustav. She remembered that there was a Diloforce there before which had suddenly stopped firing. Had someone taken it out? There was no sign of the Geruder either, now that she thought about it. What had happened here?

"You two okay back there?" Floyd spoke up.

"Sure thing." Leane replied.

Ali took a quick look at the Hammer Rock's status board. The Zoid had taken some damage to its armour, but nothing serious. "I'm okay." She spoke up.

"Cool beans." Floyd replied. "Now let's blow this pop stand." The transport Zoid turned down a different canyon and accelerated. "Let's jam." The three of them accelerated off, trying to get away from the ambush site as quickly as possible before the enemy force could regroup.

"Heads up, cats." Floyd shouted as they turned down another canyon. "I've got a couple of fast movers coming at us. Form head on. They're just around the next bend."

"I read that." Leanne replied. "I can also see a coupe of 'em coming at us from behind. I think that they've managed to figure out what's going on."

Ali checked her own Zoid's scope. They were about to be surrounded again. Still, she figured, they were a lot better off then they were before. If they could get pas the two Zoids in front of them then…

"Here they come!" Floyd shouted. Ali and Leanne turned towards the curve of the canyon's rim, waiting for their attackers to appear. For a moment, there was a tense silence with the only noise sound of their Zoids feet on the ground. Then, something emerged from around the corner.

To their surprise, it was an Iguan. Furthermore, it was already firing at something behind it as it ran. "Jason?" Ali asked. "Is that-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a second Zoid emerged from around the corner. This time it was a Geruder, the same Zoid as Ali had been expecting to see firing at her from the barricade. The Geruder fired at the fleeing Iguan, its shots going wide. So that's what happened, she thought to herself.

She thumbed the trigger for the Hammer Rock's cannons, opening fire on the Geruder as it emerged. The shots narrowly missed the charging Zoid, sending chunks of rock flying around it. Leanne also joined in with her Zoid's wrist and chest cannons, several more shots peppering the cliff face and the Geruder's side.

Realising that he was outnumbered and outgunned, the Geruder's pilot bought the machine around, trying to get away from the other Zoids. It galloped off away from the other Zoids, several shots trailing after it.

"Jason, is that you?" Althiea finally managed to get out.

"Yeah." He replied. "It's me."

"You tool!" Leanne shouted. "Why'd you run off and leave us alone?"

"Hey, in case you didn't notice, I just saved all your arses." Jason shouted back

"You what?"

"I managed to sneak up behind the enemy force and take out one of their Zoids, then use myself as bait for another couple." Jason explained. "I cleared you guys an escape route. That Geruder was firing on you guys until I convinced it to chase me."

"Fine then." Leanne shouted. "But they're still trying to catch us."

"I think I can help there." Floyd interjected. "Leanne, how many rockets do you have left?"

"Say wha?" She began. "All of 'em. I never used 'em"

"Cool beans." Floyd replied. "Now I want you to pump 'em all into that rock on the left side of the canyon."

"The hell?"

"And Jason, give it a couple of shots from your claw-gun thing. That should do the trick."

"But-"

"Do it!" Althiea shouted. She had some idea of what Floyd was up to.

"Fine." Leanne muttered. "But you're payin' for the replacements."

The Gunsniper and Iguan turned and fired at the side of the canyon, the rockets and shots blasting into the rock, kicking up a huge cloud of dirt and debris. After waiting a moment for the debris to clear, Leanne peered up at the damaged cliff face. "Well that was a wa-" she began.

A shot going past cut her off. Looking around, they could see the enemy force approaching. "Crap!" Jason shouted. "They're here! Let's move!" Spotting a Saicurtis swooping down on them, he opened fire on it. The shot went wide, and instead hit the side of the canyon.

There was a low rumbling noise, accompanied by a shower of pebbles form the damaged cliff face. Looking up, Althiea could see the damaged cliff face shaking, with chunks of rock coming loose. "Move!" She shouted. "Everybody, go!"

Their Zoids turned away form the enemy forces and began running as, behind them, the cliff face began to collapse in a tidal wave of rock and dirt. The cliff face slid into the canyon, crashing down across the pass and effectively blocking it off. The enemy formation broke up as the Zoid pilots tried to bring their machines around and steer away form the collapsing cliff face, or else risk being buried or crushed.

"That's given us a chance." Floyd began. "There's an abandoned mining complex at the end of the canyons. I figure that in the time it takes 'em to find a way around there, we can get away and hide out in there."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jason replied.

"Okay cats." Floyd finished. "Let's groove."

**oOoOo**

Levisha opened fire on the Sinker, spraying a burst of fire from the Pteras' nose-mounted cannon. To her frustration, the enemy Zoid veered out of the way, her shots instead chipping into the side of the canyon.

"You little…" she snarled. This pilot was proving to be more of a challenge then any other she'd faced in a while. They were very skilled at maneuvering their Zoid and were brave enough to try to loose her by flying through the canyons. And they'd proven to be frustratingly good at evading her fire. It was only due to the Pteras' speed and her skill that she'd managed to stay on their tail.

_Maybe I should have given Gwen some more credit, _she thought. _This Sinker's pilot is good._

"Commander Towne." Kord's voice came over her communicator.

"What is it, Kord?" She asked. "I'm busy."

"There's a problem, Commander." Kord replied. "The enemy were able to break out of the canyon ambush and have escaped. We're trying to follow them, but they've sealed off their escape route, forcing us to detour around them."

"What?" She snapped. There was no way they should have been able to escape the trap she'd set up. "What happened?"

"We're not sure." He replied. "We think one of them was away form their camp at the time and attacked our men from behind-"

_Peloquin didn't do his job_, she thought. _I send him out to get himself killed and he manages to screw that up. _Typical. "Fine. Where are they now?"

"We've, uh, lost them, commander." He admitted. "They've slipped into the canyons, making tracking them difficult and-"

"Idiot!" She snapped. "Get after them! I'll join you and coordinate the search. Now get moving!"

"Y-yes commander." He stammered. "Right away."

"Good." She finished, and closed the link. She could almost imagine Kord wilting under her red-eyed glare. The thought of it made giving up on the Sinker almost worth it.

"I'll deal with you later." She muttered. "You were lucky this time. That's all." The Pteras climbed out of the canyon and accelerated away, loping back towards the last known location of the enemy force. She would not fail, she thought. She was better then that.

**oOoOo**

Jason moved the Iguan up so it was level with the Gustav's cockpit, then opened up a com link with the pilot. "Thanks for getting us out of that." He grudgingly admitted. "It was a good plan, even if Leanne's never going to let you hear the end of it."

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time." Floyd replied. "And that's what counts, right? 'sides which, I think I've got some spare Gunsniper rockets back there somewhere. Or, failing that, I know where I can get some more. Or, failing that, I can just use my considerable charm, wit and sophistication to convince the young lady that that she's better off without them." He then broke into a loud laugh.

"Right." Jason replied, trying not to imagine Floyd's attempts to seduce Leanne and her likely reactions. "I'm surprised that we managed to get way."

"Well, it was all thanks to you, my boy." He replied. "You did the groundwork, we just bulldozed over it."

Right, well that made no sense, he thought. "I'm still surprised that they sent so many Zoids after us." Jason began.

"We must be popular." Floyd replied.

"I'm not so sure." Jason continued. How to put this, he thought. "I've… had some dealings with the Red Claw in past. They committed an awful lot of their force to this one attack. Whatever they were after must be pretty damned valuable."

"Ah, so you've noticed something amiss." Floyd began. "You're smart. I'll give you that."

"So what is it, Floyd?" He asked. "Why are they after you?"

"Son, in my time I've seen and done some pretty crazy things." Floyd explained. "And I've also learned a lot. And that's what she's after, my knowledge. She wants what's in my head so she can use it for her own aims. She's a smart girl, almost as smart as me. But yet, I have the benefits of experience."

"And that's why Jenice wants you." Jason finished.

"Jenice?" He replied. "How did you know her name?"

"I, uh, heard it from one of their men." He replied, hastily. "They said it was their boss's name or something."

"Well that makes sense then." Floyd replied. "That girl, Althiea, she's pretty smart too. You should keep an eye on her, or else they'll be after her as well."

"Why?" He asked.

"She's good with Zoids." Floyd casually replied. "She handles that Hammer like an expert, but yet she told me that she'd never piloted a Zoid before, what a week ago?"

"So?"

"You tell me, son. How good were you for your first week of Zoid handling?"

Not that good, Jason thought. Before he could say anything in reply, a shadow passed over the pair of them. Looking up, Jason saw that it was a Sinker, presumably Rayvenne's. "That you, Rayvenne?" He asked.

"No, it's a dashing and enigmatic mysterious Sinker pilot." She jokingly replied. "How's it going down there?"

"Well, we got the snot kicked out of us, but we managed to get away." Jason admitted. "You?"

"I was being chased by a crazy Pteras all across the canyons." Rayvenne replied. "I couldn't shake 'em off, no matter what sort of crazy stuff I did. That pilot was either very good or very, very crazy."

_I can believe that_, Jason thought quietly to himself.

"So how did you guys get away?" She asked. "Last I saw you were all pinned down. Actually, last I saw, there was no sign of you."

"I was out on patrol." Jason replied, which was more or less the truth. "I managed to sneak up behind a couple of them and knock 'em out of action. That created a gap in their lines which everyone else used to escape through."

"Yeah, I saw the bad guys split up. My guess is that they're trying to find a way past your little blockage." She explained. "I'd go back to keep an eye on 'em, but I've got a feeling that if I did, that crazy Pteras would come after me again."

"Damn." Jason muttered. "We need to know what's going on with them."

"Don't look now, but I think we got our answer." Rayvenne replied as her Sinker abruptly pulled up. "Baddies on our six!"

Glancing at his rear monitor, Jason could see a trio of Zoids emerging from around one corner of a canyon. A Rev Rapter charged out from cover, being followed by a limping Merder. Jason winced; even damaged, the Merder could outrun any of them. "Guys, we've got a problem."

"I see 'em." Leanne called out as a Tank joined the other two, dragging a heavy box-shaped trailer behind it. Despite the added weight, the Tank was still faster and capable of closing the distance. The Merder and Tank opened fire, shots narrowly missing the Iguan, while the Rev Rapter sped up and tried to close in on them.

"Damn it!" Jason swore as he fired a pair of shots from the Iguan's tail gun. The beams struck the ground near the Rev Rapter, making the pilot jump his Zoid out of the way but otherwise not damaging it. "Floyd, can't you get that heap to move any faster?"

"I'm giving her all I can cap'n!" He shouted back, his voice coloured by a strange accent. "But the engines, they cannae take the strain!"

"Crap." He muttered. Floyd's Gustav was far slower then the other Zoids. Without it, they may be able to get away. However, he figured that Floyd would never abandon the Gustav. Jason didn't want to either; he could see that its trailers were loaded with supplies. "In that case, I could use some help back here!" The Iguan's tail guns were the only rear-facing weapons carried by any of the team's Zoids (excluding Leanne's non-functional sniper rifle). As such, he was their only defense against their pursuers.

"Hang on, I've got an idea." Althiea called back. Up ahead, her Hammer Rock turned around and began running back towards him.

"You're taking them on?" Jason called out. "Are you nuts?"

"Just watch me!" She called back. The Hammer Rock vaulted onto the Gustav's trailer (Not an easy feat given that both Zoids were moving, Jason realised. Floyd was right.) then scampered up to its rear section. Grabbing onto the repair crane with one hand, it began firing back at the pursuing Zoids with the other.

"Nice!" Leanne called out. "'fraid I can't help you out here."

"That's okay." Althiea called back. "Keep your eyes open and tell us if anything tries to cut us off."

"Sure thing." She shouted.

Altiea fired again, the shots blowing off half of one of the Tank's stabilizer wings. Undeterred, the pilot fired back at her and Jason, hitting the pair of them. The Iguan shuddered under the hit, Jason managing to keep the small Zoid upright. Glancing over his damage diagram, however, he could see that the Zoid's rear armour couldn't last too much longer.

Gritting his teeth, he fired again. One of his shots scored the armour on the Tank's flank, the other narrowly missed the cockpit. Possibly worried by how close the shot had been, the Tank's driver throttled back, allowing the Rev Rapter and Merder to pass him.

"Bad news!" Rayvenne called out. "There's more of 'em coming behind that! It looks like they're regrouping and following these guys lead!"

"Crap!" Jason called back. "We need some way to- Ali! Look out!"

The Rev Rapter surged past the Iguan, one of its cutter blades slicing into the small Zoids' side. Though it was only a glancing blow, Jason watched as red lights came on across his Zoid's damage board. "Come on… hold together…" He watched as the Rev Rapter passed him, heading straight for the Gustav and the Hammer Rock.

"No you don't-" He lined up a shot on the Rev Rapter, but before he could fire, a volley of shots went past him. Checking his monitor, he saw that the Merder was closing on him, wildly spraying fire from its back-mounted beam gattling gun. He swerved out of its way, firing the Iguan's tail guns back in order to discourage it.

Up ahead, the Rev Rapter charged at the Gustav, hissing and snarling as it went. Alithiea fired back, her shots narrowly missing the small Zoid as it ran. Leaping into the air, the Rev Rapter sailed down towards the Hammer Rock, ready to strike.

Before it could hit, however, the hammer Rock struck back. Swinging around the crane, the Hammer Rock punched the Rev Rapter in the jaw, sending it flying backwards. The Zoid hit the ground and bounced, heading straight at Jason. Firing the Iguan's jump jets, Jason sailed over it and landed on the back of the Gustav.

The Merder wasn't so lucky. Hot on Jason's tail, it didn't get the chance to move before it rammed straight into the prone Rev Rapter. It tripped and fell, tangling itself up in the Rev Rapter's limbs. The Tank, following closely behind it, skidded to a halt just behind the pair of them, the pilot just barely avoiding sliding into the tangled mess.

"Yeeee-haw!" Rayvenne called out. "That's got 'em!" Her Sinker made a single pass on the enemy Zoids, opening up with its beam cannons. The Tank took several hits on its side, shaking it but not knocking it out of action.

"Nice work there, guys." Floyd called out. "Couldn't have been too much better if you'd planned it!"

**oOoOo**

"Uh, This is Bravo five to commander…" A nervous voice began over Levisha's communicator.

"Hm?" She replied, almost glaring at it. Bravo five had reported that they were in pursuit of the targets a few minutes ago. "What is it?"

"We, uh, kind of lost them." He replied, cautiously. "They… um… put up more of a fight then expected."

"Well you had better get after them." She snapped back. "What's their location?"

"Um, grid I-152." He nervously replied. "Heading due east."

"Mmm…" Levisha bought up a map of the area on her Zoids navigational display. Grid I-152, heading east… she traced a path from the last known location, looking for any place they may be heading. There, an abandoned mining complex. Perfect. It would be easier to catch them there, where they had fewer places to run to. Certainly it was easier then trying to fight a running battle.

"All units." She broadcast to the squadron. "Enemy Zoids are heading to grid T-19. All units rendezvous at that location."

And Bravo Five would have a lot of explaining to do, she thought.

**oOoOo**

It took them another two hours to arrive at the mine. The terrain in the canyons became a lot more dense and difficult to navigate, especially for the Gustav. At the same time however, they knew that the enemy force would have an even harder time following them. Navigating the maze of canyons wasn't easy, but directions provided by Rayvenne had helped considerably.

"And here we are!" She announced as they approached the mine complex. Rayvenne was trying to sound enthusiastic. It wasn't easy; they had all been up all night fighting and running, with very little sleep.

Althiea looked around the valley. "Mine" wasn't quite the term she'd use. It looked like it had been a refinery of sorts, and a large one at that. Much of the far side of the canyon wall was covered in a maze of derelict buildings and equipment, while rusted machinery was scattered around the valley floor. A number of the buildings had already collapsed, she noted, and many more showed signs of combat damage.

The Sinker settled down inside the valley next to her Zoid. "I've got to rest the engines." Rayvenne began. "I've been pushing them non-stop for hours. I doubt that anything I've done with it is in the owner's manual under 'recommended usage'."

"Hitch a ride, little lady." Floyd spoke up, adopting another bizarre accent. One of the Gustav's cranes swung aside on the rear trailer, giving her an open landing space.

"Mighty polite of you." She replied as the Zoid slowly floated forwards and then settled onto the rear trailer. "Home, James!" She added, then laughed.

Althiea looked around the canyon, realizing how quiet it was. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she felt secure. She wasn't sure what it was; certainly in the pre-dawn light the derelict refinery looked anything but inviting. Or maybe it was the fact that she wasn't being chased or shot at for the moment.

"How's your Zoid looking?" Jason asked, shaking her out of her moment of calm.

"I've got damage on the side and rear armour, but nothing to serious." She replied. "You?"

"All over." He answered. "I was thinking that we could rotate repairing our Zoids; one gets worked on and the other two stand guard."

"That makes sense." Althiea replied. "Leanne?"

"Sure thing. I've got a few gaps in my armour but nothing too bad. Well, 'cept for the tail gun."

"Would you like me to take a look at that?" Floyd asked. "I think I may be able to get that working for you."

"Cool beans." Leanne replied. "I could really use an extra gun."

The Iguan walked over to the Gustav and stopped by the rear trailer, next to the Sinker. "So, Floyd, how does it look?" Jason asked.

"Well, you're no longer mint in box." Floyd replied. "But it's far from the worst I've seen."

A series of shots peppered the ground in front of the Iguan, cutting it off before it could reach the Gustav. Looking around, Althiea tried to locate the source of the attack.

A Saicurtis hovered over the entrance to the canyon. Below it, she could see various other Zoids entering the canyon. Rev Rapter, Merder, Geruder, Sekta, Tank… it was them. They'd found them.

"Surrender now." A female voice called out. Looking around, Althiea couldn't see which one of the Zoids it had come from. "Power down your Zoids and step out of them and we will not harm you."

"What do we do?" She whispered over the comms link.

"Only thing we can do." Floyd replied. "Run." The Gustav accelerated away, the Sinker still sitting on its back. Jason's Iguan was momentarily left behind by it, before also breaking into a run, heading off in a different direction.

"Split up!" He shouted over their comm link. "Try to loose them in amongst the equipment!"

Althiea opened up the hammer Rock's throttle, sprinting away from the attacking Zoids. Several of them opened fire, shots narrowly missing her Zoid while kicking up a considerable amount of dirt and debris. A Rev Rapter, its jaw somewhat dented, broke into a run after her. She wondered if it was the same one as before. Probably.

"Look out!" Leanne shouted as a burst of fire raked over the Gustav. The shots hit the shell, apparently not doing any damage. Despite this, Floyd swerved the Gustav away from the enemy fire, its trailers skidding all over the place.

Looking up, Althiea could see the enemy Pteras swooping down on the Gustav, preparing for another pass. "Rayvenne!" She shouted out.

"I see him!" She called back. "Gimme a sec-"

Althiea nodded. Leaving the Rev Rapter for the moment, she switched over to the Pteras. Lining it up, she fired off several bursts from her shoulder gun. The beams went wide, but made the enemy pilot break off form their pursuit of the Gustav for a moment. Seeing a chance, Althiela launched one of the two remaining missiles at the fleeing Zoid.

The Pteras pilot noticed the launch immediately, and violently swerved away from the missile. It turned, the pilot trying to turn as tightly as the Zoid would allow and cut across the missile's path. Unable to keep up, the missile flew off wide and slammed into a canyon wall. Freed from that distraction, the Pteras came around to face Althiea again.

Before it could fire, however, a burst of fire went by, several shots hitting it in the flank. The Pteras swerved away again, spotting Rayvenne's sinker flying up at it. Accelerating and climbing away, the Peras looped around and then came back to attack the Sinker.

A burst of cannon fire drew Althiea's attention back to her own situation. The Rev Rapter was closing on her, with the Saicurtis covering it. She looked around for an escape, some place that the enemy Zoids couldn't follow her.

There. There was a narrow pass across the canyon, blocked by a mess of wrecked machinery. The Hammer Rock sprinted towards it, all the time dodging fire from the Saicurtis. Reaching the wreckage, the Zoid grabbed onto a chink of debris and began climbing.

A pair of shots narrowly missed her, sending chunks of metal debris flying near her cockpit. Looking around, she could see the Saicurtis closing in on her, trying to exploit her at a vulnerable moment. She desperately triggered the remaining missile, sending it soaring towards the enemy Zoid. The Saicurtis pilot violently jinked away, trying to throw off the missile.

That's at least given me a chance. The Hammer Rock scrambled up the pile, easily traversing the climb. The Rev Rapter charged up behind her and snapped at the Zoid;s rear, only to find that it was out of reach. Not wanting to give him a chance, the Hammer Rock scrambled over the top of the debris pile and slid down the other side.

No sooner was she over then another burst of cannon fire went past her. The Saicurtis had managed to throw off the missile and was still after her! Out of missiles, she instead opted to run, trying her best to evade the enemy Zoid. Behind her, she could see that the Rev Rapter had managed to climb the debris pile. Pausing for a moment, it leaped down, bursting into a run the instant it reached the ground.

Desperate, Althiea ran towards a large ruined building. Perhaps she could hide in there, she thought. Maybe I can find some cover or ambush them. The Hammer Rock ran on, the Rev Rapter rapidly closing on it. She knew that if it could get its claws into her, she was as good as dead.

Something shifted within the darkness of the ruined building. For a moment, she saw another shape in the darkness, then a green glow like a Zoid's eye.

_Move, now!_

She suddenly jerked the Hammer Rock's control stick. The small Zoid violently leaped to the right as a brilliant beam of energy shot out from the building. The beam passed through the space where her Zoid had been, then spared straight into the Rev Rapter's chest. The small Zoid screamed, then collapsed on its back, a massive smoking hole in its chest.

"What was…" She wondered. Who said that? Who told her to move?

A massive form emerged from the building. It was a large, quadruped Zoid, with black armour and glowing green eyes behind a massive nose horn. A pair of large cannons were mounted on its back, one gattling-style weapon, the other sporting a single, massive barrel.

A Darkhorn, she thought. She'd heard of the Zoid, but never thought she'd see one.

The Saicurtis broke off its attack and tried to climb away. The Darkhron bellowed, then opened fire with its beam gattling canon. The shots lanced through the air then tore into the Saicrtis's body, spearing straight through it. The Saicurtis rolled, billowed smoke and then exploded in mid-air.

The Hammer Rock stopped dead in its tracks, as if it was afraid of the larger Zoid. For some reason, she felt the same. Turning to stare at her, the Darkhorn slowly advanced towards her Zoid, its two weapons turrets turning to point straight at her.

"You're not one of them, are you?" A female voice spoke. Althiea wondered for a moment where it was coming form, and then realized that it was the Darkhorn. For some reason, she didn't expect the pilot to be a woman. "No, they were shooting at you."

"Who…" She began. "Who are you?"

"Annoyed." The Darkhorn pilot replied. "You've just ruined our operation by stumbling into it… Damn. Maybe we'll get something out of this." The huge dark Zoid walked past her, all but ignoring her Zoid. "Tell your friends to get out of here now. Otherwise they may not be so lucky."

**oOoOo**

Levisha dived at the Sinker, opening fire again with its cannon. To her frustration, the enemy Zoid peeled away, her shots tearing through the empty air. "Damn you," she snarled. This damned Sinker pilot was proving to be a lot better then she had thought.

Her communicator beeped, then Kord began, sounding panicked. "Bravo five is down! Unknown attacker! Dark… it's a Blackstar! There are bla-" The voice cut off.

"Kord?" She shouted. No, not now, she thought. Not them and not here.

"Commander! We're coming under enemy fire!" Another voice cried out.

"Blackstars!" A third added. "Get outa here! Now!"

She looked down at the battlefield. As she watched, a shot tore through the Tank's right side, tearing both wheels off. The power Zoid skidded then rolled, coming to a halt. Looking around she could see the Stealth Viper take several hits before collapsing next to the twisted wreckage of the Sekta. Sinister black shapes emerged from the derelict buildings, firing as they went.

"All units, fall back immediately!" She ordered She knew a lost battle when she saw one. Damn them, she thought. Why did they have to show up right now?

Leaving the Sinker behind, she accelerated and climbed away. Capturing Floyd no longer mattered, she thought. Only surviving.

**oOoOo**

The Darkhorn watched as the small group of Zoids retreated through the canyon. Around it, troops swarmed over the downed Red Claw Zoids, rounding up the surviving pilots. They'd disabled or destroyed five Zoids, with none of their own damaged. It was a good result, but it could have been a lot better.

"Are you sure it's wise to let them go, commander?" One of the soldiers spoke up, turning to look at the Darkhorn.

"Yes." She replied. "They're not a part of the Red Claw, that's for certain, nor were they a part of the Zygra army. They're not our problem. Let them be the Empire's headaches."

"Commander?"

The Darkhorn's cockpit opened, its pilot standing up inside the Zoid. Tall and graceful, she sported long red hair tied off into a dozen or so smaller braids, and bright green eyes. Standing on the edge of the Zoid's cockpit, she looked out into the desert. "They may yet be useful to us. If the Red Claw were after them for some reason, they may just make for some useful bait."


	8. Freedom

A quartet of battered Zoids shambled across the desert, a fifth one hovering above them. For a long time, their pilots had been quiet, not wanting to talk about the events of earlier that day. Finally, somebody spoke up.

"Well, I'd been hoping something would happen." Rayvenne spoke up. "But running into a bunch of Blackstars?" She shuddered.

"Yeah, well, seems they're good fer somethin'" Leanne muttered.

"I don't get it." Althiea spoke up. "What's with these Black Star people anyway?"

There was a long, long pause. "You're really not from around here, are you?"

"Well… no…"

"So what's the plan?" Floyd asked.

"Well, we've lost any hope of finding their field base" Jason replied, not paying any attention to her. "And we desperately need repairs. I say we head to Freedom and try to figure out things from there."

"That's where that soldier said they were operating form." Althiea spoke up. "So it's a start."

"Yeah, a start." Jason muttered.

The Gustav rolled up next to the Iguan. "I didn't get the chance to thank you for what you did back in the canyons." Floyd began.

"I just did what I had to." Jason replied.

"I noticed that you seem to know a lot about the Red Claw." He continued. "Interesting that. I was thinking that more information on them could be useful, especially if we run across them again."

"Yeah." He muttered. The Iguan moved ahead of the Gustav, its pilot not wanting to look back.

**oOoOo**

**Freedom**

**oOoOo**

Jenice both liked and disliked their base in the abandoned industrial complex. It was a lot larger then the old farm, and was far better equipped for housing and maintaining her private army. On the other hand, it was rather run down and somewhat drafty. And it was a lot less private. Of course, seeing as it was in the middle of a city, that was to be expected.

At the moment, she was coming to grips with a situation that she had never expected. Levisha had failed to capture the target of her operation, in the process loosing a good portion of the Bravo Talon. The loss of the valuable Zoids and pilots of Bravo was one thing, but the idea of Levisha failing? Impossible.

"Explain to me what happened, Towne." She began, slowly.

"Yes commander." Levisha replied, flatly. "The enemy force lead us to an abandoned mining facility at the far end of the canyon network. We followed them in, hoping to trap them and give them no option but to surrender. However, before we could apprehend them, we were attacked by a force of Blackstars that had waiting in the facility."

"Blackstars?" She spoke up, a sudden note of apprehension in her voice. "How many?"

"Five in total." Levisha replied, calmly.

"And you lost five of your own Zoids to them." She stated.

"Yes."

Jenice paused and considered this for a moment. "Do you know what they were doing there?"

"No, commander." Levisha replied. "They were waiting for something, possibly us."

"I see." Jenice replied. "Very well. We'll incorporate the remnants of the Bravo Talon into Alpha. Have Bart begin repairs on the remaining Zoids."

"Yes commander." Levisha saluted. "Is that all?"

"Certainly. Dis-" She began, but was cut off.

"Now wait on a moment!" Drake spoke up. "We get beat up and get a right bollocking. She looses six Zoids and gets nothing! What's going on here?"

"That's right." Gwen added. "How come she gets off so easily while my stupid brother and I get the works?"

Jenice glared at the pair of them. "You two were defeated by a group of wandering scavengers in Zoids that were supposedly weaker then yours. She faced off with a group of Blackstars. It's a testament to her skills that she was able to escape with some of her unit."

"If you'd rather face the Blackstars yourself, go ahead." Levisha added, glaring at the pair of them. "We can see how well you fare." The pair of them seemed to wilt back, either from the idea of facing a group of Blackstars or just her angry red-eyed glare. "I thought so." She turned and left.

"Wow. That was close…" Drake gasped.

"Just keep your stupid mouth shut in future." Gwen muttered.

**oOoOo**

Althiea couldn't help but be impressed by the city state of Freedom as they approached it. It was by a long way the biggest town or city she'd ever seen in person. While she'd seen pictures of places like Gayos, the imperial capital, it was nothing like seeing something like this up close.

The city seemed to rise out of the horizon, looming like an artificial mountain made of grey concrete. The sheer scale of it seemed impossible at first to her. As they crossed the bridge over the large lake in front of the city, she could only gape up at the huge structures looming before her.

"Its so big…" She began.

"You're impressed?" Rayvenne asked. Her Sinker was resting on the back of the Gustav, tied down and covered with a tarp so as not to attract too much attention.

"Well… yeah…"

"Hey, check it out, Leanne." Rayvenne began, sniggering. "She's impressed by Freedom."

"The heck?" Leanne replied. "You've never been to a big city before, have you?"

"No." She admitted. "I've lived in small towns all my life."

"She doesn't know about Blackstars, she's never been to a big city…" Leanne muttered. "Anything else you care to mention, Ali?"

Having crossed the bridge, the Zoids stopped in front of a security checkpoint ouside the main walls of the city. Looking around, Althiea couldn't help but notice several weapons ports on the walls, as well as how much those walls had cracked in places. Looking around, she could see that the pavement on the road was similarly cracked, while the security blockade looked rather grimy.

A security officer asked her to step out of her Zoid. Noting that everyone else was doing the same, she shrugged and clambered out of the cockpit, climbing down to the ground level. The officer handed her a clipboard with a stack of papers attached to it, as well as a pen.

"They want your detail, for their security register." Leanne explained. "As we're foreigners entering with armed Zoids, they need to know all about us."

"Foreigners?" She asked. "Aren't we still in the empire?"

"We're in the empire's territory, but Freedom is an independent city-state. They're allied with the empire, but not officially a part of it. We're effectively in another country now."

"I see." She replied as she began filling in forms. "I didn't know there were any independent states within the empire."

"They don't like to talk about it." Leanne replied. "They allied themselves with Zygra at the end of the war, but wanted to remain independent afterwards. Freedom is a completely independent, self-sustaining community. Or at least in theory."

"In theory?"

Leanne pointed to the concrete archway above the gate, and then indicated a crack in it. "Their self-sustaining thing don't seem to have worked to well. The whole city's broke and falling apart."

"I see." She replied as she finished her forms, then handed them back to the guard. "So they're not self-sustaining, right?"

"Well, they are, but at a level that means they don't have the money or the resources to fix a lot of the stuff that needs repairing." She replied as she handed back her form.

"Right you two." The guard spoke up. "Your Zoids are registered with the city authorities. We'll escort you to bay thirty-four where your Zoids will be interned for the duration of your stay." A pair of Molgas approached from within the city. Both of them, Althiea noted, were rather worn looking. She suspected that they hadn't been properly maintained in ages.

"Okay, folks, let's saddle up." Floyd began. "Sooner we can get these babies parked, sooner I can begin work on getting 'em back into shape."

After they boarded their Zoids, the Molgas lead them into a warehouse district. Looking around, Althiea could see what Leanne had meant. A number of the warehouses were rather run-down looking, many with broken windows and the odd one with a hole in the roof. Several had soldiers clad in the same drab uniforms as the ones guarding the gates patrolling them. One particularly caught her eye. The soldiers outside it wore dull grey fatigues, as well as body armour and helmets that completely concealed their faces. They looked nothing like the other soldiers.

They were directed to a warehouse that, to her, looked no different from any of the others. It had been equipped with a rather minimal looking gantry that would allow them to access and repair their Zoids. Still, it looked to be little more then adequate_. The hanger in Sun Hill was far better equipped_, she thought.

They parked their Zoids and clambered out. "So what are we doing from here?" Althiea asked as she climbed down form her Zoid to join the others.

"Leanne, Rayvenne and I will look after getting us some rooms, as well as begin enquiries." Jason began. "Althiea, you and Floyd begin work on the Zoids."

"I'll see what I can do with the parts at hand." Floyd replied. "However, we'll need to get some replacements for some bits… that's not gonna be easy. Some of these Zoids… you can't get the wood, you know."

"Floyd?" She asked.

"Nothing." He replied and spun around on the spot. "I'll need some components. Althiea and I will spend the afternoon figuring what we need and make you guys all a shopping list. Oh, and Leanne?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you worry. I can get that gun of yours fixed easy." He grinned. "Course, getting ammo for it's gonna be another matter."

"Cool beans." She replied. "Thanks, Floyd."

"Ahh, ain't nothin'."

"We'll see you guys later." Jason called out as they left.

As soon as they were out, Althiea turned to Floyd. "Should we get started?"

"Well sure thing but first…" He quickly looked over her. "That whole long, flowing, uber-conservative dress look is really chic, but it is a touch impractical for heavy work."

She blushed. 'Yeah, I guess so… Give me a minute." She disappeared behind the Hammer Rock, emerging a few minutes later wearing a long-sleeved charcoal-grey shirt and slacks. "Is this better?"

"Much." He replied. "I guess black is indeed the new black." This bought out a huge grin. "So lets get to work. We gotta size up the mess we've made."

Althiea nodded. "I was thinking that you might start with the Iguan, since it's in the worst shape. I could start with my Hammer Rock."

"Good idea." He began. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear your assessments of them."

"Uh, sure." She nodded. "Can I ask why?"

"Well, young lady, I was impressed by what I saw back in the canyon and what I heard form Rayvenne about you repairing her Sinker." He replied. "That's all pretty impressive stuff form someone who comes form a small town and doesn't have any formal qualifications."

"Thanks." She replied nervously. "I had a good teacher. I was going to apply for the imperial technical academy."

"Hmmm… yes, I can see that you would have done well there." He replied, rubbing his chin. "If you want, I could help you out. I mean, I am the greatest mind in all of the Shelflands. I'm sure that, if you wanted, I could teach you a few things."

"Would you?" She asked. "I mean, thank you, Floyd. I'd love to know more. So far, my experience has been mostly theory with little actual practice…"

"Well, I think you'll be getting a lot of that, if these guys are anything to go on." He indicated to the various Zoids. "We seem to lead very high-impact lives."

"I guess… what with the Red Claw being after us all." She finished.

"Yes… That's an interesting looking pennant you have there."

"What?" She asked, suddenly thrown by his change of topic. "Oh, this. Its one of the few things I have from my parents."

"Your parents… hmm…" He rubbed his chin again. "We'll, lets get to work."

She blinked, momentarily confused. Was he always like this, she wondered.

**oOoOo**

Rayvenne had found them rooms in a motel near the warehouse district. It was already mostly empty, but she'd still managed to get them good rooms and a decent price. Leanne had muttered something about her leaning over the desk too much, but Jason had chosen to ignore it.

After calling Floyd and Ali to tell them where they were staying, the three of them had moved on to a nearby pub. While it was run down and rather grimy, Jason also suspected that it was pretty typical of the joints in the area. More importantly, it was near the warehouse district, which meant that people would be keeping an eye on comings and goings within the city. Besides, he knew the place from his last time here.

Rayvenne had loudly stated that she was not getting the drinks, siting her previous experience as a waitress. Leanne replied that she'd had Rayvenne as a waitress, and wouldn't want her to being the drinks anyway. That had left Jason to go to the bar, which suited him fine.

The bartender was a different one to the one he remembered from last time, he noted. Had there been a change in management, or did the last guy have reasons to leave? He placed the order, then leaned a little closer. "I was wondering if you could help me out." He began.

"Hm?" The Bartender asked. "What do you need?"

He placed a note on the counter. His past experience showed that Zygra Imperials bought more here then their market value would normally indicate, which was quite useful when one was after information. "There's a group of Zoid pilots who operate out of here. Heard anything recently about them?"

"Never heard of any Zoid pilots who operate from here." He replied in a dull tone as he began cleaning a glass.

"Well have any Zoids entered the town recently?"

"Only one lot." He replied. "Gustav, Iguan and some others."

"Right." Jason could tell that this wasn't going to get him anywhere. He picked up their glasses and turned to go back to their table. As he did, a woman entering the bar caught his eye.

She wore a black longcoat over a long, purple dress, and had long black hair with several bright red streaks in it. Even though he didn't see her face, he recongised her anyway. He quickly turned back to the bar. Maybe she didn't see me, he thought. Waiting a moment, he turned back to the table, then glanced around. She had gone over to a corner booth, sitting with a man who's face was obscured by a large hat.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he walked back to his table and sat down.

"Took your sweet time." Leanne muttered as she took her drink.

"Sorry." He replied. "The bartender was a lot less helpful then I hoped."

"Maybe he just needs a different approach." Rayvenne replied. "I could try."

Leanne rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless." She muttered.

"I just know how to use my many gifts." Rayvenne replied, smugly.

Jason ignored them, staring off into the corner booth. _Who's that she's talking to?_ He wondered.

**oOoOo**

Levisha sat down at the table, eying the man waiting there. He was tall and gaunt, with long black hair and dark eyes, concealed by a battered hat and long coat. "Good to see you, Jager." She began.

"You too." He replied. "I Heard things didn't go to well for you."

"Blackstars." She simply stated. "I think they've begun to take notice of Jenice's little operation."

"Aren't they a little out of their territory?"

"Does that ever stop them?" She casually asked.

"Good point." He quickly eyed her outfit. "Different look for you."

"I don't always dress for a fight." She replied. "Sometimes I allow myself a little comfort."

He looked straight at her. "Yet you keep the red eyes."

She smiled. "I have certain standards to maintain. Besides, if I kept them their natural colour..."

He nodded. "So, how have things been otherwise?"

"Mixed." She replied. "They've still had no luck with Glass, despite my best efforts. Jenice has some good leads, but has stumbled recently. Her so-called elite are proving to be far less capable then she thought."

"Speaking of which…" He glanced up at the door. A pair of men had entered the pub and were casually surveying the place. One was tall and muscular, with a shaved head, small eyes and several prominent scars. The second was short and wiry, with short hair and shifty-looking eyes. Jager reached under the table.

"Don't worry." She replied. "They know enough not to bother me. As far as they're concerned, I chat up men, take them home and then tear their throats out with my teeth." She turned back to him. "So how have things been otherwise?"

"Not so good. I lost my Zoid in an operation last week. Fortunately, its replacement is almost ready."

She considered this, then smiled for a moment. "Now that should be interesting to see. I doubt anything the empire or Jenice has could stop it."

"Indeed." He replied. "So do you have the item?"

She nodded, then pulled a data disk out of her coat pocket. "Complete battleROMs from the Claw's Zoids. Check the Liger's at index 7070… there's something that might interest you."

He took the disk and pocketed it. "Thank you." He replied, and stood.

"I'll let you know when's the next good time." She stated, flatly.

Jager nodded and left, leaving her alone in the booth. She sat back, and then looked around, wondering if there was anyone interesting here tonight.

**oOoOo**

Seeing the woman get up, Jason quickly turned away to look at the other wall, waiting for her to pass then watch her leave.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Leanne asked. "You've been staring off into space for the last few minutes.

"Didn't you notice?" Rayvenne slyly replied. "He's been watching a girl."

"What?" Leanne glared at him, then her. "Who was it?"

"Didn't see her face, but she was tall and wore a purple dress." She shrugged. "Maybe it's his old girlfriend."

"Shut up." He muttered. "I don't know who she is."

"Oh sure. You just watched her for no real reason." Rayenne replied, then gave an exaggerated shrug.

"We've got work to do, you two." Jason snapped, trying desperately to change the topic. "We still need to see if we can find out more about the Red Claw, especially with regards to what they're doing here."

"Well you just said that the bartender didn't want to talk to us." Leanne replied. "So what's your next plan of attack?"

"We can still ask around." He replied. "From what Alithiea told me about the attack on her town, they seem to be recruiting troops from the local criminal scene. I think that may be a place to start."

"Maybe we could ask his girlfriend, to see if she knows anything." Rayvenne added, sarcasm colouring her words.

"Shut up." He muttered, then continued more normally. "Let's just try to remain focussed, shall we?" He glared at Rayvenne.

"Ah, you're no fun." She muttered. "So what's eating you anyway? I was just teasing."

**oOoOo**

"So Jase, whattya think?" Jake began, his voice somewhat slurred.

"Think of what?" Jason replied. He was somewhat more sober then his companion, but not by much. The two of them had planned on a big night out before the big day tomorrow. They figured that once they were in, they wouldn't be entitled to so many wild nights. But then, fame, fortune and the chance to be an actual Zoid pilot would be too much to pass up.

"That, you dumbarse." Jake replied, indicating with one finger to the bar.

He looked over to where Jake was indicating. An attractive woman with long black hair that sported several red highlights was sitting at the bar, currently alone. "That?" He asked. " Yeah, I like the looks of it. Now if you'll excuse me, Jake, I think I should introduce myself."

Jake snorted as Jason stood up. "Yeah, right, man. Good luck."

"Whatever. Just don't drink my beer."

Jake watched Jason go over to the bar and sit next to the woman. The two began talking, but he couldn't quite catch what they were saying. He watched them patiently for a few minutes, casually sipping on his beer as they talked. Jason, you tool, he thought. Just give it up already.

Then, to his surprise, they both stood up and walked out of the pub together.

He stared blankly at the bar, focusing on the empty stools were Jason and the woman had been. What just happened, he asked himself. I mean, did Jase just… He finished off his beer. Then he sculled Jason's, figuring that he wasn't going to need it.

**oOoOo**

Jason lay back on the bed, then glanced over at the woman lying next to him. Before he could say anything, she rolled over to turn away from him. Looking over her, he noted the black dragon tattooed on her back, its long tail running across her hip and down one leg. "Hey." He began. He'd found her to be… unusual. The coloured hair and red contacts had given her a delightfully 'different' look, and the large tattoo just added to that. He only hoped he could see more of her.

"What?" She asked as she stood up.

"Something up?" He asked.

"No, why would there be?" She replied as she casually began dressing.

Jason seemed at a bit of a loss here. "Should I call you?" He asked.

"No."

"Then when could I see you again?" Jason asked as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Most likely never." She replied as she finished getting dressed. "I've already gotten all I want out of you." She left something on the stand beside the bed.

"But-"

"I've left you with half the cost of the room." She cut him off as she walked over to the door. "Goodbye, Jason." She finished, then left.

"oh."

**oOoOo**

"Hey, Ali!" Leanne called out and waved, fortunately changing the topic.

Altheia approached the table and sat at a spare seat. Jason noted that she had changed her usual bulky dress for a far more practical looking black shirt and slacks. It looked like some of his training was finally taking hold. "Hi there." She began. "How's it all going?"

"Nothing so far." Jason quickly replied, cutting off Rayvenne before she could say anything. "I think the locals don't want to talk about the Claw at all. I've got a feeling that they may be more of a local power then we thought."

"Well, the soldier I questioned did come form here." Althiea began. "If they've been recruiting from the city's poor and criminal groups, then they may get a lot of support."

"This city has nothing but the poor." Leanne quipped. "You seen this place?"

"It does look rather run-down." Althiea replied.

"Yeah… nothing works any more in this city." Leanne replied. "I lived here for a few months after I first left home. It was total crap. Nothing worked, breakdowns came on a daily basis, everything cost a lot and the money's worthless. Someone on a recruiting drive promising money and power could go a long, long way in a dump like this."

"So how are you guys doing?" Jason asked, again cutting off Rayvenne.

"Well, we've assessed the damage to our Zoids. It's a rather mixed bag." She began. "The Sinker's in pretty good shape, although Floyd says that he wants to give the engines a huge overhaul. On the other hand, your Iguan's a mess."

"Right." Jason muttered. "And where is Floyd, anyway?"

"He said he was going out to get some parts." She replied. "Apparently there's a thriving Zoid parts black market here."

"That may be a lead." Rayvenne finally spoke up, having decided not to badger Jason any further. "The Red Claw have to get their gear form somewhere. We could start by asking there."

"I suppose." Jason replied. 'But we don't know who buys their stuff."

"Well, we could ask about unusual orders." Althiea replied. "Parts that are otherwise difficult or harder to find. Liger parts, for example."

Rayvenne nodded. "And somebody's going to be shopping for a replacement booster for a Reddler." She offered. "That could be a lead."

"And sniper ammunition." Leanne finished. "Although I suspect that Floyd may end up buying everything they have." She shrugged.

"He's a little weird, that guy." Rayvenne commented.

"He is?" Leanne asked. "I didn't notice."

**oOoOo**

Floyd peered out the broken glass windows of the abandoned warehouse, watching the similar looking building across the street. He'd noticed a number of subtle differences between it and the others. All of its windows were intact, and the doors had all been equipped with what he recongised as some of the newest and most up to date locks available. There were two well-concealed cameras on the corners, and he suspected a fair few more.

The armed and armoured guards outside were also a bit of a giveaway, he thought. Still, most people would go for the obvious and miss the subtle. But then, he wasn't most people.

He pulled the hood up on his sneaksuit and then donned his goggles. He now was completely covered, concealed within an adaptive, heat-reducing, signature masking suit repaired from the best that pre-war Krupp technology had to offer. At night, in a dark part of a badly lit city like this, he might as well have been invisible. He pressed a button on the small wrist control and waited a moment. The suit's colour changed form flat black to a dull grey to better blend in with its surroundings.

Showtime.

He climbed up a ladder and onto the roof of the warehouse. Through the vision enhancers of the goggles, he could see his target as clean as day. Perfect. Stretching his left arm out, he sighted the other warehouse and lined up on its roof. With a flick of his wrist, a small arrow shot out from the launcher, trailing a cord behind it. It stuck into the opposing roof, anchoring firmly in place. A second arrow slid out form the back of the launcher. Floyd took it in hand, and then imbedded it in the roof behind him.

After testing the rope's strength and grip on both rooves, Floyd swung up and took a hold of it. He quietly moved along the cord, the launcher on his wrist remaining secure as he went. After reaching the opposite roof, he quietly detached the launcher and dropped down from the cord. So far, so good.

Looking around, he spied a hatch on the roof. And that's going to be alarmed, he mentally added. Time for round two. Cautiously approaching the vent, he pulled out a small computer from a pouch on his leg.

This machine was a marvel that he'd designed and built himself for just such an occasion. It had helped him considerably in the past, and he suspected that it would remain useful to him for years to come. Kneeling by the hatch, he carefully pried a plate off an extrusion on one side. Just as he thought, there was an alarm system here. And he suspected that it had a backup that would activate if he tried to disable it.

He hovered the device over the alarm for a moment, allowing it to scan the system. After thirty seconds, it flashed on a green light for a moment, then went silent. This meant that it had overridden the alarm and left it in a state where it would happily think that everything was working okay, regardless of what was actually going on.

He was impressed that the alarm on this shed had taken so long to fool. A modern alarm shouldn't normally take that long… maybe it was using pre-war technology. Interesting. He may have underestimated these people.

He cautiously opened the hatch and peered inside. The hanger was lit by a pair of small spotlights that kept the room just bright enough that any intruder would show up and be easier to shoot. In the middle of the room, the focus of the lights, was a single large, black Zoid. A large black Zoid of a rather unusual configuration, he noted.

He flicked over the vision options on his goggles. Looking around, he could see several beams of light around the Zoid. It was an old trick, he thought. Break the normally invisible beam, trigger an alarm. Of course, he noted, the beams had a reasonable amount of free space around the Zoid, presumably so it wouldn't inadvertently set of an alarm. Which was a perfectly reasonable security precaution, as long as nobody came in through the roof, like he was.

He dropped down another cord to over the Zoid's back, then slowly descended. Now this is what he had been waiting for. And this particular Zoid would be most interesting…

**oOoOo**

"Don't look now," Leanne began, "but I think we have some company."

Jason glanced behind him. A pair of men were approaching their table from the bar. One was short and wiry, with short brown hair, shifty eyes and sported a cheap suit. The other was large and muscular with a shaven head, small eyes and a broad nose. He wore a short-sleeved shirt and vest that showed off the flames that were tattooed on his thick arms.

Oh, no, Jason thought. Not them. Not now.

"Evening ladies, sir." The smaller man began. "We heard that you had been making some enquires, and felt that we could assist."

Althiea looked up at the two. She immediately didn't like the looks of them. Something about the way they had approached them seemed, well, wrong to her. Then she noticed that around them, everyone else was beginning to discretely move away. This didn't look good.

"Now we're big believers in community safety and stability." The shorter man continued. "And we think that it would be a very bad thing for people to go around making all kinds of wild accusations about there being a private army hiding out in our fair city."

"So in plain speak?" Leanne began.

"Oh, like you can talk." Rayvenne snidely added. Leanne didn't respond.

"Now we think it would be in the best interests of all of us if you were to maybe stop spreading these wild rumours and speculation." He continued. "Otherwise, well, all sorts of things could happen."

Leanne stood, glaring at the smaller man. Neither of them were particularly tall, and the way the larger man loomed over the pair of them made it seem almost comical. "Well, we could do that." She began. "But we don't take very well to threats. So why don't you just make it easier fer everyone and leave us outa it."

"Uh, Leanne?" Althiea began. "Maybe you might want to..." She trailed off.

Jason muttered something to himself. This was not going well.

The man stood there for a moment, then smirked for a moment. "Well, I must say that you lot are very, very brave. Of course, you could also be a little stupid. Malcolm?"

"Yeah?" The bigger man began, finally speaking.

"Could you please explain to this young lady why exactly it would be beneficial for her and her associates to discontinue this line of questioning."

"Heh, sure." The big man smirked and cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna edumacate you."

Leanne smirked, while the others stood behind her. "Better back off a bit." She began. "I might need a little more room to move."

"You're crazy, you know that?" Rayvenne replied. "But it is kinda cool."

Althiea remembered seeing her fight the toughs back in Mount Thomas. Those guys were smaller then this one, but on the other hand, there was only the one of him. She just hoped that Leanne could handle him.

He swung at her, his fist sweeping around in a broad arc. She easily ducked his blow, then struck back at him, jabbing at his midsection. He took the hit and grunted, then grinned. "I'm not that easy, luv."

He swung at her again, forcing her to step back, and then again, sending her scurrying to one side. As she moved, the smaller man moved behind her, tripping her over. "Oops, excuse me." He snidely added.

"Right, now where was we?" The big man began.

"Leaving." Jason replied. He swung around and hit the big man on the side of the jaw. He turned away from Jason, rolling with the punch, then glared straight back at him.

"Nice try, little man" He replied. Jason swung at him, but the man grabbed his fist in his enormous hand. "Now say goodnight"

A fist about the size of a leg ham hit Jason in the guts, doubling him over. A second hit sent him sprawling backwards, crashing into their table then sprawling to the floor. As soon as he landed, Althiea knelt down besides him. "You alright?"

"No…" He muttered. "Damn it, we didn't need this."

She turned to Rayvenne. "Can't you do something?"

"Don't look at me." She replied. "Short of popping my top to distract 'em, I'm useless in a fight."

The big man grabbed Leanne by the scruff of her shirt and lifted her up, holding her with her feet in the air. "Not so smart now, are you, girly?" He sneered. He drew back his other hand, then stopped.

Looking up, Altheia could see that a woman had grabbed his wrist. She was tall, with long red hair that was tied off into a dozen smaller braids and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a long, black coat, tight pants and a minitop, and wore an angry expression on her face.

"Put her down now." She calmly stated.

"Or what?" The big man asked. "What are you going to do to me?"

She pulled on his arm, yanking him towards her. At the same time, she lashed out with her booted foot, striking hard at his ankle. He let out a scream of pain and released Leanne, instead grabbing his ankle with then now free hand.

Dropping from his hand, Leanne hit the ground and couched. She lashed out with one leg, catching the large man in his other ankle. The kick caught him off-balance, sending him crashing to the floor. Standing up, she bought her boot down on his hand. "Who's the tough one now?" she sneered at him.

The red-haired woman didn't waste a chance. She spun around, her booted foot catching the smaller man in the chest and sending him crashing back into the bar. Leaping over to him before he could recover, she grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the bar. "Where are they?" She snarled.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He replied through clenched teeth.

"Tell me!" The woman angrily demanded, then bashed his head into the bar again to emphasise her point.

"What's she doing?" Althiea asked. "Stop it!"

"Don't." Rayvenne replied, putting a hand on Ali's shoulder. "She won't listen."

"But why?"

A beep came from the woman's coat sleeve. Pressing the man's head into the bar, she raised the arm, pulling back the sleeve to reveal a communicator. "What is it?" She angrily demanded. "What? I see." She released the man, angrily throwing him to the floor. Turning around, she walked out of the bar.

"Who was that?" Althiea asked.

"Didn't you see the eyes?" Jason replied as he stood, clutching is midsection. "That was a Blackstar."


	9. Search

"And what happened to you two?" Jenice asked.

Harry and Malcolm McNeil both literally froze in their tracks. They'd been trying to creep back into the Red Claw's headquarters and avail themselves of the medical facilities before anyone caught them. The last thing they wanted to see was Jenice standing by the door.

"Um, nothing." Harry began. "We were just having a night out. You know, lads having a bit of fun. First night back in the big city and all."

"Your faces." She said, angrily. "What happened to them."

"We got into a fight." Malcolm spoke up.

"Ahh… that's not quite it." Harry replied. "Malcolm, as usual, exaggerates. More of some manly roughhousing with some old mates, you know the type."

"You don't have 'mates'." Jenice icily replied. "I know you better then that. But it's irrelevant now, as I have a job for you."

"Yes commander?" Harry nervously began. He'd expected a right bollocking at least for this. So far, he was getting off well. "What is it?"

"My contacts in the security department informed me of a pair of interesting events that occurred earlier today." She explained. "First, a Blackstar entered the city with their Zoid." She glared at the pair of them to allow the information to sink in. "That, combined with what Levisha told me can only mean one thing."

"That they view us as a threat." Harry replied while Malcolm nodded in agreement. If the Blackstars viewed them as a threat, then maybe it was time for them to lie low.

"Correct. I want you to find their agent here and eliminate them. I want them out of the way and-" She paused. "-I want their Zoid."

Harry swallowed. Take out a Blackstar? Steal their Zoid? Now that was asking for trouble. And since that Blackstar had already seen his and Malcolm's faces, it'd be harder. "Sh-sure." He replied. "And the other thing?"

"A Gustav entered the city yesterday as well." She continued. "I'm after its pilot. Locate him and bring him to me. I want him alive and unharmed. Do you understand?"

"Yes, commander." He hastily replied, thankful that she'd given him something to do that didn't involve a Blackstar.

"Good. I expect results." She finished and turned to leave.

The pair of them remained quiet for a few moments, standing outside the derelict industrial complex that passed for the Red Claw's base. Finally, Malcolm spoke up. "We're in the poo, aren't we 'arry?"

"That we are, Mal." He replied. "That we are."

**oOoOo**

**Search**

**oOoOo**

Floyd had to congratulate the Blackstars on their security. He figured that he'd thought of everything when he'd broken into the hanger. However, it appeared that they still had some tricks up their sleeves. They're downright paranoid, he thought to himself. Even for an outpost like this, such a degree of security was outrageous.

He stood in front of the Darkhorn, his hands behind the back of his head, his back to the two soldiers who had their guns trained on him. Things had been going so well, he thought to himself. He thought that it would be another successful escape for the world's greatest mind. However, it was not to be. Still, it had been worth it.

He heard the door opening and the sound of feet crossing the floor. And its pilot returns, he thought. I wonder how she'll be doing tonight.

"Floyd Glass." A harsh woman's voice spoke up. "Turn around."

He turned, spotting the third figure between the other two. She was so Blackstar, he thought, that she might as well have had a copyright logo stamped on her bum. Tall and beautiful with long hair and bright green eyes and a desire to show off as much of her body as possible. Yeah, no mistaking her type.

"Captain Thorne." He began. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

If she felt anything about seeing him, there was no sign of it. "Do you want to explain what you're doing here?" She began.

"In this city or in this room?" He replied. "I'll go for in this room because your authority in this city doesn't extend out too far beyond that. And the answer is, I came here for a single specific reason, and that was to get a look at this masterful machine."

"My Zoid." She replied.

"Fascinating creation. While by true Darth standards, it's not that much, it has a certain simplicity and elegance that I can't help but admire. The addition of a Hyperbeam Cannon to the standard Hibilt Vulcan provides a substantial addition to the Zoid's already considerable firepower. And while the extra power requirements would be taxing for the power system, it became obvious to me that the modifications to this Zoid ran more then skin deep."

Her expression betrayed nothing. "You came here for the Zoid?"

"Oh yes." He replied. "I must say that such a creature would be unique amongst your ranks, wouldn't it? I mean, while your Zoids are overwhelmingly made up of those from earlier production blocks, this machine is from one of the later Darkhorn runs, which means that it probably wasn't taken from the Dark Continent. Rather, I suspect, it was salvaged or captured during the post-war period. The fact that it is a Darth Creation, something that I know your people are incapable of, would seem to confirm my hypothesis."

"Fascinating."

"But this machine is a work of art in its own, sublime way. While it's less developed then many of those Hydra-spawned monstrosities from the last war, its designer still put a lot of work into it. I mean, the redevelopment of the power system to carry the new weaponry without any loss of performance is impressive enough, but it's the details that get me. Like the cockpit." He waved at the Zoid's canopy. "Not only did the designer completely refit the cockpit to accommodate his new systems and his own preferences for ergonomics that would have been expensive and impractical to implement on a mass production basis, he also saw fit to include a number of creature comforts. I'm particularly impressed by the leather covering on the command couch, which would make for a very comfortable ride. Something that, given the cut of your pants there, I'm sure you find quite useful."

"You're very observant, Mister Glass." She replied, ignoring his comments. "Talent like yours is wasted where you are now. My offer still stands, however."

"Hmmm… well, I'd have to take you up on it." He grinned. "How much did you want? I can pay moneys or trade for parts or pre-war artefacts."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, a slight hint of impatience in her voice.

"Why, the Zoid, of course. I'll take it."

If he'd annoyed or amused her, she didn't show it. "I meant my offer for your services."

"Well," he replied, a bigger grin. "Young lady, if you wanted my body, you but had to ask. But surely, with these two around…"

She remained clam and expressionless. "You know what I mean."

"Probably." He replied. "But again, I'd have to turn you down. I prefer to live my life to my own unique beat, not dancing to someone else's tune. I think that myself and a highly stratified, ordered and controlled society would not get along."

She nodded. "I understand. In that case, you are free to go. And I would strongly advise you to leave now."

He bowed. "Certainly. It has been a pleasure to see you again, captain." Straitening up, he turned to walk out of the hanger.

"Should we stop him?" One of the soldiers quietly asked their commander.

"No." She replied. "As long as he's free, Jenice will come after him. That gives us a lead on them. We follow him, and we find them."

**oOoOo **

Nobody had said a thing during the walk back from the pub. Jason had muttered something about the hotel rooms he'd gotten them, then pretty much remained quiet. Neither Leanne nor Rayvenne seemed to want to say anything either, which struck Althiea as odd. They were usually rather talkative, almost obnoxiously such in Rayvenne's case.

Returning to the hotel, Jason quietly lead them upstairs to their room. Like everything else in the city she'd seen so far, Althiea noticed, the hotel was showing signs of wear. Quietly, she wondered if the whole city was like this, or if it was just the part they were in.

"Okay, I got us a pair of adjoining rooms." Jason spoke up as he opened the door. "So we'll have to figure who goes where."

"I'd say that the best idea would be for us to share a room, and the girls to share the other." Floyd spoke up. He was already inside the room, lying back on one of the beds. "Of course, I'd like a whole room for myself, so as not to cramp my genius."

Jason paused. "How did you get in here?"

"The door." Floyd replied.

Jason considered the thought that someone in the hotel staff may have let Floyd in, which spoke volumes about their security. On the other hand, he didn't want to consider what Floyd may have done to get in without assistance.

"Right." Jason muttered as he stepped in, the others following him.

"How'd you go, Floyd?" Althiea asked.

"Well, I didn't get much of what I was after." He replied as he sprang to his feet. "But I suspect I'll have more luck tomorrow morning. Hows about you guys?"

"Nobody wanted to talk to us." Rayvenne began, shrugging. "Well, apart from this one pair of guys. And they were kinda rude so Leanne had to beat 'em up."

"Thanks." Leanne added. "Actually, they picked a fight with us. They didn't seem too happy about us asking questions about re Red Claw and all that."

"Yeee…" Floyd grimaced. "So what happened there? I note that none of you are looking too roughed up."

"Someone else broke it up." Leanne explained. "A Blackstar."

"Yeah, I saw her while I was out perusing the array of componentry available." He mused, rubbing his chin. "Beautiful plumage."

"She seemed to be more interested in them then us." Leanne replied and shrugged. "I'd think nothing of it, but twice in two days…"

"Fascinating."

"Excuse me." Althiea spoke up. "I may be sounding like a complete idiot here, but who are these Blackstar people?" Everyone turned to look at her at once. "You've been going on about them since we saw those Zoids in the desert. And Jason recognised that the woman in the bar was one by her eyes."

There was a long pause.

"Excuse me." Floyd spoke up. "I think I'll take a bed in the other room. Toodle pip." He walked out of the room, straight past everyone else.

All eyes turned to the empty doorway, and then back to Althiea. "Was it something I said?" She asked.

**oOoOo**

Henrich Jager had long ago found a good base of operations here in Freedom. While in the city, he dwelt in a small room above an abandoned and boarded up shop in a near derelict structure. The building itself was on he outer fringes of the transient area of the city, where outsiders and locals only mixed if they couldn't avoid it. The room was largely anonymous, the only risk to his privacy being the overhead rail line that ran by the mostly boarded-up windows.

After arriving back here, he'd made sure that nobody had been in the room while he was way. Confident that it was still secure, he retrieved a small portable computer from his equipment cache. He'd hidden it under the floor, only accessible through the removal of a loose boards.

Having started the computer and verified his identity (the computer's security systems would erase all data and then burn out the motherboard if he failed), he loaded up the data that Levisha had given him. He'd initially planned to watch it through, but he was intrigued by what she had said. He loaded up the data from the Liger, and skipped to the index he mentioned.

The main screen showed the view through the Liger's forwards displays, while secondary screens bought up status monitors. Looking at the paused image, he could see that the Liger was advancing through a small town, presumably Sun Hill from what Levisha had told him.

He began the playback. The Liger sprinted down a street, then stopped abruptly. Looking at the display, he could se a scared looking young woman on the screen in a black dress.

"What?" A woman's voice on the playback shouted. He figured that it had to be Jenice; she was the only person who would be in the Liger. "What are you doing?" The Liger roared angrily. "What's wrong with you?"

_Fascinating_, he thought. The Liger isn't responding to the controls. _Why_, he wondered. Rewinding the recording, he skipped back to where it paused. There, before it ran over that woman. He paused the display as the terrified woman looked up at the Zoid. _Interesting. Why was it refusing to harm her_, he wondered. He knew that Jenice had attacked unarmed civilians in past. _Why was this one any different?_

He'd have to find out who this woman was, he thought. The answer to this riddle could lie with her. And if she was the one who had stopped the Liger, then she may yet prove to be quite useful.

**oOoOo**

"So are either of you going to provide an answer?" Althiea glared at Rayvenne and Leanne, Jason having also beaten a retreat.

"What?" Leanne asked.

"These Blackstar people." She replied. "You keep going on about them, but you're not providing much in the way of an explanation."

"You're really, really not from around here, are you?" Rayvenne asked.

"No, I'm not." She stated. "And you keep saying that."

There was another uncomfortable pause. "Fine then. Fill me in on what I'm missing so I'll stop asking embarrassing questions and acting like such a hick." She crossed her arms and waited.

Leanne shrugged. "They're trouble, that's what they are." She began. "They're from another independent city within the empire, like Freedom. Thing is, they tend to think they own the empire and can do whatever they want."

Rayvenne nodded. "They're probably the most dangerous force in the empire." She continued. "We're lucky that they weren't interested in us when we ran into that lot, or else…" She trailed off.

"So… so why doesn't anyone stop them?" Althiea asked.

"You saw those Dark Zoids?" Leanne asked. "Yeah, those things are why. Nobody in the Empire can. I thought I'd never see one for real before then. I wish I hadn't, almost."

Altheia nodded. She had been afraid when she saw the Darkhorn in the ruined complex. It had felt… terrifying. There had been almost an aura of fear radiating off the Zoid that had affected her and, when she thought about it, her Zoid. The Hammer Rock had almost seemed afraid of the other Zoid. "And I thought there were no more Dark Zoids."

"Well, ain't that wishful thinking?" Leanne asked. "Trust me, we'll be lucky if we never see 'em again."

**oOoOo**

"What was that about you seeing a Blackstar?" Jason asked Floyd as he stepped into the room.

"Met one in passing while out shopping for parts." He replied casually as he dropped his coat on the floor. It made a loud clunking noise as it landed.

"Do you think it was the same one?" He asked. Jason was hoping that it was. Two Blackstars could only be trouble.

"Red hair, bare midriff, designer brand g-string hitched as high as possible?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah." Jason replied, wondering what was up with Floyd. He seemed to be completely unconcerned about her. Odd. "That's the one."

"Fascinating people, aren't they?" Floyd asked.

"Right." Jason muttered. "Look, I figure we're best off getting some sleep early. It's going to be a very long day tomorrow. Besides which, if I know this city, the power's going to go off pretty soon."

"Hmmm…" Floyd began, and cocked his head. He quietly counted to three, then the lights went off. "Nice call."

"Shut up."

**oOoOo**

Alonzo Vinchenti looked up form his store counter in apprehension and fear. Running a black market weapons store out the back of his corner store had given him a number of reasons to be afraid, but today he felt more so then usual. A pair of men had just walked into his store, huge grins on their faces despite the numerous bruises both were sporting. These two could only mean trouble for him.

"Good morning." He stammered out. "How can I help you?" He tried to figure out what was going on. He'd already paid the crew their protection money for the week, and Harry and Malcolm never came to collect it in person. Something was definitely amiss.

"Good morning, 'lonzo." Harry began. "How's things going? How's the knee? Holding up well?"

He nodded frantically.

"Good to hear."

"Very." Malcolm added.

"Can… can I ask why you're here? I already paid and-"

"Lonzo, me mate, we're here to ask you a favour for once." Harry began.

"A favour?"

Harry nodded. "Y'see, there's a few unsavory types who have decided to go poking around and causing trouble in this fair city of ours. Trouble that could cause problems for honest, good people like my brother and I."

"Yeah, trouble." Malcolm added.

"So we was thinking that these people might come to you, what with you being such an important dealer in certain fields." Harry continued.

"Yes…" Alonzo tried to follow him.

"So what we was thinking was that if these disruptive individuals should drop by, you should let us know about it, okay?"

"Of course." Alonzo replied. "How will I know them?"

"Well, thing is that these troublesome individuals might go around asking all sorts of bothersome questions about, well, all sorts of wild, crazy things. Private armies, Ligers, even my brother and myself." Harry explained as he leaned on the counter. "All of which are things that you, of course, no nothing about, right."

"Of course, yes." He nervously replied as he figured out what Harry was saying.

Harry smiled. "Smart man. Now you keep quiet, and we'll make sure that no untoward accidents occur, right?"

"Yes, of course. No accidents."

"Very good." Harry turned and left, Malcolm behind him.

Alonzo waited until they were well out of the store before he started breathing again.

**oOoOo**

Althiea had not slept very well that night. The room had been drafty and the bed squeaked every time she moved. Several times during the night she'd heard strange noises coming from the pipes in the walls, and the sink had begun backing up sometime around two. So by the morning, she was not very rested.

Conversely, Rayvenne and Leanne seemed to have slept fine. Maybe they were just more used to big city life, Altheia wondered. Or maybe I'm just too distracted. She hadn't been able to get her mind off the encounter with the Blackstar woman last night. Despite what Rayvenne and Leanne had said, she still had a lot of questions. There had seemed something odd about that woman, something almost… alien. That and the Darkhorn had given her a lot to think about.

They'd split up to cover as many things at once as possible. Althiea and Floyd were going to get parts, while Jason, Rayvenne and Leanne would search for information regarding the Red Claw. Rayvenne had added some snidey remarks about Jason wanting to get away from Floyd while getting her and Leanne alone, which had not gone down well.

So she'd set out with Floyd on a shopping trip of sorts, looking for the parts they needed to repair their poor, long-suffering Zoids. To tell the truth, she'd been looking forward to this for some time. To her mind it would be a fascinating examination of just what went into making their Zoids work.

"I see you've chosen a more suitable mode of attire for this expedition." Floyd commented as the two of them stepped out of the hotel.

She blushed slightly. She'd chosen to go with the grey shirt and slacks she'd worn last night while working on their Zoids. "It just seemed a lot more practical." She replied.

"Very good. We'll make a proper wandering desert loonie out of you yet." He added, and grinned. For his part, Floyd was wearing his labcoat, its pockets apparently stuffed full of junk.

They boarded a bus headed towards the center of the city. "Can I ask a question?" Althiea asked after they took a seat. The bus creaked and rattled as it went, but was lacking in motor noises. Althiea suspected that it was actually running on an electrical pickup form beneath the road.

"Shoot." Floyd replied.

"Why is everyone, yourself included, so reluctant to talk about the Blackstars?"

"You're an intelligent girl." Floyd began. "Try to think it through."

"Hmmm…" Altheia considered the facts. "The Blackstars do what they want, regardless. They're dangerous, powerful too. And there's something… something different about them."

"Correct."

"They're afraid, aren't they?" She asked. "They're afraid of them. And it's not just their power, is it? It's a fear of the unknown, of what's different."

Floyd grinned. "You are a smart one, aren't you?"

"It's… it's this feeling I got when I saw the Darkhorn." She explained. "I felt afraid of it… but I don't know why. It was almost as if the Zoid itself was making me afraid." She looked at him. "I suppose it's a rather normal reaction."

"More or less."

"One other thing…" She began. "Jason said something about her eyes. He seemed to indicate that he could tell what she was by them."

"And how would you describe her eyes?"

"They were bright green." She considered this. There was something more then that. Dark clothes, bright green eyes... "Bright green like the Darkhorn's were. That's the sign of a Blackstar, isn't it? Their eyes are all like that, aren't they?"

The bus shuddered to a halt. "Attention passengers." The driver spoke up over the PA system. "Due to a failure in the electricity grid we will be terminating this journey here. Please depart the bus. Repeat, we are terminating this journey here. Please depart the bus."

Floyd shook his head as he stood. "This place never changes. Let's go."

"Sure." Althea stood and left the bus, Floyd joining her. "I'm right, aren't I?" She asked as she stepped off. "Their eyes are like those of a Dark Zoid. There's some sort of a connection."

Floyd nodded. "Something like that." He looked around. They were in a shabby neighborhood of run-down shop fronts, surprisingly like the area that they had left. "At least our friends at Freedom Transit had the decency to drop us near our destination. Let's go."

The pair of them walked past several blocks of run down stores. Althiea was reminded of the mess that was Mount Thomas, but on a much larger scale. Maybe the whole city was like this, she thought. All of a sudden, city living seemed a lot less appealing. At the same time, she felt strangely homesick.

"We're here!" Floyd announced. Looking up, she could se that they were standing outside a large garage. It looked a little less run down then many of the other buildings around it, she noticed. For starters, it had been painted recently.

"A garage?" She asked.

"Yeah, but what a garage." Floyd replied as he stepped inside, Althiea following him.

Looking around, she could see several cars in various states of disassembly being worked on by a handful of mechanics. One of them stood up form his work and came over to the pair of them. "Dr Dolling!" He called out. "Great to see you!"

"You too, Hank." He replied. "This is my assistant, Kim Suskind." He indicated to her.

"Good to meet you, sue." Hank spluttered out. "Forgive my appearance. There's a lot of work for a car mechanic in this city."

"I understand." She replied, still unsure as to exactly what was going on.

"I'm after a few specialty parts." Floyd continued. "I think it would be best if we talked out the back."

"Ahhh…" Hank replied. "Well then, this way, please."

The pair of them followed him out the back. "Dr Dolling?" Althiea quietly asked Floyd as they walked.

"A temporary alias. What we are doing is of rather dubious legality at the best of times."

The three of them stepped into a storeroom. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she could make out the details of the room. Its walls were piled high with packing crates, while assorted components were stacked on top of each other or just left randomly lying around on the floor. Looking around, she could recognize a lot of Zoid parts. All of a sudden, the secrecy made sense.

"So what are y'all after, Doc?" Hank asked. "I got a huge pile of parts in form the Aurora Republic the other day. Had some good Hellrunner bits, but they all went out this morning."

"Hmmm…" Floyd began. "You got any Sinker parts? Specifically I need a new starboard vent and some engine parts."

"Well, I got some Z-Ray bits in the lot. They should work." Hank replied.

"Good. I've got something of a shopping list. Iguan actuators, Gunsniper actuators… plenty of ammo too." He pulled a large list out of one of his many pockets.

Hank whistled. "What are you up to, doc?" He asked. "You building a small army or something?"

Althiea heard a noise outside. Glancing out the door, she could see a pair of men talking to one of the mechanics. She gasped as she recongised them as the two from the pub last night, albeit looking a little worse for wear.

"Dr Richards…" She hissed as she elbowed Floyd.

"Just a moment, hank." Floyd replied as he turned to her. "What is it?"

"The two men from the pub last night are in there." She gestured towards the garage.

"Well, well…" He began.

"I was thinking that I might be able to follow them." She replied. "I think they're with the Red Claw."

"Hmmm…" Floyd considered this. "Well, run along there and don't get yourself into trouble. If you need me, you know where I'll be, Sue." He loudly declared as he slapped her on the back.

"Right." She muttered. She quietly slipped out into the garage, waiting for the two of them to leave. Once they were out the door, she followed them.

**oOoOo**

Director Trinh of the Freedom Defense Forces wished he could be somewhere, anywhere else but his office right now. "No, captain." He began. "I cannot allow you or your men to act independently of our forces within the city's boundaries. If you wish to conduct your search, you will have to do it through our forces."

"And your forces are notoriously ill-equipped, poorly trained and poorly motivated." The woman replied, glaring back at him with her bright green eyes. He felt like she was staring at the back of his head through his skull. "Not to mention most likely corrupt. I wouldn't rely on them to conduct the investigation on their own. That is why you must allow my men to do it."

He didn't know what it was about her statement that annoyed him the most, the way she had so effortlessly put down his men, or the fact that she was right in every regard. He hated dealing with Blackstars. They were so superior, so arrogant and so self-righteous. They felt that they could do whatever they liked. And the truth was, they could. He knew that the Freedom Defense forces couldn't hope to stop them.

That and they were so damned beautiful, he thought. He couldn't help but think about it. It's not like she was doing anything to conceal it, he thought. Bare midriff, low cut pants, huge gaps on the shoulders and hips...

"Captain, I will ask you and your men to stay within the transient district for the duration of your stay." He calmly replied, trying to keep his mind on topic. "And to stay within the laws of the city."

"Of course." She replied. "If there's anything else?"

"No, thank you." He finished.

Without saying anything she turned and left, Trinh watching her long braided hair move as she turned, before it settled down to just above the low line of her pants and… He shook his head. He wasn't looking forwards to seeing his wife tonight.

**oOoOo**

Thorne stepped out of the headquarters building, rejoining the two soldiers who were waiting by the entrance. Both clad in heavy body armour and facemasks, their features were completely obscured, leaving them identical save for their ID numbers. "Well, captain?" One of them asked.

"We've been forbidden from conducting our search." She replied coolly.

"Your orders?" He asked.

"We will return to our base of operations and begin our search." She replied.

"And the defense forces?"

"What about them?" She asked. "If they get in our way, that's their problem."

**oOoOo**

Jason glared at the bartender. "Nothing." He replied slowly. "You haven't heard a thing."

"No sir." The man replied, calmly. "I don't know anything about any armies in this city aside from the defence forces. And if you want to know about them, you'd be best asking them." He casually cleaned a glass. "There's a recruitment office around here somewhere."

"But nothing else?" He snarled. "A private army can't be that hard to miss."

"No idea, son." He replied. "So are you going to get a drink or just take up space?"

Jason turned away from the bar, rejoining Leanne and Rayvenne at their table. "Hopeless." He muttered. "Nobody wants to say a thing. We might as well be bashing our heads against the wall." He knew more then that, but he wasn't prepared to say how. Maybe if someone had said something…

"Well what did y'all expect?" Leanne asked. "They've probably been beaten into not talking. I know I'd shut up if the local toughs had Zoids."

"Yeah…" Jason muttered. "I was hoping that someone in this city would have some backbone. Clearly not."

"Maybe you're just not asking them right." Rayvenne began. "Maybe it's your technique."

"What?" Jason asked. "And you'd do better?"

"Can't help to try." She stood up and walked over to the bar. Leaning over it as much as possible, she started talking with the bartender. Jason couldn't make out what they were saying, but she seemed to be getting more out of him then he had.

"Hopeless." Leanne muttered and rolled her eyes.

"Well, its working." Jason muttered. Leanne glared at him. "What did I say?" Mentally, he realised that he'd been outwitted by Rayvenne's cleavage. That was probably about as low as he could go.

"Never mind." Leanne muttered, glaring off away from the spectacle at the bar.

Well, at least he had an opportunity now. Maybe he could resolve this without getting them too involved. "There's someone I know across town. Problem is that he's rather secretive, and doesn't take too well to strangers."

"And your point is?" Leanne angrily asked.

Now for the pitch. "You two seem to have things well under control here." He explained. "What I was thinking was that I could go see him while you two work things out here."

Leanne glared at him. "What is this thing you have about running off and leaving the rest of us in the dark?" She asked, accusingly.

"Hey, we talked about that. I was securing our perimeter. I was the one who got us out of that ambush. If I'd been in the camp, I would have been caught with the rest of you." He replied.

"And a fat lot of good you did on the perimeter patrol." She stated. "After all, you let, what, seven of 'em get past us?"

"It was eight." He stated. "I got rid of that Tarantulon before it could rejoin the rest of its force. Good thing I did, otherwise, he could have easily caught us."

Leanne glared angrily at him, clearly frustrated at his being correct. "All right." She muttered. "We'll meet back at the hotel."

"Sure." He finished as he stood. "Tell Floyd and Ali if you find anything.

"Whatever."

He left the bar, stepping out onto the street. It was relatively quiet, only a few elderly electric cars and a single battered bus going past. It was just like he remembered it, he thought. Of course, that was the problem. _Nothing in Freedom ever changed, it just got older and more worn_. And in a place like this, someone like Jenice could go a long way by feeding off the discontent of the populace.

He'd have to do something about that.

Catching a bus, he headed into an industrial district. Like everything else, it was run down and decaying, but things seemed noticeably worse here. Empty factories loomed overhead, holes in their walls and windows creating gaps in the long shadows that fell across the road. The bus stopped at an arbitrary point in the middle of a clump of ugly buildings that looked no different to any other. Jason, the last passenger on board, got out and continued on foot.

He knew where he was going. He just had no idea what he would do once he got there. In truth, he'd only wanted to get here before the others found out where it was. Maybe, just maybe, he could pull something off on his own.

None of the others were suited to doing this sort of thing, he thought. Leanne and Rayvenne were too loud and immature for it. Floyd was a scientist and Altheia, well, she may be good in a Zoid, but that was about the limit of what she could do in a fight.

A large abandoned factory loomed up ahead of him. _This was it,_ he thought. _The place hasn't changed at all_. _So the odds are that they're still inside._ He looked around for a moment, trying to remember as much of the layout as possible. Running his eyes over the structure, he spotted something. Most of the windows were boarded up or too grimy to see through, but there was one broken window nearby.

Ducking around the side of the factory, he clambered up a drainpipe to a ledge about halfway u the wall. Trusting it to hold his weight without crumbing, he inched along the ledge until he reached the window.

Peering inside, he could see that the factory was just like he remembered it. Inside, a Marder and Geruder were undergoing repairs, probably the same two that were in the group that attacked them earlier. An overweight man was supervising the work on the Marder's leg, and occasionally shouting orders at the other technicians. In the distance, he could see a pair of Cannon Tortoises and a Pteras with a large radar dish on its back.

_No mistaking them_, he thought. _This is the place._

A woman with long black and red hair strode into the hanger, walking over to the overweight chief technician. Jason nervously ducked, making sure that he couldn't be seen. If she were to see him, then it would be all over…

**oOoOo**

"This is it, Jase." Jake hissed at him. "The real thing. We're actually gonna be Zoid pilots!"

"Yeah, I noticed." Jason replied, trying to keep Jake calm. In truth, it wasn't hard to be excited about it. He was going to become a Zoid pilot. It was a position of such power and prestige that he couldn't even imagine it. He, a lowly desert rat, would be able to pilot a powerful war machine into battle. It was a privilege that normally was only reserved for the Imperial Knights, the Elite of the Zygra Empire's army.

And soon it would be all his. And unlike the Knights, he could do what he liked. There would be no rules, no regulations, no code of conduct to hold him back. He'd be the one in charge.

Around him and Jake were a group of other potential Zoid pilots. Each one of them had been attracted to this group by the same dreams and desires. They all wanted the power with none of the responsibility that came with it. Looking at them, Jason could see that most of them would never have made it as Imperial Knights. Hell, a lot of them would be deemed unfit for service.

A pair of Zoids, an Iguan and a Rev Rapter stood behind a podium. Compared to the primitive, almost skeletal look of the Empire's Zoids, these two looked far more advanced and capable, containing power enough to destroy anything in their way. And that included the Zygra Knights.

"Hey, check it out, Jase." Jake elbowed him. "It's your girlfriend."

He looked around, and then saw what Jake was talking about. A woman had entered the room, followed by a pair of soldiers. She was tall and attractive, with long black hair that sported several red highlights. He instantly recognized her as the woman who he'd met last night. The same woman he'd-

_Crap._

She stood on the podium, overlooking the group of recruits. "From this day, you are no longer the men you were." She spoke. "You are no longer weak, pitiful scavengers scratching in the dust at the fringes of society. For today, you will become Zoid pilots. Today you will become wielders of power, the elite of a new society. From today, you are all a part of the Red Claw."

There was a cheer from the assembled group, Jason wasn't thinking about that, however. He was looking straight at the woman. He could swear that her red eyes were looking straight back at him. _I'm dead_, he thought. _I'm so dead._

**oOoOo**

Jason turned away from the window as he heard someone approaching. Pressing himself against the wall, he saw a pair of figures walking towards the factory, talking as they went. It was the same two thugs that had been in the bar last night, he realized. _Crap, they might recognize me. And if they put too many of the dots together…_

He waited nervously as the pair of them walked towards the factory. As he watched them, they knocked on a small door, and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, they were admitted. Jason sighed, and then allowed himself to relax.

And then he spotted another figure.

It was a woman, dressed in black, trying to sneak towards the factory. She looked like she had been following the pair of them, and was now trying to figure out what to do next. With a groan, he recongised her. Althiea. _Damn it,_ he thought. _Of all of them to have followed someone here, why did it have to be her? She was going to get caught that way. And then she'd probably tell them everything and…_

He scrambled down to his perch, scampering over to where she was badly trying to hide behind a corner. If things went well, then he may still have a chance at getting in. "Althiea!" He hissed.

"What?" She looked around. "Jason?" She quietly asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Never mind that," He hissed back. "What are you doing here?"

"I was following those two thugs from the bar." She replied. "I'm pretty sure they're with the Red Claw, so I figured that I could follow them back to their base of operations."

"Right. Well, you've done a great job. Now go back and tell the others."

"What?" She asked. "Why should I?"

"Because I'm better at sneaking around. I can get into this place." He explained. Actually, he didn't want to tell her every reason why he didn't want her here. It could get very, very messy.

"Excuse me." She replied, angrily. "I was the one who got us into that storage bunker, not you."

"That was different." He explained, trying to stay quiet. "There's guards here. People with guns."

"I know that." She replied. "I've taken them on before. I knocked out one of them when they attacked my home. I need to find out more about them."

"That doesn't matter." He replied.

"Yes it does, Jason." She stated. "They attacked my home. I want to find out why." The look on her face told Jason that there was more to it then just that. "So let me past."

"Ali, you're out of your depth here." He replied. "These guys are dangerous. If they find you-"

"I know that!" She snapped. "I was on the ground when they attacked, remember? I nearly got run over by a Liger. Don't think I can't take care of myself."

He glared at her, inwardly realizing that she had a point. But how was he meant to get rid of her now? She was hardly going to turn back. _Maybe…_

"Don't move!" A voice shouted form behind him. Jason slowly turned to see a squad of men pointing guns at him. They wore rather plain desert fatigues and helmets, with bandannas covering their mouths. Like Rayvenne does, Jason thought. Then she recongised them. Red Claw soldiers. "Hands on your heads, now!"

Seeing no other option, Jason raised his hands. Althiea did the same. _Well, there was no option now_, he thought. _Great._

**oOoOo**

Trinh was about to leave his office for then night when a communications technician barged in. "Director Trinh, sir!" The man began.

"At ease, Defender Miles." He replied, inwardly hating the Defence Force's 'non-aggressive' rank titles. He always felt like an idiot using them. "What's up?"

"The Community Safety Unit received a tip-off form an anonymous source and passed it on to us." He continued. "Apparently, a group of renegades wanted by the Empire are in our city. They've been stocking up on Zoid Parts, with the plan of using the city as a base of operations."

Damn it, he knew that the city's 'open door' policy on outsiders would get them one of these days. Allowing foreigners to enter the city, even with their thorough checking, was still bound to cause trouble. "So where are they?"

"Their Zoids are stored in a warehouse in the Transient District." He explained. "The CSU got the details from their informant."

"Good." He glanced at the technician. "Did they say what Zoids they had?"

"A Gustav, an Iguan, a Hammer Rock and a Gunsniper. Possibly others."

"Right." No point in waiting around. Get this situation under control before anything happens. And hopefully he might be able to win some favors off the Imperial Army. "Have my team made ready. I want to deal with this situation as quickly as possible."


	10. Reunion

Jason quietly crept through the hanger, trying his best to remain silent. Fortunately, so far, everything had gone well. He'd managed to get in here without making any noise and, as far as he could tell, without being discovered.

He was surprised that the bay was so lightly guarded. A force of Zoids this large was far too valuable to be so poorly protected. On the other hand, it was possible that nobody would want to take one. After all, they were being given the ultimate power and the greatest honour; to pilot a Zoid. Why risk it all by betraying the very people who gave you that power, especially with the consequences…

Which was why he was doing it now.

When he'd seen Levisha again, that was when he released that this deal might not be all that he'd thought it would be. It wasn't just the fact that he'd had a one-night stand with one of his commanding officers. No, it was the fact that she was one of the people in charge that worried him. There was something… something not right about her, something strangely disquieting. It wasn't the coloured hair, the red eyes or the tattoo, no. It had been something else that he hadn't been able to put his finger on.

Whatever it was, however, it worried him and he didn't like it. And he had decided that he didn't want to be a part of any group who would put someone like her in charge. So he was leaving.

At the same time, however, he'd had a taste of the power that came with piloting a Zoid. It was a power that he wasn't willing to give up easily. Thus he was taking a lot more of a risk, and was stealing one of their machines. He felt that it was worth it for two reasons. The first was to take one of these powerful machines out of the hands of these people. It would be only a minor loss for them, but it was something. The second was purely selfish. He'd tasted the power, and was going to be dammed if he was giving it up.

"Jase? Is that you?"

He froze in his tracks. There was someone else here, he thought. How did they find me? I was being as quiet and silent as possible. He glanced around, trying to find the speaker.

"What are you doing here so late?" Jake asked as he stepped around from behind a Zoid's leg.

"Nothing. Walking. Thinking. Clearing my head. That kinda stuff." He hastily replied, trying to remain quiet. "What are you doing?"

"The same." He began. "And thinking about how lucky you are, man."

"Me? Lucky? How?"

"Think about it." Jake continued. "Aw come on, man. Your girlfriend is our instructor and the second in command of this little joint. That's gotta be good for your career prospects."

"She's not my girlfriend." Jason hissed.

"Oh, right. I get you." Jake replied, nodding. "She's not your girlfriend. I understand perfectly."

"What?" Jason was trying to figure him out. "No, I mean it. There's nothing going on between us. She's not my girlfriend. It was a one-off thing. It's nothing. There never was anything."

"Uh-huh." Jake nodded. "Sure it is."

"Damnit." Jason snarled.

"Look buddy, I get what you're trying to say." Jake continued. "And I understand completely." He elbowed Jason in the guns. "So how's she shag?"

Jason looked around. "She's coming!" He hissed.

"What? Where?" He began.

_I'm sorry, man_. Jason grabbed Jake, and bashed his head against a Zoid's leg. There was a thump, then Jake slumped to the ground. Looking around, Jason wondered if anyone had heard him. _I can't risk hanging around any longer, _he thought. _I've got to go now._

He glanced up at the Zoid behind him. It was an Iguan, a relatively common Zoid, used as a basic infantry unit by the Drakken Empire's troops. While it wasn't the most powerful Zoid around, it would have to do. As he clambered up the access ladder, he remembered some of the shapes he'd half glimpsed through a part-open hanger door. He didn't want to think about what else they had here.

He leaped into the Iguan's cockpit, activating its systems. As soon as the Zoid had powered up, he looked around, trying to find a way out. From his initial examination, the doors into the warehouse appeared to be firmly secured shut. And short of blasting a hole in the wall, he couldn't think of any other way out.

"Well, they're going to find out sooner or later." He muttered to himself. The Iguan marched towards the doors, then swung around, smashing one of its armoured feet into the secured doors. They shattered, crashing outwards under the force of the blow.

Not looking back, he opened up the Zoid's throttle. The Iguan sprinted out of the warehouse, running off into the night.

**oOoOo**

**Reunion**

**oOoOo**

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Jason snapped.

"Me?" Altheia shouted back. "What were you doing?"

"I had the situation perfectly under control!" He continued. I was all set to get into their base before you showed up and ruined everything!"

"I ruined everything?" She yelled back. "I was about to get in there too, before you showed up and made a mess of it."

"I was trying to stop you from making a bit mistake!" He yelled out. "You couldn't have handled it!"

"What?" She glared at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just what it sounded like. You're not cut out for this sort of thing."

"Will you stop treating me like I'm a child!" She shouted. "You know I can look after myself!"

"Quiet, you two!" The guard commander shouted. "And keep moving!"

The pair of them were being marched, hands tied behind their backs, through what Althiea figured had been an administrative or office area, but was now just a run-down mess of cracked tiles and peeling paint. She found it hard to believe that a group like the Red Claw would be working out of such a shabby, decrepit building. At the same time, she realized that it would make for an excellent place to hide. Who'd think to look in here? It was just like every other abandoned factory in this part of the city, and there were a lot of those.

They were lead into an office, where a woman was waiting. She was tall, with long black and red hair and, to Althiea's surprise, red eyes. Glancing at Jason, she saw him look away from the woman for a moment, as if he didn't want her to see his face. _I wonder why_, she thought, _it's not like we're going to get much of a choice here._

"Who are these two?" The woman asked in a stern voice.

"We found them poking around outside the factory." One of the guards replied. "We thought they was up to something so we hauled them in."

"Hmmm…" The woman eyed them. Altheia swallowed nervously, worrying about what she might be planning for them, while also trying to avoid her gaze. There was something about those eyes that she didn't like. She was quietly hoping that it wasn't their real colour. "They look like locals. But appearances can be deceiving."

Jason seemed almost relived or a moment, or at least he was until she walked over to him. "What were you two doing here?" She asked. "Why did you come to this place in particular?"

"I was just looking…" Althea stammered out. "I got lost. I didn't know there was anything here."

"A likely story." She began, then turned to Jason. "And you?"

"The same, really." He began. "I was wandering around and I got lost. You know, big city, all these ruined factories look the same…"

Her eyes narrowed. "What exactly were these two doing, sergeant?" She asked one of the guards.

"Arguing, sir, while trying to remain hidden. And doing a very bad job of it too." He replied.

"I see." She began, then turned back to Jason and Althiea. "Care to explain what this was about?"

"Nothing." Jason replied. "A simple misunderstanding."

"I see." She began. "You are two of the worst liars I've come across in a long time, and that is saying a lot around here." She turned to the guard commander. "Take them to a holding cell. We'll figure out what to do with them later."

"Yes, commander." He replied. "Come on, you two!" The guards prodded them in the back with their rifles, forcing them out the door. They were lead into a hanger, where a number of Zoids were waiting. A Geruder and Merder were currently undergoing repairs, presumably the same ones that they'd fought a few days ago.

The guards marched them down a flight of stairs and into another hallway. After a short walk, the guards stopped by a door, and opened it. Inside was a disused storeroom, now stripped bare of anything useful. "In you go." The guard snarled, then pushed Althiea through the door. She stumbled, but managed to stay upright. Jason entered after her, then the commander slammed the door shut.

"Now you two stay here until we fetch you. 'course, its not like you can go anywhere else." They heard him and the others leave, then there was nothing.

"Well that went better then I'd expected." Jason muttered.

"That's better then you expected?" Althiea asked. "What were you expecting?"

"That they shoot us now and get it over with."

"Oh…" She swallowed, looking paler then normal. "Would they really do that?"

"These are the same guys who blew up your home town." Jason replied. "Figure it out."

"Right." Altheia nodded, then looked around. She could see no way out of here, save for the door they came in through and a singe small window that was barred and way too small for either of them anyway. "So, what should we do from here?" She asked.

"Well, I figure that when they get back, they'll ask us some more questions about what we're doing here." Jason began as he started fidgeting with his ropes. Whoever had tied them had done a good job, he grudgingly admitted. "Then they'll likely shoot us."

"You're optimistic."

"I'm realistic." He replied. "Although, we likely could plea-bargain if we admitted that we know Floyd. Form what he said, the Red Claw are after him."

"You're not going to sell him out!" She shouted.

"No, but I can bluff and buy us some time." Jason replied, grunting as he fought with the rope. "And that's better then nothing… unless you can think of a way out of here."

"Well, I've got a start…" Althiea replied as she put her hands on his.

"Wha?" He turned around to see her standing behind him, her hands freed. "How did you…"

"I'm good with knots." She admitted. "Now hold still while I untie these."

"Um, thanks." He muttered.

"It's okay." She shrugged. "Now let's figure out how to get out of here."

**oOoOo**

"Where in the heck has Floyd gotten too?" Leanne asked as she paced around the hanger. "He was supposed to be here hours ago…"

"I dunno." Rayvenne replied with a shrug. "Floyd's weird. Who knows what that guy's up to."

"And that's coming from the girl who pretends she's a guy." Leanne added.

"Aw, come on it's fun." Rayvenne replied. "Besides, when everybody's looking for the lone masked Sinker pilot, they'll pay no attention to little old me.

Leanne considered the way that Rayvene dressed, and tried to wonder how that worked. "Hey, it looks like he got part way through some repairs and then took off." She began, indicating to the Gunsniper and Iguan, both of which had several panels removed. "Why in the heck would he do that?"

"Maybe he got distracted by something shiny." She replied. "Maybe he went off to take a crap. Who knows."

"And where the heck are Ali and Jason?" Leanne continued. "They just wandered off."

"Well, Jason… he's probably just gone off to do whatever it is that he does when he wanders off." Rayvenne began.

"Well that makes sense… I think." Leanne shook her head. "Wait a second…"

"Hello, ladies!" A voice called out from above. The pair of them looked up to see a figure lurking on a railing overlooking their Zoids.

"What the?" Leanne called out.

"Who's that?" Rayvenne added.

"Yeah!" Leanne shouted as she pulled a large pistol out form her holster. "Okay, you come down from there with yer hands up or else I'll…"

"Whoah, okay!" The figure replied, hands in the air. "I'm coming down" He gingerly walked across the beam, then climbed down a ladder and approached them. They could see that he was wearing a black bodysuit with a mask that covered his face.

"So who are ya?" Leanne asked, pointing the gun at his head.

He grabbed the mask and pulled it off, revealing Floyd's face underneath. He was grinning broadly. "What, no welcome home kiss?"

"Floyd!" Leanne shouted. "What in the heck did you think you were doing? I coulda shot you!"

"Yeah, I know." Floyd replied. "But I figured that walking in the front door and saying hi wouldn't have been anywhere near as fun. Besides which, things are a bit busy outside."

"Where have you been?" Rayvenne asked. "We got back here to find that you'd sodded off and left everything in a bit of a mess."

"Sorry about that." Floyd replied. "I got back here with my parts order and began working on our Zoids. It was thereabouts that I noted that Althiea hadn't arrived back yet. I said to myself. 'I wonder where she could have gotten to. She's a smart girl, she wouldn't have just wandered off or anything like that.' So, putting my work aside, I made a quick change into something more comfortable and set out for a little rooftop action. I found myself at the Defense Forces' headquarters, which I figured would be a good place to start. Unfortunately, before I was able to begin my line of inquiry to our colleague's whereabouts, I found that they had just dispatched a flying squad to deal with a group of miscreants. So I hotfooted my way back here."

There was a long pause.

"What?" Leanne asked.

"A squad?" Rayvenne asked, having apparently caught more of that. "Like, a squad of Zoids?"

"Correct, my dear." Floyd replied. "A Gator and a troupe of Molgas."

"I wonder who they're after?" Leanne asked.

"Well…" Floyd began, but was cut off by a noise from outside.

"This is the Freedom Defense Forces." A voice called out. "Step out of the building with your hands in the air!"

"…actually, I think it may be us." Floyd finished.

"What? What have we done?" Leanne asked.

"I don't think it's what we've done in so far as it's who we are." Floyd explained. "I suspect somebody who has it in for us, or more likely, me specifically, has decided that the easiest way to get their hands on me is to simply use the defense forces to do their dirty work for them and bring me in to the big house. Once there, they can simply have me released into the protective custody of such unsavory individuals."

"What?" Leanne asked again.

"We've been set up." Rayvenne explained.

"Oh…" Leanne continued. "So what are we gonna do about it?" It sounds like they have us surrounded." A searchlight shone through a window, as if to prove her point.

"Well, I'm part way through repairs on your Zoids." He explained. "With a little bit of time, and some help, I'm sure I could get them fixed."

"Sure thing." Rayvenne replied. "You point us in the right direction and we can do the rest."

"And then…" Floyd began.

"Then we bust our way out and try to find Jase and Ali." Leanne finished. "And if those guys don't like it, well, that's their own faults."

Floyd grinned. "A true woman after my own heart. So, ladies, if you want to get to work…"

**oOoOo**

Levisha sat down behind her desk inside the Red Claw's base. As second in command of the group, and their chief tactical officer, she had demanded, and received, an office and equipment from which she could coordinate and plan the Claw's activities. It also gave her the privacy to engage in other work as the situation demanded.

She switched her computer on and began to go over the latest round of reports of the units status. Something about one of the two captives was bothering her, but she wasn't sure what it was. She could have sworn that she'd seen one of them before, but she had no idea where. And in her line of work, there was no such thing as an unimportant matter, so she couldn't dismiss it.

A disc on the desktop caught her attention. It was a second copy of the battleROM data she'd made for Jager, with the footage from their last few battles. She remembered it because of that bizarre incident with Jenice's Liger and that girl at Sun Hill…

Wait a moment, she thought. She put the disk in the computer and loaded up the battle data from the Liger. Skipping ahead to index 7070, she stopped it at the point where the Liger had apparently frozen. On the screen, she could see the village, and the scared young woman that the Liger had refused to plow under.

She zoomed in on the woman. Black hair that she had tied back, pale skin… it couldn't be. She Zoomed in again. The image was blurry, but the face appeared to be the same as the woman the guards had captured earlier.

"Who are you?" She asked herself. She had been trying to figure out the cause of the Liger's malfunction since the battle. _Now_, she thought, _I may be one step closer. And I may be able to gain an advantage out of this._

She closed down the files and stormed out of the office. Grabbing a pair of guards, she proceeded down to the prisoner block, intent on collecting the woman. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. If she was the cause of the Liger's malfunction, then the possibilities were incredible. Certainly it would be to her advantage to find out just what she had done.

One of the guards opened the cell, revealing the two prisoners inside. Neither of them had their hands tied any more, but she wasn't surprised. If this woman was capable of stopping Jenice's Liger, then she could be capable of anything. "You." She indicated to the woman. "Out, now."

"Me?" She asked.

"Just wait a minute!" The man shouted. "What do you want with her? You're not taking her anywhere!"

"Quiet." She said, as one of the guards leveled their gun at him.

"What's this about?" She asked.

"You'll find out." Levisha snarled. "Now move, if you know what's good for him."

The woman reluctantly left the room, the guards slamming the door shut behind her. Without adding anything, Levisha marched her up the stairs and into the main hanger. They continued, passing through a pair of huge double doors into a second hanger, one reserved for the Red Claw's elite.

"Who is this and what is she doing here?" Levisha heard Jenice behind her.

"Watch her." Levisha replied, then turned. She'd been hoping to pull this off with as little fuss as possible, and, preferably, without involving Jenice. Not only would it simplify matters, but it would also prove to be quite useful if Jenice didn't know about her yet.

Obviously now she wasn't going to get that chance now. Instead, she was going to have to make do. "I apologise, commander. I didn't know where you were and, as such, didn't have the chance to run this by you before-"

"That's nice." Jencie replied, cutting her off. "But you're not answering my question."

"We found this woman snooping around our base." She continued. "I was going to just dismiss her and have her dealt with, but then I recognized her."

"Do tell."

"You remember what happened in Sun Hill, where your liger froze up?"

"Yes." Jenice's eyes narrowed. "It refused to plow under one girl who wandered into its way."

"I believe she this is that woman." Levisha explained. "I have bought her in here to see if I can confirm that fact."

"If that's the case…" Jenice began. "If she was able to somehow command my Zoid… then the implications…"

"I know." Levisha quietly added. "That's why I took the liberty of bringing her here."

Jenice stole a glance at the scared looking woman. "The possibilities… if what I suspect is true, then she's… she could be our most powerful weapon yet. More so then any Zoid."

"Indeed. But we'll have to prove it."

Jenice turned around. "McNeil! Get over here!" She shouted out.

Levisha stood aside as Harry and Malcolm approached. She didn't like these two, but at least did her best to hide it under a mask of indifference. They were smart enough to keep away from her, and were certainly useful enough for her not to bother doing anything about them.

"Yes, commander?" Harry began.

"I am to assume by your presence here that you two have not had any luck in apprehending that Blackstar?"

"No, commander." Harry admitted. "She's, uh, she's being rather elusive at the moment. And save for trying to break into their base here, I doubt we're gonna get a shot at it."

"She." Jenice began. "So you do know something about her."

"Yeah-" Malcolm began, but Harry cut him off.

"Well, we have heard of a woman walking around town half dressed and actin' like she owns the joint, so we assumed that she was the Blackstar. It all added up to me."

"Never mind." Jencie continued. "I may be onto something that I don't want to loose here, and I feel that we may need some extra insurance." She continued. "I want you two to take one of the Tanks and leave the city."

"Commander?"

"You are to wait at grid E-266 until further notice. I may require you two to enact Contingency Plan Scorch."

"But commander-" Malcolm began.

"Do it!" She shouted. "Your bungling matters with the Blackstar has left us in a precarious situation. I'm not willing to take any further risks."

"Yes, commander." Harry began. "Come, Mal. Let us depart."

The pair of them walked off, leaving Jenice with Levisha. "Right." Jenice began. "Lets see what our girl can do."

A guard dragged the woman in front of her Liger. Levisha and Jenice stood behind her, looking over her shoulders at the fearsome red and white Zoid. "What... what do you want?" She stammered out.

"Simple." Jenice replied. "You know what you did back in Sun Hill." She glanced up at the Liger. "Do it again."

**oOoOo**

When the door had opened with Levisha Standing on the other side, Jason realized that the game was up. She must have recongised him and decided to do something about him, he thought. Jason had figured that whatever the penalty was for stealing a Zoid and deserting the organisation was, it would be painful and eventually fatal, and he didn't want to be a part of it.

Then she'd taken Altheia and left. At first, he had decided that she had recongised him, and had taken Althiea away before she dealt with him. He'd desperately tried to formulate an escape plan, only to come up short. His best-case scenario involved rushing her and hoping he didn't catch too many bullets. Not good.

After a few minutes of expecting the worst, he wondered when she was coming back. Then, after a few more, he realised that she wasn't coming back. She had taken Althiea, but not him. Which meant that, for some reason, Ali was more valuable as a prisoner then he was. Which meant that she didn't recognize him.

At first, he was relieved, as it meant that they saw him as jut being an intruder and not a traitor, thus the punishment was likely to be less severe or, at least, less painful. And then he realised that not only had Levisha failed to recognize him as a former member of the Red Claw, she didn't remember him from that night they'd spent together beforehand. Which meant that, all of a sudden, he was feeling insulted. He'd suddenly become less concerned for his own well-being, and more upset about his hurt pride.

So now he wanted to get out of this cell and give her a piece of his mind.

They hadn't bothered with binding his hands again after they'd taken Ali. Maybe they'd figured that he was harmless, he thought. Or maybe they just didn't notice him, he bitterly added. Looking around the cell, he couldn't see anything that he could immediately use beyond bare concrete walls and a small window that he just couldn't reach and was too small to get out of anyway. From his guess, the place had originally been used as a store room. The Red Claw didn't so much plan to use it as a cell as they found a themselves suddenly in need of a place to put prisoners, and found that this place would do.

The good news for him was that it wasn't as secure as it could have been. He couldn't see any cameras or other security equipment, and it didn't look like they'd built any into the walls. So his only obstacle was a big, locked, inwards opening metal door. Crap.

He studied the door, giving it a few experimental taps. Seemed to be solid enough, he thought. Certainly good enough to keep him inside. He couldn't see any way that he could break it open. Looking down its edge, he could see the lock. No mechanisms or anything on this side, he noted. Great.

He turned back to the window. Even it fit didn't have any bars on the outside, it would probably have been too small for him to get too. And even then, he needed to get through the glass on the other side. Still, it was a start.

He leaped up to grab a hold of one of the bars, and just fell short. Landing in a crouch, he tried again. Nothing, damn it. Still it was a start. He backed off a bit, then ran at the windows, taking a running jump, his hands outstretched. This time, they reached the bars and grabbed hold, followed by the rest of his body thumping into the wall, Jason barely turning his face away before it met the wall head-on.

Ouch, he thought. Well, he'd grabbed the bars. Now what, he wondered. Giving himself a second, he pulled himself up, bringing his face level with the window. From here, it was even less encouraging. The window seemed to be even smaller then he'd thought, and there was a lot less room through the bars. Furthermore, the window was so grimy that he could barely make out anything beyond it. For all he knew, he could be looking out onto the exercise yard. Yeah, that'd go well for an escape.

He gave one of the bars an experimental tug. To his surprise, it moved a small amount. Trying it again, he persuaded it to move some more. Hmm... an idea began to form in his head. It was desperate, and probably a little stupid, but it was better then nothing.

He began to pull on the bar, trying to wrench it free from the wall. He suspected that the original installation of these bars hadn't taken into account people hanging off them, and the years hadn't been kind to the brickwork around them. Furthermore, he could see that the bar was somewhat rusted at its top. Heck, if he knew Freedom, the builders probably used the cheapest mortar they could find.

He shifted his other hand onto the bar and pulled on it again, putting all of his weight onto it. It moved some more, but still not enough. Straining, he pressed his feet up against the wall, and pushed away with his legs, pulling on the bar as hard as he could. Then, soundlessly, the bar came free. Jason, caught by surprise, was sent flying backwards, the bar coming out of his hands. He crashed to the floor, falling flat on his back, the bar clanging to the ground nearby.

He froze, listening for any signs of movement outside. Had someone heard him? Were they coming to see what was happening? Was there someone outside right now? For desperate minutes he listened, but heard nothing. So nobody had heard him. Good. Time to get on with his escape plan.

He picked himself up and grabbed the bar. It had snapped off at the top, leaving a thin edge at the top... perfect for wedging into something, he thought. He walked over to the door, and stuck the top of the broken bar into the side of the door, between the lock and the wall. Wedging it into place, he pulled on the bar, trying to use it to lever the door open.

Nothing happened. The bar stuck fast, and the door remained where it was. Stopping for a breath, Jason tried it again. The bar shifted a bit, but the door remained firmly in place. Open, damn it, open, he thought as he paused, then grabbed the bar again. He pulled on it, putting all his weight behind it.

The bar suddenly shifted, its rusted end breaking off inside the gap. Jason fell over, the now broken bar in his hand. Great, he thought. There goes that plan. He picked himself up and examined the bar. The rusted end had broken off, leaving it with a wide stub end, that was far to broad for him to wedge into the door. The rusted end had broken loose, and had apparently stuck fast.

Maybe if he could get that free... He tried tapping on the broken end with the bar, trying to force it loose. Instead, it just drove it in further. Maybe I could use it as a wedge, then... he tried to recall his woodworking classes where he vaguely recalled something similar to this... something about wedging things into thing s to split them. Well, it was a start.

He swung the bar, smashing it into the end of the broken wedge. No effect. Feeling frustrated, he swung it again, this time narrowly missing and hitting the brickwork on the wall. "Damn you!": He shouted, swinging again and again, more to vent his frustrations then trying to force the door open. He repeatedly smashed the bar into the wall and door, denting both of them and shattering the rusted wedge. Spent, he stopped for breath, trying to figure what he was going to do next.

"What's going on in there?" A voice called out from outside. Great, his hard work had attracted a guard.

"Nothing."

"Yeah, right. You're making too much noise for that." He heard a jangling of keys, then the sound of the lock opening. Quickly devising a plan, he flattened himself to the wall by the door.

The guard stepped in, his gun pointed into the room. Seeing an opportunity, Jason swung at him with the bar, striking his weapon hand. The guard dropped the gun, shouting out in a mixture of pain and surprise. Before he could do or say anything else, Jason struck again, hitting him in the face. There was a sickening crack, probably his nose shattering, before he collapsed to the floor.

New plan, he thought as he dragged the guard inside the cell.

**oOoOo**

Althiea looked up at the red and white Liger. "Well?" Jenice, the woman in the uniform who was standing behind her began. "Go on."

"I'm sorry..." She began. "What am I supposed to be doing?"

"What you did back in Sun Hill." Jenice angrily replied. "You stopped my Liger. It didn't respond to the controls at all. And the only thing that was around, the only thing that was different to any other time I had piloted it was that you were there, standing in its path."

She remembered that moment. The Liger had come barreling down the street, seemingly headed straight for her. Then it had stopped, just glaring at her and roaring. She hadn't thought too much about it at the time, simply because she was too scared. But then, at the same time she recalled feeling something... odd. It was as if she had sensed something strange, something unusual about the Zoid, but she couldn't say what it was.

She stared straight at it, trying to work out what exactly it was that had happened back then. Her memories of that day were rather confused and unclear, especially with regards to the liger. She remembered being fascinated by it; it was a Zoid that she didn't recognize, and it was far larger and more powerful then any she'd seen before. Only that Darkhorn had come close and, like the Liger, she'd felt something... different about it.

"I..." She began. "I don't know what I did." She nervously explained. "I don't remember... I didn't do anything. I was just... looking at it."

"Well then I suggest you try." Levisha, the red-eyed woman continued. "Something made it stop responding to the controls, and you're the most likely suspect. So I suggest that, for your sake, you do whatever it is that you did before."

"But..." She began, then looked Levisha in the eyes. She had guessed that the red eyes were likely contacts or some other form of cosmetic alteration, but at the same time, she still wasn't comfortable looking into them. There was something alien about her, just as much as the bright green eyes on that Blackstar woman. "I'll try." She turned back to the Liger, staring at it.

She concentrated on the Liger, trying to tune out everything else around her, as if she and it were the only things in the world. It's a machine she told herself. It's a Zoid like every other you've seen. It's no different to your Hammer Rock. It's no different to the Iguan. It's no different to anything else you've seen or fought.

So why does it scare me? What is it about this Zoid in particular? What is so different about it?

There was a low, guttural growl from the Liger. Looking at it, Ali could see that the Zoid hadn't moved, and nobody else was reacting. "What... what was that?" She asked.

"What was what?" Jencie replied.

"I think..." Levisha added. "I think that it may be working."

"Good." Jenice continued. "Keep going."

**oOoOo**

As if to make Jason's day, the soldier that he'd knocked out was a couple of sizes smaller then him. He'd originally planned to sneak out wearing the other guy's uniform, and then find Ali. Now he wasn't s sure.

Ah hell, it's my best shot. He thought to himself. Besides, Jenice's troops all wore cheap uniforms made in some sweatshop somewhere in Freedom. It would be easy to explain that he'd gotten one that was too small, or just cut badly.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the cell wearing the guard's uniform and carrying his gun. The Rifle was a model that he didn't recongise, bigger and bulkier then the ones used by most of the other Red Claw Soldiers and a little more difficulty to carry. On the other hand, it was also a larger caliber and, he suspected, far more powerful. That would be a definite advantage, he thought.

He cautiously advanced upstairs, returning to the main level that he and Ali had entered through. He'd been here before, he thought. Now all he needed to do was remember the layout. The question was, where had Levisha taken her, and why? He couldn't think of any reason why Levisha would be after her. Heck, he couldn't think of how Levisha would even know who Ali was.

So far, so good. He was walking through the base, trying his best to remain calm and act normal. This was harder then it had seemed; as someone who had actual Zoid piloting experience, he'd been booted straight to the top, becoming one of Jenice's elite pilots. He'd never served any time as a grunt, and thus had surprisingly little idea of what they did day to day.

"You there!" Somebody shouted. Even though Jason couldn't see the man, he had the distinct impression that he was shouting at him.

"Me?" He asked as he turned around. There was another soldier there, this one's uniform almost indistinguishable form his own. He had a holster on his chest, and a different rank insignia, and that's it. Crap, was he an officer, Jason wondered.

"Yeah, you." The possible officer snapped back. "What are you doing?"

"I'm, um…"

"Not much, I see." He replied. "Right, I got a job for ya. They need some more bodies over in Storeroom four."

"But-"

"No excuses!" He snapped. "So get over to store room four right now."

"Yes, sir," He replied, and marched off. As he went, a plan began to form. Why do they need more people over there, he asked himself. Maybe it's because Jenice is there. Maybe Levisha needs some people for some sort of operation… Crap, they've got Ali. She must have talked and revealed where Floyd and the others are or something. He began marching faster, weaving his way through the converted factory. If that was the case, then they were in serious trouble. He knew that Floyd and the others could never hope to stand up against the whole Red Claw force.

Whatever was going on, he needed to stop it.

He vaguely remembered where the storerooms were from his last time in the base. He'd been shown them so he knew where to go to get more ammo. He hadn't had much of an introduction to the way the base worked; as one of Jenice's Zoid pilots, he wasn't supposed to care about those sorts of small things.

He reached the store room, where men were busy loading crates onto a Tank Zoid's trailer. Looking around, he located somebody who seemed to be in charge. "Reporting for duty as ordered, sir." He began, hoping the other guy wouldn't ask him for a name or the like.

"Good." The man replied, not looking up from his clipboard. "Get loading."

"What?"

"You heard me. Start loading up that Zoid."

Great, he thought. They needed more hands to load stuff, not for any kind of operation. This was a dead end. Best he could do was start work, then try to slip away. "Yes, sir." He replied.

Moving over to the pile, he grabbed a crate and lifted it, surmised at how ludicrously heavy it was. Almost staggering under its weight, he staggered over to the tank and managed to get the box onto the trailer without dropping it. Looking around, he could see the supervisor had his eyes on him.

Great.

He returned to the pile, and grabbed another crate. As he staggered towards the Tank, he could hear someone calling out. "Rhodes! Rhodes!" Well, whatever it was, it wasn't his problem.

"Hey you! The voice shouted directly at him. He put down the box and turned to face the shouter, a large burly man in the same sort of uniform.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Get over here!" He shouted.

Jason nervously approached. "What is it, sir?" He asked.

"You ain't Rhodes, are ya?" He asked as he put a meaty hand on Jason's shoulder. "Cause Rhodes was assigned to cover the prison block. And Rhodes is shorter then you. And Rhodes was found in a cell, bound and stripped of his uniform."

"You're right." Jason replied. Well, he was cornered now. Time for action. "I'm not." He elbowed the big man hard in the gut. The soldier doubled over and staggered back. Seeing an opportunity, Jason took his rifle off his back and slugged the man with the butt, then ran.

"Guh…" The man coughed out. "Get him!" He staggered to his feet then drew his own pistol. "Come back here, you pile of crap!"

"No!" The supervisor shouted. "Put that down!"

Jason didn't care what was going on. He did. However, know an opportunity when he saw one. He fired the rifle as he ran. Aiming more to keep everyone's heads down rather then shooting to kill. Or at least, that was the plan.

The Rifle's recoil staggered him, almost knocking him off his feet. The gun bucked, wildly spraying bullets seemingly everywhere at a ridiculous rate. There were metallic spanging noises as bullets seemingly ricocheted off everything around him. At least it seemed to have the desired effect of keeping everyone's heads down.

And then one of the crates on the back of the Tank exploded.

Crap! He swore. They had been loading ammo! And his rifle must have… he glanced back at the tank, then ran. Well, he wanted a distraction to help him get away. This was as good a one as any.

**oOoOo**

"Hydro-spanner?" Floyd asked, his head stuck inside the Gunsniper's leg.

"Um, what's that one?" Leanne replied.

"The funny looking dueberwhatsit with the thingamagigama on the end." Floyd replied.

"Ummm..." That could have described most of Floyd's Zoid repair tools. She picked one up from the rack, and handed it to him. "That it?"

"No, but it will do." He replied as he took it. He hit something inside the leg several times, then pulled his head out and closed the maintenance hatch. "Well, that should about finish it."

"Right." Leanne replied. She and Rayvenne had been helping Floyd with repairs on their Zoids, which seemed to mainly consist of the pair of them passing him various implements while he muttered odd mutterings. "So are we ready to go?"

"Sure thing, little lady." Floyd began, having adopted a broader version of her accent. "Ah reckon we can mosey on outa here at any time."

"What in the heck?" She replied, confused.

"So load up them wagons, partner, 'cause we're getting the hell outa Dodge."

"I think he means 'we're going'" Rayvenne replied as she walked past him. She'd gotten changed into her pilot suit, but hadn't put on the helmet or put the Bandanna over her face. "So get into your Zoid, already."

"Right." Leanne finished, unsure weather she'd missed something or not.

She climbed into the Gunsniper's cockpit and powered it up. All the systems showed up as green on her status board, so she had to assume that their repair work had been successful. She would admit that she didn't know much about Zoid mechanics, but she knew enough to have been of some help to Floyd. More so then Rayvenne was, she added. All she'd done was provide excuses.

Floyd had finished loading and securing the Iguan and Hammer Rock onto the back of his Zoid, and was powering up the Gustav. Behind her, she could see Rayvenne's Sinker rise about a meter off the ground. "Okay, those guys are still outside." She began. "What are we gonna do about them?"

"I figure we can smash our way out of here and try to explain things nicely." Floyd replied. "And when that doesn't work, we'll start shooting."

"I like that plan." Leanne commented, grinning.

"And what about Jase and Ali?" Rayvenne asked.

"Well, I figure we'll burn that bridge when we get to it." Floyd commented.

"This is your final warning!" The voice called out. "Come on out now and you won't get hurt!"

"See?" He finished. "Let's rock."

The Gustav crawled forwards through the converted warehouse, picking up speed as it went. It hit the front doors of the warehouse, smashing straight through them and sending debris flying. "Well that went… argh!" Floyd swerved the loaded Gustav to the right, veering out of the way of the Gator that had been waiting right outside the front of the warehouse.

"Hold it right there!" The Gator's pilot shouted. "Shut down your Zoid and step out of the cockpit!"

"Yeah, right." Leanne shouted as her Gunsniper sprinted out of the hanger. "You coming?"

The Sinker followed the pair of them out, and climbed, circling around the building. "Okay, apart form Mr Gator down there, we have three Molgas surrounding the building." She called out, trying her best to conceal her voice. As the Gustav and Gunsbiper sped away from the building, the Molgas moved to join their leader. "They're onto us… I think they're coming after you guys."

"Question is, where in the heck are we going?" Leanne asked.

"We're looking for Ali and Jason." Floyd replied. "So keep your eyes peeled, cats, for any sign of them."

"Hmmm..." Rayvenne looked around the city as she circled overhead. The dusk shadows began to lengthen across the bland, featureless grey landscape, obscuring details. "Nothing to see from up here. Its just all grey and…"

"Something up?" Leanne asked.

"Hold on a sec…" She began, slipping back into her normal voice for a second. "Something's happening."

From here, she could see the distant orange glow of a fire… and a big one at that. She could have sworn that it hadn't been there a second ago, so she figured it had to be some sort of explosion. Slipping back 'in character', she continued. "Looks like some sort of fire or explosion over in the industrial sector." She began.

"Well, cats, I think that's a great lace to start." Floyd replied. "So let's groove."

"What about the Defense force guys?" Leanne asked.

"Bring 'em along!" Floyd called back. "If I'm right, we're heading to the most happening joint in town. They'll love it."

**oOoOo**

Thorne strode angrily into the hanger where her Darkhorn was waiting. She'd sent her men out on information gathering missions across the city, hoping that they'd been able to find some clue to the whereabouts of the Red Claw's base of operations. So far, they'd found nothing.

She'd been on the verge of getting the information she needed yesterday, when she had caught those two low-life degenerates in the bar. She'd been on the verge of beating the information out of them when she'd been recalled back here due to Dr Glass's break-in. In the meantime, her two targets had gotten away and managed to elude her so far.

_Damn it_, she thought to herself. If Glass had been thirty seconds slower, or her men had done a better job of protecting her Zoid, then she could have found the Red Claw herself. No, instead they'd screwed things up, and now she had to deal with it. She'd already a discommendation for Lieutenant Sanders into her report, and would be following through with it regardless of what his men turned up.

_If I'd had the freedom to conduct this investigation as I wanted, then we'd have caught them by now_, she thought as she approached the Zoid. Her commander had turned down her suggestion to simply conduct a sweep through the city, using their Zoids. It's not like anything the Freedom Defense Forces had could stop her. No, instead they'd said ordered her to keep it low key, and to cooperate with the Freedom Defense Forces where possible. Even though they'd authorized her to conduct a search after the Defense Force commander turned her down, she still wasn't happy with the outcome.

_Such typically weak thinking, _she thought. _How did he get to be a commander anyway? _She knew that he was descended from a famous war hero, but that shouldn't have been the only reason why. Aside from that one thing, his background was no better then her own rather… tainted lineage. And his approach to dealing with outsiders was so weak, so compromising, so… accepting.

Her communicator beeped. "Yes?" She began.

"Captain, there's been an explosion in the west industrial district." Sergeant Jancz one of her men reported. "In a derelict factory block."

"That's not uncommon around here." She replied. "I'm surprised this whole city hasn't fallen down yet."

"Yes, captain." He replied. "However, it appears that the explosion was caused by the detonation of a stockpile of ammunition."

_Now that was interesting_. "Send me the coordinates. I'll investigate this matter myself." She climbed into the cockpit of her Zoid, and closed the canopy cover. The massive Zoid powered up, its displays flickering on as it activated. The cockpit went dark, and then was bathed in a green glow from the various displays and the external feeds.

Thorne closed her eyes and leaned back into the command couch for a moment. There, she thought. Contact. She could feel the power of the Zoid as her mind connected to its own, making it more of an extension of her body then a mere weapon system. Opening them, she sat upright, examining the displays. All systems ready.

She opened up the throttle, the huge Zoid stomping forwards as the warehouse doors opened. This time, she though, her prey would not escape.

**oOoOo**

"Go on…" Jenice continued, her hand on Althiea's shoulder. "Keep going. Show me what else you can do." She dug in her fingers as she looked up at the red and white Zoid.

"I-" Althiea began. "I don't know what I'm doing… I can't…"

"Then I suggest you learn." Jenice began. "Because how long you live depends entirely on what you can do for-"

Jenice was cut off by a loud explosion that seemed to rock the entire building on its foundations. All around the hanger, men scrambled for cover, presumably against a potential attack. The lights in the building flickered on and off for a moment, before coming back up. In the middle of all this, the Zoids, especially the liger, seemed to remain unaffected, as if they were unconcerned by what was going on.

"What's going on?" Jenice shouted, releasing her grip on Althiea's shoulder.

"Give me a second…" Levisha replied, putting on a communications headset. Turning her back for a moment, she began shouting orders.

"Bart!" Jenice yelled out.

An overweight, unkempt man in shorts and a too-small shirt lumbered towards her. "Commander?" He slurred out.

"What's the status on Drake and Gwen's Zoids?"

"They're more or less ready to go." He replied.

"Good. Any other lame ducks?"

"The Hellrunner from Bravo is needs a bit more work, but it's mostly fine, and the Geruder still has a few holes in its amour." He replied, almost casually, despite the goings on around him. "Other then that, we're more or less ready to go."

"Good." She replied. "Load up whatever you can on our Tanks, and be ready to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Commander." Levisha spoke up. "It appears that there was an explosion in store room four during the loading up of one of the Tanks. It's not entirely clear, but it seems there was some sort of a gun battle."

"Gun battle?" She asked. "With who?"

"Nobody's entirely sure." She replied. "It appears to have been with an infiltrator, disguised as one of our troops. He's managed to escape in the explosion."

"Any response from the Defense Forces?" Jenice asked.

"They seem to be otherwise occupied." Levisha stated. Something in her voice told Althiea that Levisha knew more about it then that, but she didn't want to say anything at the moment that might draw too much attention.

"Good." Jenice finished. "Move all our troops up to immediate standby to move out. If the fire spreads or the Defense Forces show up, then we go. Harry and Malcolm are already standing by if we need them."

"Yes commander." Levisha saluted, then left.

"What… what about me?" Althiea asked.

"Right now, we have more pressing concerns." Jenice replied. "You, my dear, are far more useful to me right here."

Altheia swallowed, then looked straight ahead at the Liger. "What… what is that thing?" She asked. She hoped that if she could learn something about it, then she might have some idea of what was going on.

"That?" Jenice replied, then looked up at the Zoid. "That is a legendary Zoid, one of tremendous power. That is the Trinity Liger."


	11. Confrontation

Jason ran through the maze of pipes under the factory, trying to put as much distance between himself and his pursuers as possible. He'd abandoned the rifle, having run out of ammo long ago. Besides, he didn't want to touch that thing again; it was far uncontrollable.

There were several shots, then the sound of bullets ricocheting off metal pipes. Keeping his head down, Jason just concentrated on running, trying his best to keep himself alive. He had to find Althiea, and then get out of here.

Neither was going to be easy.

Following the explosion in the storage bay, the whole place had gone crazy. He'd thought that this would be his big chance, with the Red Claw troops to busy to deal with him. He'd tried to slip away quietly, but somebody had spotted him before he could escape. It had all gone downhill from there.

Now he was just trying to stay alive. If he could manage that, then everything else would be a simple matter.

"Hold it right there!" He heard somebody behind him shouting. Why ask him to stop now, he wondered. They'd been happy with merely trying to kill him. Or maybe they were just running out of bullets.

He ducked behind a mass of interconnected pipes, momentarily concealing himself from his pursuers. Shuffling around, he managed to squeeze himself between a pipe and the wall. Barely daring to breathe, he heard the footsteps of the enemy soldiers as they approached.

"Where'd he go?"

"I saw him duck around here somewhere."

"Well he's not here now."

So far so good, he thought. Just stay calm….

"So where is he then?"

"Right… here's what we'll do." Somebody spoke up. "Gomez, McSweeny, Tang and Nogroko will search down the left corridor. The rest of us will go up the north passage and see if he's in there."

"Yes sir!"

He heard two groups leaving, their footsteps apparently leading off in different directions. Waiting a little longer, he finally slipped out from behind his cover. The coast was clear. Good.

Trying to remain as silent as possible, he doubled back the way he had come. He figured that his pursuers wouldn't think to look there, or at least not until he was well away.

Slipping deeper into the maze of pipes, he just hoped that he would be in time to save Althiea from whatever Levisha or Jenice had planned for her.

**oOoOo**

**Confrontation**

**oOoOo**

"You are ordered to halt immediately, or we will open fire!" The Gator's pilot called out as his Zoid ran through the city streets.

"Oh no, it's the fuzz!" Floyd called out, a sudden, almost greasy tone to the voice. "You'll never catch me alive, piggy."

"Actually, I hate to say it, Floyd, but they're gaining on you." Leanne added as she glanced over her shoulder. The three of them had busted out form the warehouse and sped straight past the Defense Force's hopelessly ineffective blockade. Since then, they'd been leading them on a merry chase through the city's streets, guided towards some objective by Rayvenne.

Leanne didn't want to say anything, but she was less then confident about their chances. It wasn't the risk of being caught by the defense forces that bothered her. It was Rayvenne's directions that she didn't like. The girl knew how to pilot a Zoid pretty darn good, but Leanne just didn't think that she was that smart.

"I mean, she walks a round half dressed and she then dresses up as a guy and thinks she's this mysterious Sinker pilot and all." She muttered. "It just don't sound right."

"Something up there, little Lady?" Floyd asked.

"Er, nothing…" She replied, embarrassed that she'd been talking into the mike.

"Okay, guys." Rayvenne called out in her hoarse 'mystery man' voice. "Hit a sharp right at the next crossroads. That'll throw 'em for sure."

"Sure thing." Floyd replied. ":How's traffic looking up there?"

"Nothing so far…" She began, a little distracted. "I thought these guys were meant to have an air force or something. So far I've seen bog all up here. Either they don't want to get me-"

"Or maybe their air force don't work, just like everything else in this city." Leanne muttered. "Okay, I see the turn. I'll go first, then you follow, 'kay Floyd?"

"Sure thing… I don't want my big ol' backside to get in your way, pretty lady."

"Um, sure." The Gunsniper accelerated past the Gustav, then swerved into the turn. Loosing very little speed, it took off as soon as it was heading in the right direction. Behind her, Leanne heard a screeching of tires as the Gustav followed it, skidding around the corner but managing to stay under control.

"Okaaay… lets see what's ahead." Rayvenne spoke up, almost forgetting to go into character. "But it should be fun to see how those Molgas take the turn…"

The best way to describe it would be badly. Two of them tried to turn at the same time, sandwiching the Gator in between them. The innermost Molga skidded, its body fishtailing into the side of the Gator, and in turn forcing it into the second Molga. The three of them slid across the road, eventually sliding into the side of a derelict factory. The other two Molgas stopped behind them.

"Woo-hee!" Rayvene called out in her normal voice, then swallowed. "I'll check how things look ahead, then…" She muttered, returning to character.

"Well, it all looks the same form down here." Leanne spoke up as her Gunsniper ran between two blocks of abandoned factories. "Ain't nothing here but derelict warehouses and holes in the pavement."

"Well, that big ol' explosion is still off to our west." Floyd continued. "But a helluva lot closer. Hey, Mystery Sinker pilot!" He called out.

"Wha?" Rayvenne replied.

"Get us the quickest route there you can find!"

"I'm on it." The Sinker accelerated, speeding away from the rest of the group.

**oOoOo  
**

Trinh popped open the cockpit of his Gator, then looked around at his two subordinates. "You idiots!" He called out. "What did you think you were doing?"

"This is Defender Five." One of his troops spoke up through his headset. "We're still moving."

"Good!" He shouted. Maybe not all his men were idiots who should never be allowed near a Zoid again. All of a sudden, Thorne's comments on his men seemed to be more true. "Keep going you two! Try to figure another way around there and catch up with them. Head them off if you can!"

"Yes sir!" They replied. Never mind that they didn't have any idea where these people were going. They weren't running for the gate, which was where he thought they'd go. Instead, they were heading deeper into the industrial district, where that was that fire.

They still had no idea what was going on there. He'd hoped that it was some faulty wiring or a not quite emptied warehouse going up or the like. But then, he had to consider the fact that these three dangerous outlaws were heading straight for the fire. Maybe they were involved with something that was going on there, he thought.

Of course, there could be two different factions at work in the town, with one declaring war on the other. They could have started the fire, and then reinforcements were coming to take them out. That would explain the anonymous tip off they got about those guys… they'd been used as pawns in some gang war. Only it was a gang war using Zoids. Which was the last thing he needed.

"Director Trinh." He recognized the voice immediately as one of the tactical officers form headquarters.

"Yes?" He asked. "What is going on there?"

"Director, we have a situation here."

"I am aware of that." He continued. "My unit is in pursuit of the Zoids now-"

"No commander, this is different."

Great, more bad news. "What is happening?"

"We have a report of another Zoid on the loose in the transient district, heading towards the industrial area." She began.

"Do we know what type it is?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." She replied, her usual crisp efficiency replaced with a rather nervous edge.

"Well?" He asked. "What is it? Spit it out."

"Sir, it's a Darkhorn." She reluctantly answered.

A Darkhorn. Thorne. She'd decided to take matters into her own hands and deal with the situation, real or imagined, as she saw fit. And he suspected that her way of dealing with it would simply be to rampage across the city, ignore the Peackeeper forces, and then destroy her target regardless of what anyone else had to say about it.

Wonderful.

"Tell all units not to engage the Darkhorn." He shouted back. "They are to keep well clear of the Zoid. Fire only if fired upon first."

"Director? Are you certain?"

"Yes, damn it!" He snapped. "We're not going to be able to stop her. The last thing we need is more deaths on our hands!"

"Yes, director." She nervously finished, then closed the link.

Trinh swore quietly to himself. The situation was completely out of his hands now. He could protest to his superiors, but he knew that they wouldn't do anything about the Blackstars. They were simply too afraid to do anything about them.

**oOoOo**

Jason crawled out of the vent, managing to land with the minimum of noise. Looking around, he figured he was in a secondary hanger that was used by some of Jenice's forces. He'd mentally wondered how much of Jenice's army had been destroyed by that Blackstar group. Hopefully, it was a good sized portion.

Both Jenice and Levisha were members of what he called the group's elites, their top pilots who got the best Zoids. He remembered from his own time here that they had their own hanger where their Zoids were kept. So, by extension, it was a possibility that Levisha had taken Altheia there. Maybe she somehow had found out about Altheia's technical skills, and wanted to see what she could do.

Ok, time for action.

He took out his stolen pistol and cautiously advanced across the hanger. So far, everything was going well. Looking around, he could see that there were a large number of pilots prepping their Zoids to move out, and a fair number of soldiers. Hopefully, nobody would notice one more.

He'd almost made it across the bay when he heard a woman shout out. "Hold it right there." He stopped where he was. No sense now in starting a gunfight when he knew that everyone in the room would be shooting at him. Hopefully he could bluff his way out of this. "Turn around."

He turned around, only to find himself staring straight into Levisha's red eyes. Crap. So much for that plan. She was standing there, in front of him, pointing a gun at his face. Now what.

"Who are you?" She demanded. "Drop the gun then remove your mask and helmet."

He figured that it might be a good idea to comply with her. After all, she did have a gun to his head. He slowly put down the gun, then removed the helmet and face mask. "There." He replied.

"You're the other prisoner." She replied. "I thought so. You've done a good job on your escape thus far. You've even managed to do a fair deal of damage, and my probably end up costing us our base." She almost smiled. "So who sent you?"

"Pardon?"

"Who sent you here?" She repeated with a hint of anger in her voice. "Who do you work for? Are you a Shadow Knight, or a member of the ISA, or what?" She asked.

"I'm here on my own." He replied. "I was helping my friend."

"Really?" She asked. "All this for a friend? It seems a little… unlikely."

"You don't recognize me?" he asked. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"No." She replied flatly. "Should I?"

That tore it, Jason thought. If she was going to kill him, she should at least know who he was. "Yeah." He began. My name is Jason Simons. Doesn't that ring any bells?"

"No." She flatly replied. "Wait a second, I seem to recall there being a Jason something in a group of pilot trainees… the same group that had Peloquin in it." She glared at him. "If I recall, someone dropped out of the group and stole an Iguan…" Her eyes narrowed. "So that was you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." He replied. "I took the Iguan."

"So then… Mister Peloquin was actually going after you when he claimed to be hunting Glass. Amusing." She considred this. "What did you do with him in the end?"

"I left him in the desert, his Zoid a wreck." Jason replied. He was going to play along with her for the moment, see if he could worm his way out of this. She didn't seem to want to kill him, or at least, not yet.

"Hmph." She replied. "I'm surprised he lived that long." She replied. "So, you're not from any other agency, you're just a random idiot who thought he'd be big by stealing a Zoid." She continued. "I must admit, I'm fascinated. Nobody has ever left the Red Claw before. What made you do it? What made you turn down the offer of power?"

"It was you." He explained. "After our encounter before I joined, I figured what sort of person you were. A user and a manipulator, who wouldn't care weather we lived or died. I figured that my lifespan would be limited to how long I was useful to you. So I broke and run, deciding to take my chances."

"You are an excellent judge of character." She answered. "But I am confused by one thing. When had we met before?"

"We met in a bar here in Freedom. We slept together, remember?" He blurted out.

"Maybe we did." She replied. "I'm sorry, I can't be expected to remember every one night stand."

That was too much for Jason. She'd basically just dismissed him and everything he'd done as being irrelevant. He was angry, and wanted to do something about it, regardless of the risk. He lashed out, swinging the helmet in his hand by the straps. It struck her in the hand, knocking her gun free and sending her staggering back. Not wasting any time, he lashed out with his left foot, clipping her across the side of the face, and sending her to the floor.

"Guards!" She shouted as she picked herself up. "Get him!"

Jason looked up to see a squad of soldiers running towards him. Abandoning everything he had planned so far, he turned and ran deeper into the facility.

**oOoOo**

"Well?" Jenice snapped. 'What are you waiting for?"

"It's kind of hard to concentrate…" Altheia nervously replied. The sound of gunfire in the background, the fire, the sirens, the Pteras taking off and everything else were coming together to produce a migraine-inducing wail that made anything, let alone trying to form some sort of mental link with some sort of legendary Zoid impossible. She had been staring at the Zoid, but so far, there had been nothing.

"Damn it!" Jenice snapped. "I know you can do it. I have seen you do it. I was in the Zoid when you did it before!"

"I don't know what I did!" Althea shouted back. "I was just standing there… I saw the Liger come running at me. I couldn't do a thing, I thought that it was going to run me down and then…" She Looked away from the Zoid. "Then it just stopped."

"So you couldn't control it?" Jenice asked. "It just happened. Fine then." She gestured to a guard, the last one left in the room. "You, watch her. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

"Yes, commander." The guard nervously replied as he advanced towards her. He lowered his rifle, pointing it Althiea.

"Now stay right there." Jenice demanded. Storming away, she boarded the Trinity liger, clambering into the cockpit and sealing it shut. The Liger's eyes and sensor flared green, then the beast roared, and turned to face Altheia.

"Is this what it was like when you saw it in Sun Hill?" Jenice asked over the PA system. The chaos all around, you, the Zoid approaching you while you knew that there was nothing that you could do about it?" The Liger began to slowly walk forwards, padding towards where Altheia was seated. The Zoid roared again, and looked down at her.

"Yes…" She admitted. "It was…" The guard next to her swallowed loudly, but managed to hold his position.

"So do it!" She yelled. "Do whatever it was you did that day! Show me your true potential! Show me what you have hidden inside that head of yours!"

"Your plan won't work!" A voice called out from seemingly all around them. Althiela looked up and around the room, but couldn't see who had spoken. The guard stood next to her, also nervously looking around. "It is doomed to failure."

"No!" Jenice called out. "There is nothing that can stop me. Not the Empire, not the Blackstars, not even you, whoever you may be."

"There is one key flaw in your plan." It continued. "One thing you have over looked."

"And that is?"

One wall of the warehouse exploded inwards in a cloud of dust and debris, sending chunks of demolished masonry flying. A huge, armoured form ploughed through the remains, smashing past anything in its way. The Grey and green Gustav stopped inside the bay, facing the other Zoid.

"There's no such thing as a Trinity Liger!" Floyd called out form the Zoid's cockpit.

"Floyd!" Althea called out. She leaped out of the chair, running towards the Gunstav.

"Don't just stand there!" Jencie shouted to the stunned guard. "Get her!"

The guard turned to face her, but then a second Zoid stepped through the gap in the wall. Althea instantly recognized what it was, even if it did look a little unfamiliar, being repaired to look shiny new rather then its usual battered self. "Leanne!" She called out.

"Dang right it is!" Leanne shouted back. The Gunsniper opened fire with its two wrist-mounted vulcans, spraying rounds across the floor and to the other Zoid. The guard ran for cover, while several more shots hit the Liger's front armour to no apparent affect.

"Hey, babe." Floyd shouted from the cockpit. "Check out the action in back. It's Hammer time."

Altheia could figure what he meant. "Thanks." She began. "But what about…"

"Don't worry about the Liger." Floyd said. "It's not real."

"It isn't?"

"Of course." He replied. "Everybody knows that there's no such thing as a Trinity Liger."

Altheia wanted to say that she'd never even heard of a Trinity Liger before today, but decided not to press the issue. Instead, she dashed alongside the Gustav, reaching its first trailer where her Hammer Rock was resting. Behind it was Jason's Iguan, also waiting for its pilot.

Jason… She thought. The last time she'd seen him, he was down in that cell. He'd been untied, but she didn't know what had happened since then. And that was hours ago. "Floyd!" She called out. "Jason's somewhere else in the factory."

"Sure thing." Floyd replied. "You wanna go look for him? I'm sure that me and Leanne can handle things here."

"Are you certain?" She asked as she climbed into the Hammer Rock's cockpit. "I mean, there is that Liger."

"Ligers are way over rated." Floyd replied. "Besides, I know how to handle her type."

The Hammer Rock stepped off the trailer, while the Gustav unhitched itself. "You sure?"

"The Sinister Sinker's overhead keeping an eye on things." Leanne continued. "Trust me, they'll let us know if anything goes wrong."

"Right..." Altheia continued, a little uncertain.

"Go for it." Floyd called out. "We'll look after things here."

"Okay then." She replied. The Hammer Rock knuckled away form the Gunstav, heading deeper into the factory. Behind her, she saw the Gustav roll forwards, the Gunsniper behind it.

"Dr Glass." Jenice began. "I should have known you were behind this."

**oOoOo**

"Okay… everything looks good so far…" Rayvenne muttered to herself as she circled the damaged factory. It had just begun to rain, yet the fire in the factory showed no signs of coming under control. Floyd's Gustav had rammed its way through one side, Leanne's Gunsniper following it in. So far, everything was going to plan. Hopefully, they could pick up Ali and Jason, then get out of there.

A beep on her sensors informed her of another Zoid approaching. Looking down, she could see what it was. A Pteras had launched from the factory, and was heading up towards her. She noted the radar dome on its back. Great. It's him again.

"Guys, we have a problem." She called out over the radio. "That crazy Pteras is back. I'm going to try and loose him, but I may not be able to keep monitoring the situation."

Before she could get a reply, she opened up the throttle and banked away from the other Zoid. As she expected, the pilot turned to follow her. Here we go again, she thought. She almost wished it was the Reddler instead. Its pilot didn't seem to be as good as this one. It made her wonder why he got the Pteras.

_Maybe it's the Radar Dome_, she thought as she turned again as the Pteras tried to line her up. The enemy Zoid opened fire with its nose-mounted cannon, stitching a line of fire across the sky that narrowly missed her Zoid. Pulling the stick around, she cut back across her own course, trying to throw the enemy pilot.

It worked to a degree; the other Zoid opened fire, its shots again missing the Sinker, instead tearing a line across the side of an abandoned factory, sending dust and debris flying. The enemy pilot sped up, closing the distance on her own Zoid. Before they could fire again, however, Rayvenne banked to one side, diving down between two buildings.

"Okay, poorly lit city at night in the rain. Let's see how big his balls really are." She opened up the Sinker's throttle while diving closer to street level. At this altitude, the Sinker acted more like a hovercraft then a true aircraft, flying just above the road's surface – something the Pteras couldn't do.

The Pteras swooped down low, opening fire again. Rayvene violently swerved the controls, the enemy fire narrowly missing her Zoid. Climbing, she swung around, the Sinker passing behind a pair of large smokestacks. The Pteras seemed to anticipate her move and cut across her path, closing in on her tail.

"No you don't!" She called out. The Sinker again dived and rolled away from the other Zoid, buying her a few seconds. Glancing over her shoulder, Rayvenne tried to think of a plan. She needed to get that guy off her tail as soon as possible. Hmmm…

The Sinker dived to the street again, its engines opened up as far as its pilot would dare. Again the Pteras dived after it, opening fire with the nose cannon. Glancing back, Rayvenne could see shots tearing up the pavement behind her. Good, she thought. He's following me.

She pulled back on the controls, climbing suddenly as the Pteras closed on her. A huge derelict smokestack loomed up in front of her as she went. Perfect. Squeezing the trigger, the Sinker's forward cannons spat fire into the structure, ripping apart huge chunks of stonework and concrete. The Pteras' own gun added to the devastation, shots tearing into the structure as they both climbed.

"See ya, sucker!" She called out as she violently banked the Sinker away. Before the Pteras could react, the massive smokestack began to topple forwards, crumbling into a rain of bricks and mortar as it went. The other pilot broke off their pursuit, instead climbing away and concentrating on avoiding being crushed.

The Sinker climbed away from the ruins, then swung around, heading back towards the battlefield. As she approached the suspected Red Claw base, her sensors beeped to indicate a new contact. "Not you again." She muttered. Checking the scope, however, it appeared that the target was on the ground. She swooped towards it, hoping to get a better look.

There. A large, black Zoid was lumbering towards the factory at speed, a bright green glow coming from its eyes and its back. She recognized it as being a Darkhorn and, from the look of things, it was the same modified one Altheia had encountered in the desert.

"Guys." She began. "We've got a new problem."

**oOoOo**

The Hammer Rock knuckled its way into another hanger, Althiea looking around as it entered, She almost wished she hadn't as she spied at least half a dozen Zoids that were waiting in the hanger bay, their crews ready and waiting. Almost immediately, they opened up on the new arrival, scattering weapons fire around her before she could duck the Zoid back into the previous room.

Great. She was out numbered and out gunned, and had walked straight into it. And she couldn't fall back either. She doubted that Floyd and Leanne could handle the Trinity Liger on their own. What had Floyd meant by there being no such thing as a Trinty Liger, she wondered. It had seemed very obviously real to her. Maybe…

An energy bolt shot just past the cockpit. Focus, Altheia, she thought. You've got more pressing concerns.

She opened up the Hammer Rock's throttle, the small Zoid striding out from behind its cover at speed, firing the shoulder cannon as she went. She ducked across the other side of a doorway before her enemies could respond, the wall absorbing the shots for the moment. Okay, that had thrown them, she thought, but it hadn't actually achieved anything.

"Ali? Is that you?"

She looked around to try and see who it was who had spoken. Nothing save for the other Zoids. Then she looked down. There was a Red Claw soldier standing by one of the Hammer Rock's arms, waving frantically at her. He wasn't wearing his helmet or mask, and she noticed that he had long black hair. "Jason?" She asked.

"Yeah!" He called back. "What's going on?"

"Floyd and Leanne are here, trying to deal with Jenice." She shouted as several bursts of fire went past her Zoid. "Floyd has your Zoid… I could use a little help here." A shot tore a chunk out of the wall right by her Zoid's head.

"Right." Jason shouted back. "Give me a minute." He sprinted off, further into the complex.

A minute? Altheia wasn't sure if she had a minute. Still… She opened up the Zoid's throttle again, the Hammer Rock sprinting away in the opposite direction to where Jason was headed. She opened fire again with the shoulder cannons, narrowly missing a Guysack. Not waiting around, she ducked behind another wall that lead into another, nearly empty hanger.

So far so good, she thought. As if to prove her wrong, several bursts of fire shattered through the wall, grazing the Zoid's armour. No systems damage yet, she thought, but that was more due to luck then anything else.

Glancing around, she could see a pair of Zoids approaching her; a Rev Rapter, and a booster equipped Snipe Master, probably the same one she had faced on the mountain. They were probably the two most powerful Zoids in that group, she figured. Great.

The Rav Rapter leaped around the corner, hissing and snarling as it went. The Zoid swiped at her wit one of its claw arms, Altheia barely avoiding the attack. The Snipe Master joined it, moving to box her in.

No! She thought to herself. The Hammer Rock Swung with one of its own armoured fists, catching the Rev Rapter in the side. She followed up with a second strike that caught the Rapter in the chest, sending it staggering away.

Before she could do anything else, however, the Snipe Master lashed out with one of its armoured claws. The Claw sliced through the Hammer Rock's shoulder, tearing up armour and systems. Several red lights came on Ali's status boards, as she fought to keep the Zoid under control. A second swipe sent her staggering back, forcing her back towards the hanger with the other Zoids.

"You're that Zoid from the mountain, aren't you?" The Snipe Master's pilot spoke up. "How does it feel now?"

"Hey!" Jason called out. "Playtime's over, girls!"

Looking up, Althiea could see the Iguan standing in a doorway, a metal pole, wrenched free from a destroyed wall, in its clawed hand. The small red and grey Zoid darted forwards, swinging the bar in its hand and bringing it around. The pole struck the Snipe Master in the side of its head, catching the pilot off guard. The pole bent and snapped, but was enough to stagger the Snipe Master pilot.

Before the Rev Rapter could do anything, Altheia swung around and opened fire with her shoulder guns. A pair of shots caught it in the side, tearing armour off its side and arm. The enemy Zoid, its pilot suddenly worried about the odds he was facing, turned and ran.

The Snipe Master staggered to its feet as Jason abandoned the iron pole. As the smaller Zoid lunged at him, baring its teeth and claws, he lashed out, swinging around the Iguan. One of its armoured feet caught the other Zoid in the side, lifting it off the ground and depositing it on a pile of rubble. The pilot managed to bring his machine under control, and decided to join the Rev Rapter.

"Nod bad, huh?" Jason began. Another volley of fire cut off Althiea before she could reply. "Okay, I see we still have some issues to deal with."

"So what do you propose to do?" Althiea asked, indignantly.

"Simple." He said. "You go left, I'll go right."

"What?"

"Running battle, like you did before. Only this time with two of us."

Althiea nodded. That made sense to her. The Hammer Rock broke into another run, firing its cannons as it went. At the same time, the Iguan took off in the other direction, firing its head guns and the quad cannon. The results were surprisingly good. The enemy forces were caught off guard and didn't know what to do. The pair of them scored several hits, while the return fire was erratic and inaccurate.

The enemy force also seemed to be unable to coordinate their actions. The Rev Rapter and Snipe master all but cut each other off trying to move in for another attack, while boxing a Serpent in against a wall. Its lack of legs making it hard to maneuver in close, the Serpent couldn't do anything but stay there for the moment. A Barrigator, anxious to attack, charged forwards, only to nearly collide with a Guysack trying the same thing.

So far, so good.

"Right." She began. "Ready for another round?"

"Just aobut." Jason replied. "In three, two-"

Before he could finish, one of the walls exploded in a shower of shattered bricks and masonry. A massive black Zoid crashed straight through the wall, ramming into a Godos that happened to be in its path. The smaller Zoid was tossed aside and left broken on the hangar floor.

"The Darkhorn…" Althiea began. It was that Dark Zoid, the same one she'd seen outside the city. Its appearance was unmistakable.

The Dark Zoid continued on its path, seemingly ignoring the other Zoids as they scattered and fled before it. Instead, it ploughed straight into another wall, taking it further into the factory.

"What's it after?" Jason asked.

"I don't know." Althiea replied. But she wanted to.

**oOoOo**

Jenice had thought that this would be an easy matter. She could easily disable the Gunsniper, then force Glass to surrender. His Gustav was unarmed, and there was no way that it could escape from her. Their attempt at a rescue was foolhardy at best, and playing straight into her hands.

Except it wasn't working out like that.

The Gunsniper opened fire from behind the Gustav, spraying her Liger with shots from its wrist-mounted gattling cannons. The shots pinged off the Liger's leg-mounted shields, not doing anything more then denting the armour. Abruptly, the Gunsniper stopped firing and began running, sprinting away from her, the Gustav moving with it.

The Trinity Liger roared as she opened fire with the twin beam cannons, aiming to knock out the fast moving Zoid. The first one hit the side of the Gustav, seemingly doing little more then scoring the armour. The second went wide, tearing another hole in the wall of her base.

The Gustav swerved around, coming straight at her as if to ram her. Lacking room to maneuver, she pulled the Liger around to avoid it, but ended up exposing her flank to the enemy. The Gunsniper opened up again, its shots carving up armour on the Liger's side.

"How dare you!" She shouted. She needed to end this, and fast. Bringing the Zoid around, she charged at the Gunsniper, aiming to take it out in one go. A golden glow built up around the Liger's claws as its Strike Laser Claw charged up. Desperate, the Gunsniper's pilot turned their Zoid around, and began running. Silly fool, she thought. You can't escape me now.

And then the Gustav ploughed straight into her side, sending the Liger sprawling across the floor. She fought to maintain her balance, the Liger's now activated claws tearing huge chunks out of the concrete floor as it skidded along. The Liger stopped, its back to a wall. "So…" She said as she started at the Gustav. "Glass, I had hoped to take you alive. Don't force my hand."

"Face it, baby." He called back. "I'm just too much for you to handle."

This was ridiculous, she thought. She should be able to crush these two easily. They were going to pay for this… The liger charged forwards again, going after the Gustav this time. As the Gunsniper moved to open fire, she crouched back, the liger's two leg shields covering its face and easily deflecting the shots. There was no escaping now.

Suddenly, another wall crashed inwards in front of her, a huge black form emerging from the dust and debris. No sooner had it appeared, then the massive beam cannon on its back swung around and opened fire, the shot slamming into her Liger's left shield. The blast tore straight through the leg shield, literally ripping it in half.

"What?" She shouted. The appearance of the Blackstar had been a surprise enough, but the destruction of her shield was unthinkable. She suddenly swerved the Liger away as the Darkhorn opened fire with its beam gattling, spraying shots at her Zoid. Several impacted into her side and leg shield, rocking the Zoid.

This was impossible, she thought. Yet a check of her status board told her that it was true; her shield had been completely destroyed with a single hit. Damn it, she thought. Even though she had never tested the shield against such a heavy weapon, it should have been able to hold…

Bringing the Liger around again, she charged at the Darkhorn, aiming to cripple it. However, the Gunsniper again opened fire, its shots tearing into the flanks, capitalizing on the damage the Darkhorn had already done. The Liger stumbled, staggering to the right away from the Dark Zoid.

Its pilot, not missing the chance, swung around the Hyperbeam cannon and opened fire. Swerving the controls again, she managed to avoid the shot.

"Damn you all!" She shouted out. Opening up the Liger's throttle, she continued past the Darkhorn. Even though she didn't want to admit it, it looked like the situation was hopeless. But she was not going to run the risk of capture. "Levisha!" She shouted into the communicator. "What's the situation out there?"

**oOoOo**

Levisha watched as Gwen's Reddler turned and weaved through the sky, trying to catch the Sinker that had given her so much grief earlier. She had considered joining Gwen in dealing with it permanently, but the situation required she remain on station and monitor the situation, especially after the Blackstar had appeared. That had been an unexpected turn, one that would be interesting to see how it played out.

"Levisha!" Jenice shouted over the communicator. "What's the situation out there?"

The Pteras banked over the city, Levisha examining the threat icons on the displays as she went. "The Peacekeeping forces have been deployed en masse and are heading towards this location." A beep from her sensors alerted her to a new threat as she spoke. "And they've deployed their airborne units as well."

"I see." She replied. "The situation inside the base has also become unsalvageable." Jenice stated. We'll have to abandon it and regroup."

"Understood." She replied. She'd already seen several Zoids and a large number of troops fleeing the base. It'd take some work, but she should be able to heard them and bring them under control. "I'll signal for a retreat and to regroup at the reserve base. Shall I order Harry and Malcolm into action?"

"Yes." Jenice stated. "They know their orders."

"Affirmative." She finished. So they'd lost their Freedom base. She'd always had some reservations about it; while it was large and close to good sources of both equipment and fresh personnel, she'd always had some reservations about operating in a city. They could only keep the local authorities distracted for so long.

Still, it was in her best interests for Jenice and her army to remain a viable threat to the Zygra Empire. Loosing their base of operations would be a setback, but it wasn't something they couldn't recover from. She could probably get the majority of Jenice's troops out and keep their leadership intact. She didn't care for what happened to Freedom or its people in the process.

"Harry, Malcolm." She began. "We're leaving. Enact the contingency plan."

"Um, you sure about that?" Harry nervously began. "I mean, its our home and-"

"Do it now!" She snapped. "Those are Jenice's orders."

"Errr… yeah. Sure."

She quietly smiled to herself. There was something very enjoyable about the way many of Jenice's pilots, including her so-called elites, were terrified of her.

**oOoOo**

"What are we doing Harry?" Malcolm asked.

"Well, Mal, my brother, we are going to help our beloved leader escape the city." He began as he clambered into the cockpit of his Cannon Tortoise. Malcom's near identical Zoid was parked next to his, a heavily-laden Tank Zoid behind them. The pair of them were on a ridge, overlooking freedom. From here, he could see the large column of smoke rising form the industrial district where he knew Jenice's base was.

"I'll send you the targets, you just shoot 'em." He continued.

"Huh." He replied. "I like blowin' stuff up."

"As do I, Mal, my brother, as do I." He closed the canopy and activated the Cannon Tortoises' targeting system. Feeding the information into the system, the ballistic computer adjusted for wind, weather and other conditions. The Tortoise's massive artillery cannon elevated to the correct angle, and indicated ready to fire.

Harry sighed. He had liked Freedom, in a way. It was his home town, where he and his brother had been born and raised. They'd gotten their start as standover men there; Harry supplying the brains and Malcolm supplied the muscle. Their protection racket had grown dramatically.

And then, one day, they'd found a pair of old Zoids in a supply cache. Not just any old Zoids, but a pair of Cannon Tortoises. It had given him the idea to expand their protection racket. Now, instead of threatening to beat people up, they threatened to wipe out whole villages. Of course, this had gotten them, attention from Jenice. She'd promised them more money and power they could ever manage on their own. And he'd bough it.

_Oh well, _he thought_. Nothing for it now._

The Cannon Tortoise's cannon fired with a colossal blast, Malcolm's firing seconds later. The rounds arced through the air, then crashed down onto the city with a pair of distant explosions.

**oOoOo**

Thorne glared through the green-tinted monitor at the world around her. The enemy Liger, apparently piloted by the Red Claw's leader, was cornered on one side of the factory. In order to flee, it would have to go through her, something that she knewe that it couldn't do. It was over now.

This enemy, the supposed most wanted woman in the Empire, had been something of a disappointment to her. She had expected more from them and their so-called legendary Liger Zoid. Instead, they'd been cowed and bullied, putting up a pathetic fight. True, the nature of the battle had heavily favoured Thorne's Zoid; with no room to move, the Liger's speed and maneuverability wouldn't amount to anything.

"Surrender now." She stated, more for the benefits of the official records then anything else. She knew that her opponent wouldn't surrender, and that she would have to crush her. She just wanted it all to look reasonably legitimate. "Step out of the Zoid and I will spare your life." She dropped the targeting crosshairs onto her damaged opponent, lining up both weapons.

A beeping form her Zoid's sensors caught her attention. The radar had detected something coming in from above, and fast. One, two… multiple contacts. There was a high pitched whistling noise and…

A huge explosion shook the building. A wall blew out, sending chunks of bricks, glass and metal flying. Thorne's Zoid bellowed as it was struck by debris, having been right next to the apparent explosion. A second or two later, there was another blast, this one a bit further away. A third explosion sent more roof crashing down near her.

Artillery, she thought. But who, and from where? Who would be shelling Freedom?

Before she could react, the Liger broke into a run, coming straight at her. At the last minute, it served, bashing one of its armoured feet into the side of the Darkhorn's head. As her Zoid staggered, it turned and ran, leaving through the newly-blasted hole in the wall.

Before she could recover, another explosion rocked the building, sending chunks of debris raining down on the Zoids inside. Ignoring the Gustav and the Gunsniper for the moment, she charged out after the fleeing Liger. It was already well ahead of her, and she knew that she had no chance of catching it.

Only one chance… she dropped her sights on to the enemy Zoid, preparing to open fire with the main guns. Before she could fire, however, there was another explosion, a shell going off near her Zoid. The Darkhorn was thrown sideways just as she fired, her shots going wide and tearing into surrounding buildings.

Clearing her head, she could see the liger in the distance, still running. She started after it, but the Darkhorn stumbled, one of its legs damaged in the blast. Damn it, she thought. The other Zoid was going to escape now… She balled up her fists, all but snarling with range.

"Captain Thorne." A voice began over the communicator. She recognized it instantly as being her commander. "Stand down immediately."

"But colonel-" She began. "I have the Red Claw on the run. I can apprehend them and-"

"No, captain." He cut her off. "The Freedom authorities have not given you permission to act within their city boundaries."

"Yes, colonel, but what does it matter?" She snarled back. "I saw an opportunity to end this threat now. The Defence Forces couldn't have handled it and-"

"That is not important." He cut her off. "You have been operating illegally within their city limits. You are to collect your men and withdraw immediately. Rendezvous with the rest of your unit at grid A-40. I have a new assignment for you. Do you understand."

"But colonel-"

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, colonel." She replied defeated. "Out." The communicator link closed.

As soon as she was confident that he wasn't listening, she slammed her fist into the console. "How dare he!" She shouted to herself. "Who cares about Freedom and the worms here? I should be able to-"

A bleep from her sensors cut her off. A lone Tank Zoid, its trailer heavily laden with supplies was trying to escape from the burning factory and slip past her. "Fine then." She slewed the beam gattling around, and opened fire on the fleeing Zoid. The shots tore through its hull, ripping the small Zoid apart. Even after it fell, she continued thumbing the trigger until it had been reduced to little more then scrap.

She watched the ruined Zoid for a moment, almost daring it to move. Then, her frustrations temporarily sated, she moved her Zoid off, leaving it behind.

**oOoOo**

Althiea's Hammer Rock shoved aside a pile of rubble, clambering out of it to look at the devastation around it. The factory had been all but flattened, with only a few partial walls still standing. Much of the area looked the same, with numerous buildings either half wrecked or burning. The devastation reminded her of what happened back at Sun Hill, making her wonder if it had been the same people.

The Red Claws were gone, that much was certain. She figured that they had attacked the city in order to occupy everyone and allow them to make their escape. She could only wonder how many of them had gotten away, or if the Peacekeepers had caught any… or, for that matter, the Blackstar.

"Hey Ali!" Rayvenne called out over the communicator. "You okay down there?"

"Uh, yeah." She checked her status board. Her Zoid was mostly fine, with most of the damage being only the amour. "How are you?"

"Well, I had an angry Reddler up my bum, but he seemed to have run off with the rest of the Bad Guys." She continued. "So I'm fine."

"And the others?" She looked around to see the Iguan and Gunsniper walking over to her position, the Gustav behind it. The three of them looked a little battered, but for the most part seemed to be fine.

"Well, we're not dead yet." Floyd called out. "But I could say a little more for our surroundings."

"So what's the plan from here?" Leanne asked. "I'm guessin' that the Claw ain't coming back here."

"And there's very few reasons for us to stay here." Jason continued.

"The Peacekeepers are still after us, but right now they're a little distracted." Floyd continued. "I figure that the Claws probably shot their way out of the city. I figure that we might as well take advantage of the damage those cats did and get ourselves out of here, before they turn up with a horse and noose team." The Gustav rolled past them, heading towards the city's gate. "Hop on if y'all want a lit."

"Sure." Althiea muttered as she looked around. In the distance, she could see the Darkhorn, limping off to elsewhere in the city. She remembered the feeling she'd had when she first saw it, and now knew where she had felt it before. It was just like the first time she'd seen the Trinity Liger.

**oOoOo**

Heinrich Jaeger watched the events unfold from the roof of a nearby factory, He'd taken an awful risk coming here, but at the same time, he wanted to know what was unfolding. The information Levisha had given him had sparked his curiosity, and he wanted to know more.

He watched the group of Zoids leave through a pair of binoculars. They were, in turn, connected to his laptop, which was recording everything he saw.

"Fascinating." He muttered to himself. He only hoped that Levisha could provide more information about what had gone on inside the factory. He, and many others, would be very interested in what had gone on.

"Who are you?" He asked himself as he watched the Hammer Rock.


	12. Alignment

Thorne sat in the cockpit of her Darkhorn, looking out over the empty expanse of blasted wasteland. Somewhere, out there near the horizon, the Zygra Empire ended, and the Drakken Empire began. One was an ancient and powerful empire that had been there since the earliest days of the planet's colonisation, the other was an upstart, born out of desperation.

The land around them was parched and baked, little more then hard earth and bare rock, with the occasional patch of scrub. Yet the fragmentary ruins of a house and several rusted pieces of metal told her that this place had once been prosperous. Like the Zygra empire, this place had become what it was today through conflict.

Her sensors beeped to indicate the approach of a trio of Zoids. The Darkhorn and Deadborder flanking her Zoid closed in, positioning their weapons to attack. She knew that the three Zoids approaching weren't hostile, yet it would still pay to be ready.

A trio of specs appeared on the horizon, their shapes shimmering in the heat haze. As they approached, she could make them out more. The Empire really were aiming to impress with their forces, she thought as she identified the first Zoid. She'd often wondered whether the modern Draken army could live up to the reputation it gained during the war, or whether it really was all show now.

The leader of the three was a large Liger, bigger then her own Zoid. It was black, with bright red highlights and what appeared to be a pair of orange wings folded across the back. Its bulk belied its massive speed and the sleek, curved shapes of its body. A single, massive horn jutted out from its forehead.

_An Energy Liger_, she thought. Probably the most powerful type of Zoid in the Empire's arsenal, and probably enough to rip Jenice's supposed legendary Liger apart. They definitely were aiming to impress. On its right side was a blue, bronze and gold Liger Zero X, matching its speed.

The identity of the third Zoid was something of a mystery to her. It resembled a black and red Sabre Tiger, but compared to the Sabre Tiger, its legs were shorter and the body was broader. It didn't appear to have many visible weapons, but large panels on its legs suggested that there was more concealed within. The Zoid had an aggressive, almost malicious look to it, emphasied by its sinister red eyes that seemed to glare straight at her.

S_o the Drakken Empire can build new Zoids after all_, she thought. _Why reveal it here, though. Are they trying to impress us? Or do they still see us as allies, and feel that they can reveal this new Zoid to us? _She certainly wanted to know what it was, and what exactly it was capable of.

The Energy Liger stopped some ten meters from her own Zoid, its two compatriots stopping behind it. For a moment, the two forces stared each other down, as if waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, the Imperial troops acted. The Energy Liger lay down, its cockpit swinging open to allow the pilot to exit his Zoid, and essentially signalling for her to do the same.

She lowered the Darkhorn's head and climbed out, walking towards the other pilot. As he approached, she could see that he was wearing the distinctive red, black and gold-trimmed uniform of the Imperial Guard. He removed his neruohelmet to reveal long, red hair tied back into a long ponytail, and green eyes.

Hair just like hers. Eyes like hers had been before.

_It's him_, she thought. _It would have to be him._

**oOoOo**

**Alignment**

**oOoOo**

"Captain Thorne." The Draken officer began, and saluted. His elaborate uniform couldn't have looked too much more different to her own gear. Yet, they were the same colours, which only seemed to emphasis the similarities. Tall, good looking, long red hair, green eyes… and both appearing younger then they are.

"Major O'Bannon." She replied with a salute.

"As per our treaty, I'm here to hand over a prisoner to your custody." He presented her with a clipboard with a form.

She took the board and studied the form. Everything seemed to be in order; prisoner details. Time and place of his arrest, the list of crimes and so on. All that was missing was the names and signatures of the officer delivering the prisoner, and the one accepting him. "Indeed." She casually replied. Theft of classified information, espionage, selling information, breaking and entering… He would be lucky if he ever saw daylight again. She casually signed off the form, then handed it back to him.

"Thank you." He replied and signed off the form. Tearing off a copy, he handed it back to her. "For your records, Captain."

She looked down at the records, then glanced up at him for a moment. Was he expecting something else, she wondered? "Hm." She added noncommittally. "Okay, bring him over."

O'Bannon nodded, then signalled to the Liger Zero X. A pod was lowered from the Zoid's belly, a pair of figures stepping out. One was gaunt and ragged, clad in a bland grey jumpsuit that looked somewhat worn. The second she recognised as being a soldier from the Draken imperial army. He was clad in a desert-brown longcoat with an armoured chest and shoulders, with a respirator and helmet completely concealing his features. He pushed the prisoner forwards.

A pair of her own soldiers formed up behind her. Clad in dull grey, almost black uniforms, like the Draken soldier, their faces were completely concealed and they wore chest and shoulder protectors. Unlike the Draken solider, their uniforms were a lot more streamlined, the respirators flat and featureless.

"Hey, quit prodding me." The prisoner called out, almost mockingly. "Oooh, go on, what's the big bad Empire gonna do? Gonna shoot me in the desert? Gonna bury me in the sand and leave me for the vultures? Gonna-" He stopped as he saw Throne and the two soldiers behind her.

He nervously turned to the Drakken soldier, then to O'Bannon. "Hey, come on, man." He began. "Come on, you… you can't do this to me!" He began wheezing, a look of panic on his face. "Seriously, man… what do you want? You can't let them take me!" Thorne's trooper grabbed him, and dragged him off. "Come on, man! You gotta help me! Please…"

Thorne stood there impassively, ignoring the man's pleas as he was dragged off. O'Bannon watched him, then turned back to her. "I don't know exactly what it is you Blackstars do with prisoners, but whatever it is, he seems to be afraid of it." He began. "In fact, that seems to happen a lot with prisoner exchanges. People take foolhardy risks in the Empire, rather then facing... whatever it is you do."

"So?" She began. "Is there a point to this?"

He turned to look at her. "I was hoping that we could talk, Ashleigh."

"Thorne. She replied. "This is a military situation, and, as such, the proper decorum is to address me by my title."

"You see, that's the problem." He began. "That's what I wanted to talk about." He looked into her angry, bright green eyes, the same eyes that all other Blackstars possessed. "What is your problem with me? I just want to know."

She turned back to her Zoid. "You exist." She stated flatly. "You are a permanent reminder of my family's great shame, and of my own failings."

"What is it?" He asked. "What exactly is wrong with your family, your past?"

"Ask your grandfather." She stated as she walked off. "We have the prisoner. You can report that to your superiors."

**oOoOo**

Nathan Winters stood in the middle of the street, looking around at the devastated buildings. A large factory was in front of him, now little more then a half collapsed, burnt out shell. Numerous other buildings around him were showing signs of combat damage, a number of them having collapsed or were on the verge of collapse. Some of the wreckage was still smouldering, while Emergency crews were still dousing a few other fires.

It was a scene that he was becoming all too familiar with. It reminded him very uncomfortably of an argument he'd had several months ago, with unforseen and tragic circumstances. And now it seemed that he was wrong.

His jurisdiction didn't normally include Freedom; its status as a semi-independent city-state within the Zygra empire meant that they maintained their own law enforcement and civil defence forces. However, a senior officer in their Defence Forces had requested the presence of a Zygra Paladin, claiming that this was a matter for the Empire to deal with. He'd just happened to be in the area.

He looked over the burnt out wreckage of what had been a Tank Zoid. It had been gutted by a high-powered, rapid-fire energy weapon. Whoever had destroyed it had kept firing well after they needed to in order to disable it. He didn't have an analysis yet, but he had a good idea what weapon was used to inflict the damage.

"Paladin Winters." A voice behind him caught his attention. Turning around, he could see Director Trinh, his liaison from the FDF. Trinh was also the man who had called him here.

"Director Trinh." He replied. "While I think you for your cooperation, I have to ask why I my presence was requested here. Under the terms of your treaty, the Zygra Empire's forces have no jurisdiction within Freedom's territory." Which pretty much ended at the city walls. Freedom had a very isolationist bent, presumably growing from its origins in the hard years of the last war. While they were a part of the Zygra empire, it seemed like the Empire's existence was only marginally tolerated… which was still better then they'd get from other states.

"It was a group of criminals from the Empire that caused this, Paladin Winters." He explained, producing a file. "We received a tip off that criminals fleeing form you had gone to ground here. When we moved to detain them, they fled and started all this." He indicated to the rubble. "I bought the files we collected form our customs officials on these individuals when they entered, so you'd know more."

"Thank you." He replied, and took the file. Opening it up he quickly scanned though them. Iguan, Hammer Rock, Sinker, Gun Sniper, Gustav… Hmmm… two very unusual Zoids there, but nothing outstanding. The names of the pilots didn't ring any bells. At least, not all of them. "Director Trinh, can I ask who tipped you off about these criminals?"

"An anonymous informant." He replied.

"I see." He closed the file and handed it back to Trinh. "I think, Director, that you and your men may have been taken for fools."

"I don't understand."

"Of these five, only one of them is wanted for anything within the Empire." He explained. "And even then, he's wanted for questioning regarding several matters. He has no criminal history." He looked around. "The others, well, we've got no records of them. I suspect that they have names and entries on the census, but beyond that, they have no criminal history within the empire."

"So…" Trinh began. "So then why were we sent after them?"

"The reports said that there was a second group of Zoids here." He began. "And a battle broke out between this group and the others. One group charged your front gates and fled, then this second group also left the city. I would say, Director, that you and your men were set up. One group tried to eliminate the other by having them captured by your men." And then, if my theory is right, they were going to somehow arrange to take one of them off your hands, he mentally added. And he knew which one too.

"So, they are not criminals?"

"No." He replied. "I suspect any actions they took against your men were in self-defence only."

"I see." He began.

"Could you say where these two groups went?" Winters asked.

"Both groups fled the city." Trinh admitted. "Due to heavy shelling, we were unable to pursue them.

_Heavy shelling_, he thought. _The same modus operandi as in the Sun Hill attack. We're definitely dealing with the same people here_. He remembered what he'd gathered from the attack on Sun Hill. The witnesses had reported a red and white Liger of unknown type leading the enemy forces. That worried him to no end. The only good thing he could see coming form all this was the fact that this force seemed to have been denied one of their bases of operations. "And you lost track of them after that?"

"Yes." Trinh admitted. "Our forces weren't prepared for such an attack taking place."

"I see."

"There was one other group involved." Trinh began.

"A Blackstar, right?" Winters asked.

"You knew?"

"I assumed it." He continued. "The damage done to this Tank Zoid was caused by a Hibilt Vulcan Cannon. The Godos inside looks like it was rammed by a Darkhorn." That had provoked some very disturbing images. He used a Godos, and seeing one destroyed like that had not been pleasant. "Can I ask how they were involved?"

"We, ah, believe that she had tracked a group of criminals to the city." He began. "She requested that she be allowed to search the city for these criminals. We refused."

"And then, by all appearances, she went ahead and did her own search." He finished. "You don't know the identity of the officer in question?"

"Captain Thorne." He replied. "She's left the city; she and her men departed shortly after the others did."

Thorne. That made sense. "Thank you, Director." He finished. "I'll collect statements regarding the other Zoids involved in the conflict. If I am correct, then they may be from a group we've been tracking for a while. The others, well, I can't do much about them for the moment. We've got no reason to go after them."

"And the Blackstar?" He asked.

"I can't do anything about her, you know that." He finished. "She has just as much autonomy from Zygra's laws as you do." He figured that the Freedom Government was going to lodge a protest with the Blackstars, and that it would be ignored. It always happened.

_Damn it_, he thought. _Things are going just as you said they would._

**oOoOo**

Floyd had recommended that they get the hell out of Freedom before the Peacekeeper forces had a chance to rally and figure out what was going on, or, for that matter, a shell got dropped on their collective heads. Everyone had agreed. Save for Jason. He'd said that this was their best single chance to track them down.

Unfortunately that plan hadn't come off. No sooner where they out of town then they'd come under attack from one of the two cannons that had been firing on the town. It was enough to scatter them and keep their heads down long enough for Jencie's troops to make a break for it. By the time that they'd gotten a chance to move, the Red Claw were long gone. Rayveene had gone out looking for them, but had broken off pursuit when she'd seen two other bad guys coming. She had no desire to fight both the Pteras and the Reddler at the same time.

In the end, they'd made camp well outside the city. The Peacekeeper forces hadn't come after them, so they figured that they were safe for the moment. They'd found a secluded hidey-hole on a ridge overlooking the city, from which they would be able to get adequate warning if someone was coming after them.

"Well, it looks pretty bad from up here." Leanne commented as she observed the city through a pair of binoculars. She was perched on top of a ridge, watching the area around them. She'd been muttering something about getting sniper training, and this being practice. "Looks like the whole industrial area we were in is rubble now."

"And the Peacekeepers?" Jason asked.

"I dunno." She replied. "I ain't seen any sign of them yet. Though I did spot something else a little while ago…" She trailed off.

"What was that?" He asked.

"A Zygra Godos and a couple of others travelin' with a Tank." She explained. "They entered the town a while back."

"Why didn't you mention this?" Jason snapped.

"You didn't say nothing about Zygra troops or people enterin' the city." She said, suddenly defensive. "Jus' the Peacekeepers an' anyone leaving."

"She's got you there, buddy." Rayvenne called out mischievously as she walked past. "Just admit it."

Over the other side of the camp, Althiea and Floyd had been going over the damage to their Zoids. For the most part it was light, save for a bad hit to the Hammer Rock's shoulder that they were currently working on. Altheia was, for one, enjoying it. She liked working with machines, and this sort of involved, hands-on work was the sort of experience that she enjoyed the most.

"Well, I think this may be a little better then it first looked." She admitted as she examined a few burnt frames. "I don't think they got me nearly as hard as I thought."

"Very good observation, Ali." Floyd replied as he casually waved around an odd-looking power tool. "We'll make a true genius of you yet."

She smiled as she wiped her hands on a dirty rag. "Thanks, Floyd. It's… its quite good to be doing this kind of practical, hands on-stuff."

"Well, I can see you have a talent for it…" He began. "Speaking of which… " He put down the tool. "Can I ask what it was that Jenice was after? She seemed to be quite interested in you."

"I wish I could tell you." Altheia quietly replied. "She basically grabbed me and put me down in front of that that… thing."

"The Trinity Liger?" Floyd asked.

Althiea nodded. "She wanted me to do… something with it. I don't know." She tried to find the words to explain exactly what had happened.

"Do something?" Floyd began. "She didn't say what it was or why?"

"She seemed to think that I could… I could somehow communicate with that Zoid." She explained. "Apparently, I did something to it back in Sun Hill. Only I have no idea what it was."

"Care to talk about it?"

She nodded. "I can only tell you what I told her. I was standing in the middle of the street when the Liger came barrelling straight towards me. Suddenly it stopped dead right in front of me. It roared, and then it ran off."

"Fascinating."

"Jenice told me that the Zoid wasn't responding to her controls." She nervously continued. "She hadn't told it to stop or anything, it just did such on its own accord."

"Hmmm…" Floyd rubbed his chin for a moment. "Now, did anything happen with the liger? Did you feel or sense anything from it?"

This was difficult. She really didn't know what had happened in there and the confusion of the battlefield had given her other things that she needed to worry about. Still… "There was… I don't know… it felt like there was something there. I'm not sure what it was." She glanced at him. 'It was just this… this feeling."

"I see…"

"The thing is…" She trailed off for a moment. "The thing is, I, I think I felt something similar with a different Zoid. That, uh, Darkhorn."

"Interesting, isn't it?" Floyd began. "You get a strange feeling off a modified Darkhorn and a legendary Zoid. Is there a connection, one must wonder."

She looked up at him. "You said that there was no such thing as a Trinity Liger." She'd wondered about that statement, given the evidence to the contrary. "You said that it wasn't real. Yet Jenice called her Zoid a Trinity Liger. We saw that it was real."

"Funny, that." He added. "The Trinity Liger doesn't exist. That much I, as the greatest genius in the entire Shelflands, am certain of." He grinned a broad, toothy grin. "Yet, at the same time, one can be seen to physically exist. How can this be?"

"I don't know…" She began. "I wish I did. Maybe, and just maybe, that would go some way to explaining what happened."

"Indeed." He continued. "This is a strange and interesting world that we live in. There is much about it that is unexplored and unexplained. Maybe this is just a part of it."

**oOoOo**

Jenice had made contingency plans for the possibility of abandoning their base of operations in Freedom. She'd discreetly set up several secondary bases of operations, as well as a number of field bases that she could disperse her forces to. This one had merely been the closest of them.

Pinnacle Base jutted out of the side of a mountain. Abandoned near the end of the last war, it was half ruined and largely forgotten. Enough of it remained intact that for Jenice to base her army there, however. Its location in the middle of a particularly desolate and blasted area of the wastelands made it remote, and unlikely that anyone would find it, which meant that it was an especially useful fallback when they were being pursued.

In her private office, she sat, studying an old photograph she kept in a journal. Things have changed, she thought. Of course, now they've changed for the better. I have my army. I have my legendary Zoid. The empire will know what I can do.

There was a knock on the door. She closed the journal, put it in her desk, and then stood, facing the windows. "Enter." She began.

"An old Hydra base, abandoned and forgotten." She heard Levisha's voice begin. "A nice choice."

"Just a pity they didn't leave any of their toys lying around." Bart continued. "If I could get my hands on some of their cool crap, then there's no telling what I could do."

Very little, you bloated ape, she thought to herself. You're just lucky that I don't have anyone better. "So what is our status?" She asked.

"We've only lost two Zoids." Levisha began. "A Godos and one of the Tanks that was hauling supplies."

"And troops?"

"About a dozen." She continued. "All expendables and easily replaced."

"What about our supply situation?" Jenice asked.

"Well that's the bad news." Bart began. "That explosion took out one of our supply bays to start with. We weren't able to carry off as much as we wanted to either. We're down to maybe fifty percent of ammo and other consumables. Of course, since we're out in the middle of nowhere, it's going to be a lot harder to replace them then it was in the middle of Freedom. I can repair our few damaged Zoids easy, but our capacity to keep going is going to be greatly reduced."

"Which brings me to another issue." Levisha began. "Our men are a little shaken about having to leave Freedom suddenly. A lot of them haven't left the city before, or at least not gone this far. Furthermore, we're pretty remote form any chance for recreation. They can't just go down the road and get drunk."

"You're saying we have a morale issue?"

"We will." Levisha continued. "I was thinking that for motivation, we could put together some raiding parties and launch small, rather arbitrary raids. While it may not achieve much, it'll give the troops something to occupy themselves with."

"Good idea." Jenice nodded. "I'll want a list of possible targets as soon as possible."

"Yes commander."

Jencie stood, turning to face them, her form silhouetted against the setting sun. "We have been wounded and we have suffered a great setback. However, the Red Claw will not be defeated." She looked at the pair of them. "I raised this army to change the Empire and I will not allow something like this to stop me."

"Anything else, Commander?" Levisha asked.

"Levisha, if you could begin work on preparing the troops."

"Yes, commander." She saluted, and left."

"Somefin' up, commander?" Bart asked.

"You analysed the leg armour on my Liger, right?" Levisha began

"Yeah..." Bart replied, wiping his nose on his arm.

"Well?" She asked. "It was supposed to be able to stop a hit like that."

"Yeah, that's the thing." He began. "Y'see, I worked on a Hyperbeam cannon back in my Auroran army days. Y'see, the shield shoulda been able to take it. Of course, what that Darkhorn hit ya with had been charged up through that dark energy crap. The 'Horn had absorbed enough per to enhance its cannon, so it was firing at well over spec output."

That made sense. Still, there was something not quite right about it. "Even then, it shouldn't have sheared straight off the hull like that, should it?"

"Well, probably not." Bart replied. "But it seems that them mounting on that shield wasn't all it was cracked up to be either."

"Explain." Her eyes narrowed.

"Well, I checked it against the other shield. Both of them have really, really bodgey mountings that were liable to shear off if attacked by anything big. It just so happened that ya got hit with one big-arse shot first time." He snorted loudly. "For a legendary Zoid, whoever built it did a pretty crappy job with those shields."

"Be quiet, you oaf!" She shouted as she slammed her fist into the table. "I will deal with this problem myself. You're dismissed, Bart. Begin work on repairing the rest of our Zoids."

"Yes, commander." He replied, somewhat nervously. He left the office, closing the door behind him.

Jenice turned to look out at the setting sun. She had very little regard for Bart. He was a skilled technician, true, but his knowledge was rather limited in areas… and he was quite repulsive. Still, he was the best she had. For now, at least.

_I will not give up_, she thought. _I have come too far now to let anything like this get in my way._

**oOoOo**

In the end, repairing the Zoids had taken surprisingly little time, given all that they'd been through. Altheia had commented that Leanne and Rayvenne had done a surprisingly good job, given their lack of qualifications. Floyd had, of course, bragged that it was all about their excellent supervisor who had instructed them every step of the way.

This of course left them with the big question of where they were going from here. They'd lost all track of the Red Claw in the retreat from Freedom, and had no idea where they had gone. Furthermore, Altheia had begun to wonder if she was right in dragging the others into this; it was her cause, after all.

They'd gathered together around a campfire, slowly cooking some of the food they'd bought in freedom. After getting their attention, Althiea stood. "As you know, I'm going after the Red Claw for my own reasons." she began. "They attacked my home town, killing a large number of people and injuring many more, including one very close to me." She looked around at them. "I want to know why they did it. But it's not just that."

She glanced over at Floyd before continuing. "Something… something happened that day. Somehow, I was able to control or influence Jenice's liger. I want to know how that happened, and why I was able to do it. That is why I'm going after the Red Claw. I want… no I need answers to these things."

"Now I know that this will be a dangerous voyage. Despite what happened, the Red Claw are larger then all of us. Thus I can't order you to come with me." She concluded. "I'm willing to take them on alone, if needs be."

Jason stood up. "I'm going to admit something here as well." He began. 'I used to be a member of the Claw. Althiea knows this, and I suspect that Floyd may have guessed it."

Floyd nodded as if to agree with him. If Rayvenne or Leanne knew about this, they didn't react.

"I've seen what the Claw can do first hand. More importantly, I know what they're like." He continued. 'And I know that they must be stopped. Jencie is power-hungry and dangerous. Furthermore, she seems to want to destroy the Empire. I can't say why, but I do know that they're dangerous and need to be stopped." He glanced over at Althiea. "I'm coming with you, Ali. I want to stop them."

"Well, I don't know about vengeance or stuff like that. I guess my connection to the claw ain't that personal." Leanne spoke up. "But they framed me fer those shootings. Now I ain't happy about that, and I want to get the little creep who did it. 'sides, you two could use all the help you can get."

Althiea smiled. "Thanks, Leanne." She began. "I… I don't know what to say."

"Ah, fuggedaboutit." She replied. "There's no way in heck that I'm gonna let them get way with what they did." She looked more seriously at Altheia. "'sides that, who's to say what my happen next? I mean, I don't want something else like what happened to your home to happen anywhere else."

"You guys would be completely lost without me." Rayvenne began. "I mean, you'd loose your scout, your pathfinder, your early warning... and who would keep that crazy Pteras off of your backs?" She shrugged.

"You'll come too?" Altheia asked.

"Of course." She replied. "I'm the legendary masked sinker pilot. Aren't I have supposed to have fought Hydra, preserved freedom, been a famous ace pilot and stuff like that? I've got a fictional reputation to uphold."

"So, cats..." Floyd began "We got ourselves a road trip ahead of us. The question is, where in the heck are we going?"

"We need to find where the Red Claw are." Jason spoke up. "Its not like a small army of Zoids can just disappear into nowhere."

"You'd be surprised." Floyd spoke up. "During the last war, all manner of people vanished into all manner of places."

"At any rate, it still can't be that easy." Leanne continued. "I mean, they've got lots of troops and all."

"Hmmm…" Floyd pulled out and unrolled a very battered looking map from one of his pockets. "Well, we're here." He said, jabbing a finger into a ridge near Freedom. The latter looked a lot smaller and less important on the map, Althiea noticed.

"Well, how far could they have gone?" Rayvenne asked as she leaned over the map.

"Well, let's say that they didn't rush their Zoids." Althiea began. "And we'll also say that they were able to transport all their troops, so nobody's walking."

"A good assumption." Floyd began. "Now I think it's a fair bet that our two artillery hurlers were a pair of Cannon Torts, so that means that, if they're keeping everyone together, they have to be moving at a maximum of a hundred klicks per."

"Well, I saw a pair of small Zoids with a Tank outside the city, which I guessed was them." Rayvenne added.

"Well, we can assume that they're a part of the group then." Althiea continued. "So, we need to know what kind of transport assets Jenice had. Any ideas Jason?" She asked and glanced over to Jason. He was pretending to be studying the map, but seemed to be more intently focused on how far down Rayvenee's pants were cut. "Ahem, Jason…"

"What?" He asked.

"Noice." Floyd added, and whistled.

Leanne glared at him. "Pervert." She muttered, quietly.

"We need to know what kind of transportation Jenice has." Altheia repeated, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Well, last I recall she had about a half dozen tanks. All of them were equipped as transports."

"And she lost one to them Dark Zoids." Leanne added.

"What else?" Altheia asked.

"A single Gustav is her only Zoid transport." He continued. "But if I know the way she operates, she's probably loaded all the Tanks and the Gustav up with supplies.

"So how's she moving her troops?" Altheia continued.

"She had a small fleet of trucks that she'd acquired from various sources." Jason explained. "No real consistency of models though."

"But enough to move all her support personnel and infantry?"

"Probably." Jason nodded. "I didn't know much about her transport arrangements, but I know that she had enough to keep her force mobile. Of course, since she's using a mess of different vehicles, then that's going to make it difficult to predict exactly how fast she's going."

"Well, can we guess some sort of average?" Rayvenne asked.

"I suppose… being realistic, she probably is covering about 50 to 60 kilometres per hour." Althiea continued. "So, we could probably figure out a radius around Freedom where she could be."

"That's still a lot of ground." Jason noted.

"Yeah, but she can't cover all of that with Tank Zoids and trucks." Althiea countered. "We can figure out when she can't go, then work from there."

"Its kinda rough country around here, so that's gonna have to limit her a bit." Leanne spoke up.

"And she's not going to be able to go forever." Floyd finished. "So, cats, what's the plan?"

"Well, we could split up to cover as much territory as possible." Althiea began. "We operate in small groups and keep in constant contact with each other. Rayvenne might have to act as a go-between or courier to keep the lines of communication open."

"You can count on me, boss." She said, snapping off a mock salute.

"So that sound like the proverbial plan to everyone?" Floyd asked. There was a round of nods. "Well that's cool with me, cats. We can get started first thing in the AM."

Altheia looked around the group. "Once again, I can't thank you enough for doing this and helping me."

"We've all been burned by the Red Claws." Jason replied. "This is our chance to do something about it."

"'sides which, we ain't gonna let them get away with it." Leanne added.

Althiea smiled and nodded. Hopefully, together they would be able to stop the Red Claw, and at the same time, provide some answers to the riddles that were surrounding her.

Jason stood and walked over to her. "Um, Ali?" He quietly began. "I was wondering if, uh, we could have a quiet word."

She nodded having expected this for most of the day. The pair of them walked away form the campfire for a moment, leaving the others to begin eating. "So, what is it, Jason? She asked.

"It's…" He began. "It's about my background, what with me being a former member of the Red Claw and all…" He nervously began.

"I understand." She said. "And its okay, Jason."

"It is?" He asked, somewhat surprised.

"I can't speak for the others, but I'm fine with it." She began.

"You are?" He seemed to be genuinely surprised. "I mean, I hadn't expected this. I thought that you'd be all over me for it, wanting to boot me out or string me up or…"

She shook her head. "No, I'm okay with it." She began. "In fact, what you did indicates a great deal of strength of character."

"It does?"

"You were given a choice." She explained. "You had the option of power, but you chose to turn it down when you realised what came with it. That couldn't have been an easy decision to make."

"Thanks." He said. "I… I just wanted to do what was right."

She nodded. "Besides, I can't doubt your commitment to fighting the Claw. You did an awful lot for us back there in Freedom. And what you did helped us destroy their main base of operations, which as to be an advantage for us."

"Yeah…" He muttered. "Thanks, Ali."

"It's okay." She finished. "Your real worry is going to be explaining it to Leanne and Rayvenne."

"That…" He began. "That could be difficult."

"Good luck then." She finished. "So let's get back to them. You've got a lot of talking to do."

"Sure." He finished. "And let's get some food before they eat it all."

**oOoOo**

Levisha sat at a small desk in the main Zoid bay, examining the data she had downloaded from the Red Claw's Zoids. She was interested to see how its members had faired in combat against that other group of Zoids. Supposedly, it was to evaluate the performance of the troops so she cold improve their abilities. In truth, she was copying all of it and sending it off. There were others who were interested in the Claw's performance as well.

She was particularly interested in the performance of Jencie's Trinity Liger against the Blackstar and the others. She was surprised to find that Jenice had not performed that well; her Zoid having taken a surprising amount of damage and dealing out very little in return. Maybe it was just the situation in which she had been forced to fight or maybe it was that she was outnumbered, Levisha thought. Or maybe it was that either she or her so-called legendary Zoid weren't as good as she had previously believed.

Jenice was very defensive about the Zoid, however. She wouldn't let anyone except herself and Bart touch it, and even then she preferred to work on it herself. Naturally, she'd snuck a few looks at the Zoid herself, but never had the chance to get a more detailed inspection. She was fascinated by it. After all, it was surprisingly real for a supposedly non-existent Zoid. Still, all the data she'd gathered on it would be very useful, and certainly appreciated.

For the most part, she had found that the Red Claw's pilots were amateurish and clumsy at the best of times. They were the lowest of the low, who were attracted to the lure of the power that came from piloting a Zoid, a privilege normally restricted to a select few. She'd done her best to train and improve them, but they were still inexperienced. Most of them had never actually fought another Zoid in a real battle before.

She'd have to raise this with Jenice, actually. She needed the claw to be stronger in order for them to be a real threat to the empire. In truth, most of the pilots would be hard pressed to overcome a single Imperial Knight, even though for the most part, their Zoids were superior to those used by the Knights. More training was needed, and preferably more live-fire combat. Maybe these raids would help that.

The discovery of a traitor to the Red Claw had been surprising. She knew the profile of the type of people who the Claw recruited. Giving them a Zoid should be enough to satisfy them forever. Someone leaving was unthinkable. But then, he also said that they'd spent a night together. She knew she'd never slept with any other member of the Claw, but it was possible that she'd run across him before he was recruited. If anything, it was more of a surprise. She'd have thought that it would only give him more reasons to remain loyal.

"Um, Levisha?"

She peered up from her work to see Drake Tach standing nearby. As a member of the Elite, he was supposedly her equal in rank. While Jenice had effectively placed her as second in command of the organisation, the rank wasn't recognised as such. Thus the familiarity and lack of title. She didn't like it at all, but then, she didn't like most of the Elite. "What is it, Tach?" She asked, looking back at her work.

She didn't particularly like him or his sister, for different reasons. Drake was a competent pilot, but seemed to be fixated on her. Conversely, Gwen seemed to think that she was better then anyone else, and didn't mind endlessly whining about it. At times, Gwen seemed to be aping her look, which only served to further annoy her.

"I was wondering…" He began. "You know that Gunsniper I was chasing after? I was wondering if I could get another shot at recruiting her or, at least, her Zoid into the organisation."

She glanced up at him, fixing him with her angry red eyes. "Shouldn't you be asking Jenice about this?" She began.

"Well, I did, but she said that she was busy and that I should ask you since you were planning our operations at the moment." He gushed out.

She considered this. Drake wanted to go off on a personal vengeance trip against one of that group that had been such an annoyance of late. At best, he was going to eliminate one of them. At worst, he'd get himself killed. A win-win situation.

"Go ahead." She finished, hiding her smug smile behind her monitor.

**oOoOo**

Not too far northwest of Freedom were the ruins of a large town. At one stage, it had been one of the biggest metropolises of the entire wastelands. Now it was little more then a jumble of blasted concrete, yet another ugly scar on the face of the Empire and its territories. Ironically, it was the destruction of this town that had probably lead to the rise of Freedom.

Heinrich Jaeger had come here chasing after the Red Claw. He knew that they had a fallback base, but he didn't know exactly where. He'd considered this as an option, but it had turned out to be a dead end. Jenice must have planned well then, otherwise Levisha would have told him where they would be going.

A beeping from his watch caught his attention. Looking around, he found a suitable looking building. It had been one of the tallest in the town and, surprisingly enough, was still standing and looked to be sound. He sprinted into the building, and made his way up the stairs and onto the roof.

How could I have forgotten, he asked himself. I'm becoming careless. Sitting down, he opened up his backpack and pulled out his portable computer. Setting it up on the roof, he opened up the portable, then pulled out a second piece of equipment. He unfolded it into a small antenna, pointed straight up.

An icon on the screen blinked red for a moment, then flashed green to indicate that the satellite connection had been established. Next to it, a digital counter began, indicating how much time he had left before the connection ended. Good. Plenty of time.

"This is agent 73, beginning my weekly report." Jager began. "The Red Claw have suffered several setbacks resulting form the loss of equipment and their central base of operations, but they still remain a viable threat to the stability of the Zygra Empire. With the arrival of a Paladin in Freedom, I consider it likely that the Empire will devote more resources towards dealing with the Red Claw."

"In my opinion, we should continue to support the Claw. With the Empire focusing on them, we will have more freedom to act. I believe that our best strategy would be to arrange for them to discover a supply cache of parts and equipment, possibly even a small Zoid. Agent 340 would be able to provide more information on what would be appropriate."

"There is one other development that may pose a problem to our plans, however." He continued. He wasn't sure what to make of this development, but he felt that it was worth raising. "A small, independent group have recently begun acting against the Red Claw. They consist of four Zoids supported by a lone Gustav. This group has had a surprising degree of success against the Red Claw thus far, a fact that I attribute to their apparent leader being Dr Floyd Glass."

"I am also transmitting the battleroms that agent 340 acquired from the Red Claw. I suggest that you review index 7070 from the Trinity Liger." The review of the footage had been fascinating, and enlightening as well. "If the footage is any indicator, then it means that we may have found a new weapon that will greatly benefit our cause."

"Agent 73 out."

The computer processed for a moment, then sent all the information out through the transmitter. From there, he could only assume that it would reach its destination. Certainly he knew that it was unlikely that anyone picked it up; the technology to read the signal was well beyond what Zygra possessed. He packed up the laptop and his communications gear. Time for him to quietly slip into the background again until he was needed.


	13. Duel

"Hey Floyd?" Leanne began as her Gunsniper walked alongside his Gustav. "Y'all seem to know a lot about Jenice and her gang. Why's that?"

"Well, I don't know her personally." He began. "I mean, beyond her shouting at me to come back here, stop running away, surrender now, etcetera, etcetera." He paused for a moment. "More of I know her type."

"Her type?" Leanne asked. "What in the heck do you mean by that?"

"Ahhh…" He began. "Jenice is a good, old-fashioned wasteland warlord of the type you just don't get these days."

"Old fashioned type? What do you mean by that."

"Well, you know how before the war this was all a part of The Wastelands, right?"

"It looks like a wasteland now." She replied.

"No, the Wastelands." Floyd continued. "A vast area, devoid of any form of government or central authority, the only true neutral ground between the empire and the UZN."

"Oh, I knew that." She replied. What did he think she was, a schoolkid?

"Anyways, the Wastelands were full of unsavoury types; bandits, riders, pirates, mercenaries, wandering desert loonies, mass-murdering serial puppy kickers and the like." Floyd continued. "But on occasion, you'd get the odd self-styled warlord who'd built up a small army and tried to conquer or terrorise a comparatively large chunk of desert."

"So Jenice is like that, right?" She asked, wondering where she would have fit in. As far as she could tell, they weren't mercenaries and certainly not bandits or pirates.

"That's right." He continued. "Y'see, Jenice has the whole old-school desert warlord thing happening; small army, terrorising random cities, you name it. She's a trifle anachronistic, but she's still just as dangerous. And a snappy dresser to boot."

"I see…" She began. "So why ain't there any of them no more?"

"Well, a lot of them got squashed by Hydra during the war." Floyd began. "And a lot of them joined Hydra and got squashed anyway."

"But there's a lot of 'em still out here."

"Yes, but that's a tiny fraction of what they were like before the wear." He continued. "Most of those that survived turned their Zoids over in arms for amnesty type deals. Most of the guys you see these days are little more then wandering Thrashes in junk that probably was old before the war."

"Well that all makes sense, I guess." Leanne finished. "So, can I ask another question?"

"Shoot." Floyd confidently began.

"If there ain't no such thing as a Trinity Liger, then what in the heck is she piloting?"

"A good question." Floyd replied. "A very, very good question."

**oOoOo**

**Duel**

**oOoOo**

Looking from the cockpit of her Zoid, Jencie had to admire the two men that she was currently facing. Both of them, while only middling pilots, had shown a degree of courage and independence that would be admirable for any pilot. Of course, that was not going to help them.

"Are you certain about that?" She asked them again. "You know the benefits. Power. Strength. Wealth."

"Yeah, I know." The pilot of the Spartak replied. "But lady, frankly, we prefer to be our own men. We like to do things out way, not be jerked around by someone else."

"We had to go through a lot to win our freedom." The second pilot, in a Brox, continued. "We're not about to hand it over."

"I see." She could understand their viewpoint. The pair of them likely owned (or, more to the point, had stolen) their own Zoids, which gave them a certain degree of individual power. Certainly a pair of Zoids were a force to be reckoned with. From their accents and Zoids, she guessed that they were from the Auroran Republic, which would go some way towards explaining their independence.

"So, lady, no hard feelings, right?" The Spartak's pilot continued.

Jenice nodded to herself. Pity. She could have used pilots like them.

"Right?"

She opened up the Liger's throttle, charging straight at the Spartak. Leaping into the air, the Liger's strike laser claw swiped at the Spartak, leaving a brilliant golden trail behind it before it sliced into the side of the smaller Zoid's head. Jenice's Zoid landed in a crouch and roared as the Spartak collapsed behind it.

"Holy crap!" The Brox's pilot called out. Wheeling his Zoid around, he tried to make a break for it, fleeing as fast as possible. Around his Zoid, the few bandit foot solders also broke and ran, scattering. Jencie didn't care about them. She just wanted that Zoid.

The Liger charged forwards, closing on its opponent. She could have just bought it down with her beam cannons, but close combat was just a little more precise, not to mention more gratifying. The Brox opened fire with its twin back mounted cannons, the shots harmlessly bouncing off the Liger's leg shields.

Perfect, she thought. The Liger leaped on the fleeing Zoid, crushing its neck between its jaws. The Brox shuddered then stumbled, its body crashing to the ground while its head hung limply from the Liger's jaws. The Liger released it, letting the Zoid softly crash to the ground.

"Pathetic." She muttered, then opened up a comms channel. "Bart, you there?"

"Yes, boss." He replied. "What do ya want?"

"Recovery for two Zoids." She began. "Probably salvageable."

"Heh…" he began. "Negotiations went that well, did they?"

"Just hurry up."

"Sure thing, boss." He replied, then closed the channel.

Jenice looked over the two wrecked Zoids. Both of the probably could be put into decent working order again and pressed into her forces. The losses she'd taken in the last two weeks had been rather severe, more so then she was prepared to admit. And she needed every man and every Zoid that she could get if her plan was to succeed.

Recruiting these two pilots would have been nice, but just their Zoids were acceptable. After all, there were plenty more people who would gladly step up to take their place.

**oOoOo**

Floyd was finding talking with Leanne to be an interesting experience. Unlike Altheia who seemed to be perpetually nervy or Rayvenne who seemed to be more interested in talking about herself (or Jason who simply didn't seem to like talking at all. Typical brooding angsty loner cliché, he thought.), Leanne seemed to be very open and talkative.

Of course, she didn't seem to have that much to say, but she went ahead and said it anyway. She was clearly from a remote rural area of the empire (her accent betrayed that much) but there was more to it then that. He suspected that she didn't have much of an education and, despite a lot of her bluster, she was not too much more experienced at what she was doing then Althiea. On the other hand, she'd managed ti find a rather rare and powerful Zoid, which had probably been a bit of a leg-up in her wandering desert loonie career.

He'd gotten to wondering how much of her short tempered and aggressive nature was really her and how much of it was just a bluff to make her seem tougher then she actually was. From what the others had told him, she could certainly handle herself in a fight, and she seemed to be a reasonably skilled pilot.

This in turn had made him wonder how much of that was the Zoid speaking. Gunsnipers, with their advanced control and artificial intelligence systems, were very easy Zoids to learn and operate. They were also rather intelligent, and could easily support a bad pilot or enhance a good one.

"But if a desert warlord was in grasslands, would they be a desert warlord or what?" She asked, straight out of the blue.

Of course, her mind also seemed to wander a lot, which made him wonder just how good a sniper she'd be. He'd repaired her Zoid's tail cannon and re-stocked its ammunition, but he knew that a good Zoid was nothing without a good pilot. Just ask all those Geno-

His Zoid suddenly rocked on its base as an ear-piercing screech of tearing meatal seemed to fill his head, followed by a loud explosion. Before he could do anything, the Gustav settled back to the ground, slumping badly to one side.

"What in the heck jus' happened?" Leanne shouted.

"Yeeee…" He began, checking over the damage board. A shot had just torn through the side of his Zoid, smashing into the right front wheel and shattering it. Whole hid Zoid was operational and the system damage wasn't that bad, he was abruptly all but immobilised.

Checking his armour status, he could see that he was mostly fine. It had been a single, precise shot from an armour-piercing round that had taken him out, like a long-range sniper.

"There's snipers in them there hills!" He shouted out. "Git down, y'hear!"

The Gunsniper, which was on the other side of his Zoid to the attacker, immediately hiding behind the crippled Zoid's body. "Where is he?" She asked.

"No idea, little lady." He continued. "I ain't got nothing on the scope. No thermal, no radar, zip and nada."

"Crap!" She shouted. "What do we do?"

"Well…" He began. "You wanted some more sniper practice? Now's your chance."

**oOoOo**

Drake watched the Zoids in the valley below him through his Snipe Master's scope. The Gustav seemed to be out of action, one of its wheels damaged courtesy of his precise shooting. The Gunsniper was hiding behind it, clearly trying to protect itself from him. _A good move_, he thought, _but ultimately pointless_. From there, it couldn't fire back at him.

He'd gone after the Gustav first for several reasons. The first was a simple matter of it being the easier target; it was slow moving, couldn't react and, most importantly, was partially blocking his shot at the Gunsniper.

The second reason was a simple one. Even if the Gunsniper escaped, it would mean that he had captured Floyd Glass, the man who was at the top of Jenice's 'most wanted' list. If he could bring Floyd in, then the rewards would be incredible. He would have succeeded where everyone else in the Red Claw, even Levisha, had failed. He'd be the top dog.

Of course, bringing in that Gunsniper would just be a bonus.

_Yeah, that'd look good_. Bringing back Floyd and the Gunsniper would be a real coup for him. He'd have eliminated two of this band that had been giving them so much grief of late and bought back this man that Jenice was so set on hunting down.

Now all he needed to do was take care of that Gunsniper. And that couldn't be too hard.

**oOoOo**

"Where is he?" Leanne shouted. She couldn't see anything on any of her sensors, which worried her. She figured that she should have picked up something by now, some sign of the attacker. But none of her Gunsniper's sensors, even its 3D radar, had picked up anything.

"You know what I think?" Floyd began.

"Um… no." She replied.

"I think it's a Snipe Master what's been shootin' at us." He continued. "That'd explain why you ain't seen it yet."

"Say wha?"

"It's equipped with special baffles to mask your signatures, hiding from your sensors." Floyd explained. "So you won't be able to see it… except visually."

"Crap." She muttered. "So what do I do about it?"

"Well, I figure that he's somewhere above us and to our right… that's probably where the shot that got me came from."

"Right…" She scanned the ridges above them. Rocks, more rocks, some shrubs, a few ruins… nothing… Hang on… there was a glint of metal that caught her eye. There. That had to be him.

"I got you now!" She shouted as she squeezed the trigger. The Gunsniper opened up with one of its wrist cannons and one of the rocket pods. The shots tore into the rock around the ruins, sending chunks of stone flying and kicking up a huge cloud of dust, but doing precious little else.

"Whoa! Hold on there, little missy!" Floyd shouted. "You ain't gonna hit him from here with those-"

There was a sudden crack and rumble as a ridge above where she had been shooting sagged, then suddenly broke free, crashing down the slope in a cloud of rubble and dust. The rocks slammed into the ruined house, crushing them. In the midst of the confusion, she saw something dashing along the ridge, desperately trying to avoid the rockslide.

"Well fry my hide." Floyd began. "You got him."

"What do I do now?" She asked.

"Get after him!" He shouted. "While you've still got a chance!"

She opened up the Gunsniper's throttle and fired its boosters. Her Zoid leaped over the Gustav, landing further up the ridge. No sooner was it down then she broke into a run, heading after her opponent.

"You ain't gonna get away from me."

**oOoOo**

Even by the standards of the Western Empire, Bonalla was a rather small and anonymous town. It was far from most trading routes, and mainly served as a hub of a few local farms. There was very little to it, which in its own way was something of a blessing in disguise. It meant that the town was unlikely to come under attack by anyone, as they had nothing of any real value that anyone could take.

So it was something of a shock when a pair of shells slammed into the centre of the town. Several buildings around the blast were damaged and several people were injured, but all up the damage was surprisingly light. The damage was more of the shock suffered by its population, stunned that their small and seemingly insignificant town would be wantonly attacked.

"Citizens of Bonalla" Harry McNeil called out form the cockpit of his Cannon Tortoise as it slowly plodded towards the town, Malcolm's Zoid following close behind it. "As you have seen, your small town is very, very vulnerable to attack. A pair of Zoids could shell this place into rubble in a matter of minutes. For a small fee, myself and my brother here could ensure that such a thing would never occur."

This was what he lived for, Harry thought. This was the operation, his little scam that had made him the man that he was today. He and Malcolm had gotten their start as simple standover men; they threatened to beat people up unless they were paid not to. It had worked well back in Freedom, allowing them to make a fair amount of cash, and earn some power in the process. He was the brains of the operation, and Malcolm provided the muscle. Simple.

But then, one time they'd gotten lucky, and stumbled across a storehouse with a pair of Zoids inside. At first, the find of a pair of Cannon Tortoise had seemed a little disappointing. Far form the fastest or most spectacular Zoids around, they were normally rather unimpressive machines. But then, Harry had figured out what they could do with them. They simply upped the stakes in their little operation. Now, rather then threatening to shake down individuals or businesses, they threatened small towns for money.

And then they'd met up with Jenice. She didn't just see them as being a pair of thugs in Zoids, oh no. She realised that they were both very resourceful and very capable. She could see their value straight away, and made them a part of her operation. The sky seemed to be the limit from there. Of course, loosing the Freedom Base was a setback, but…

A black shadow passed over their Zoids. Glancing up, Harry could see a Zoid flying overhead, one with near-skeletal wings. "Bloody hell." He muttered to himself. "What's she doing here?"

As if in response, his communicator beeped. "What are you two doing down there?" Levisha hissed.

Harry respected Jenice. She was a strong and capable leader, and knew what she was doing. She also had the bollocks to take on the Empire, something very few other people would do. On the other hand, Levisha scared him. "We…" he began. "We was just engaged in a bit of resource gathering." Not entirely true, but good enough.

"You're jeopardising our location." She snapped. "You could give away our presence in this area."

"But we were just-"

"The empire is doubtless aware that we have a pair of Cannon Tortoise on our inventory." She continued, cutting him off. "As are the Freedom Defence Forces and possibly the Blackstars. Your stupid little raid could draw them to us."

"But-"

"Withdraw now." She snapped as her Pteras circled over them.

"Yeah…" Her muttered. "Returnin' to base."

"What's goin' on, Harry?" Malcolm asked.

"We're in a bit of trouble, I'd say." He glanced up at the Pteras. He could have said something back to her. Yeah, he could. But at the same time, he was worried about what may happen to him after that.

**oOoOo**

Leanne's Gunsniper crouched behind a rock, its tail gun sticking out over it. From the sniper cockpit, its pilot nervously surveyed the landscape. This was her first time using the tail gun for real; heck, she'd only just begun practicing with it yesterday. Now she was hunting around for an elusive, evasive enemy Zoid, one that she didn't have any way to spot, save for with her own eyes. And he was still likely on higher ground, where he could see her, and would have protection from her shot.

"Grr…" She muttered to herself. "Stop gettin' all scared about it. You gotta focus. You gotta get it together. Get it together. Get it together." She repeated it, like a mantra, as she searched for any sign of her unseen attacker.

She'd never planned on becoming a sniper. When she'd found the Gunsniper, she didn't even know its tail gun was disabled. She'd just planned to use it as a general-purpose infantry Zoid. Even without the tail gun, it was pretty well armed, fast and agile. Now she figured that her life depended on it.

_Hang on a sec_… She thought she saw something. A glint of sunlight off metal, further up the ridge. _Yeah, that had to be him_, she thought. _Nothing else that it could be._

She cautiously turned the Gunsniper to face the target, centring it in the middle of her sights. She gently squeezed the trigger, feeling the whole Zoid buck as it fired the round from its main cannon. Something up there exploded, kicking up a mess of dust and debris.

"Did I get him? She asked herself?"

A shadowy shape ran further along the ridge, heading away from where she was. "Dangit!" She shouted. "The heck…" She switched the Gunsniper back into its regular mode, waiting agonising seconds while its systems reconfigured. Having switched back, she turned the Zoid around, heading out after her opponent.

Only scant seconds after she took off, another round smashed into a rock just by her Zoid's head, spraying the canopy with stone pellets. She quickly fired the boosters, leaping the Zoid away, then ducking down behind a ridge. Her opponent had managed to switch modes, reposition themselves and line up a shot already. How in the heck had he done that?

Another shot blasted a tree just near her Zoid into oblivion. Yanking on the controls, she ducked down behind a ridge. "Ahh… crap." She muttered to herself. "How in the heck do I get him now?"

**oOoOo**

Thorne swung at the punching bag, mercilessly hammering it with her fists. She wasn't aiming to practice her speed or style, she just wanted to pummel it senseless. It was the first convenient object that she could find that could be the recipient of all her anger that had built up over the last few days.

She'd seen the result of her annual physical not too long after returning from the prisoner exchange. They were good. In fact, they were near perfect scores. And that was the problem; they were near perfect.

Meeting O'Bannon had only highlighted the problem for her. It was always there, something that would always be a part of her life. That one small gap, that one small flaw in her being. The one thing in her past that she couldn't hide or deny. No matter how good she was, how well she trained, how many enemies she defeated, she would always have that great stain on her past, her lineage's great shame.

And there he was, defying her. No, not just that. He was exposing that great failing, pointing out all that was wrong with her. The very fact that he existed was enough for her. And what did he want to do? He wanted to talk with her, as if he wanted to drag her down further. Why would she want to have anything to do with an outsider like him? And why him in particular? Her knew as well as she did about her great flaw. After all, he was a part of it.

She swung around in a wide arcing kick, slamming her foot into the side of the bag with a satisfying thump. There. She felt a little better. Not much, but…

A beeping form her communicator interrupted her train of thought. Leaving the bag alone for the moment, she picked it up form the pile of her gear. "Thorne here." She began.

"Captain Thorne." The voice on the other end of the line began. "Captain Beech here. Just a quick inquiry regarding the prisoner you bought in, the Paladin."

Yes, Sturm Trogdor. She remembered that one well. She had had fought Imperial Paladin for real, something that very few other people could claim. He had to be her most prestigious prisoner ever. "Yes, what about him?"

"We've held him for two weeks now." Beech continued. "By our treaty, we'll need to inform the Empire about him and arrange for a transfer."

"I understand." She began. Then an idea formed, one that she found quite pleasing and amusing at the same time. "Tell them that we will hand him over but, due to the dangerous nature of the prisoner, especially given his former role, we can only transfer him under certain circumstances…"

For her, life held very few pleasures. She should be free to enjoy them.

**oOoOo**

Drake smiled to himself as he searched for his opponent. The pilot didn't realise it, but they were simply outclassed in a battle like this. Not only was his Snipe Master all but invisible to the Gunsniper's sensors, it was also far better suited to a sniping duel.

The Snipe Master normally had a two-man crew, one pilot and a dedicated sniper. Even without a sniper, he was still far better then she was. His Zoid could shift between sniping and moving far faster then the older Gunsniper could. He could fire, reposition and fire again in far less time then it would have taken his opponent to do.

Besides, he simply had a better weapon. The Snipe Master's tail weapon was a far improved version of the Gun Sniper's own rifle. It boasted longer range, greater accuracy and improved penetration over the older model, as well as a host of other improvements. Not that it really mattered; one solid hit would be enough to put them away for good.

He also had his own insurance policy; a pair of CP-24 Flexible Boosters that he could use to make it easier for him to reposition. Besides enhancing his speed the boosters gave him far more mobility then the other Zoid had, allowing him to reach places that it wouldn't be able to, and find a better location to fire from. She didn't stand a chance.

Now all he needed to do was locate them.

The Snipe Master had the same 3D radar system as the Gunsniper so, in theory at least, he should have been able to spot his opponent easily. Of course, the broken terrain made it hard to for radar to track a target. He knew his opponent would be using the terrain to mask their presence as well as for cover, which meant that his radar wasn't going to be the most useful here. Additionally, while his Zoid was stealthy, its radar wasn't. His opponent may be able to locate him by watching for his radar, then track him down that way.

He had to be patient. He had to watch what he was doing. One false move could give him away, and then it would be history for him. Of course, he wasn't going to do that. He was the best shot in all of the Red Claw. He was a professional. He wouldn't mess up.

He and Gwen were relatively recent additions to the claw, but at the same time they were considered to be two of the most valuable and loyal. After all, they had approached Jenice to join, not the other way around. And they bought with them a pair of very valuable Zoids. Of course, if he could bring in Glass and the Gunsniper, then he'd show that he was a far better pilot then Gwen.

The pair of them had been like that for most of their lives, constantly trying to one-up or out-do each other. From the streets of Freedom where they'd grown up to the battlefield, they were constant competitors. Of course, that only served to make him sharp, and ready for combat. He had to be, in order to prove how good he was.

Now to take out that Gunsniper..

There was a clattering of rock below him. What was that, he wondered. Was it the Gunsniper moving around or just something natural? He could ill afford distractions, but at the same time, he didn't want to be caught unawares by the enemy Zoid.

Again, he heard the clattering of rock. A little closer this time. Glancing down the slope for a moment, he saw a few rocks skittering down the side of the hill. They're on the move… he thought. They're looking for me. They're getting closer too. A third time. Yes, they're coming closer. And if they're coming closer, then they might find me and take a shot and…

He repositioned the Snipe master, standing it up to point further down the ridge. It would expose him, but it would also give him a better shot at his opponent. Now… he frantically searched around. Where were they? Another clattering of rock. Closer again… somewhere below him. He angled up the shot some more. There… he could se something metallic there, something glinting, trying to hide under a ridge. Fat chance.

He squeezed the trigger and fired. His shot was dead on, but there was nothing to indicate a hit. No explosion, nothing to indicate the Zoid collapsing… had he missed it?

He searched around. What was happening? What was going on? Where was his opponent? A blur of motion caught his eye. Something sailed through the air, then hit the ridge below. There was a clattering of loos falling rocks…

He glanced down into the valley. The Gustav was down there, where he had left it. There was someone standing on one of its trailers, operating one of the consoles. As he watched in growing horror, he could see the crane arm picking up a rock, and readying to throw it…

**oOoOo**

"Now Leanne!" Floyd shouted over the communicator. "See that bright, shining target up there? You have to shoot for it, shoot with all your heart!"

The Snipe Master was standing on the side of a hill, almost completely exposed and in the middle of Leanne's sights. She'd been hiding in a hole, trying to get a shot at her opponent. Then, all of a sudden, he had provided her with one. "Yeah!" She shouted.

The Gunsniper bucked as she fired, the shot heading straight into the Snipe Master's side. The flexible booster mounted on the Zoid's flank took the shot, exploding in a brilliant ball of flame, leaving its side completely exposed.

"Ah, come on and reload already!" Leanne shouted as the Weapon clunked a new round into place. As she watched, the Snipe Master began scrambling away from the ridge, trying to get as far away as possible from its attacker and gain some cover. "No you don't!" She called out, then fired again.

The shot narrowly missed the Snipe Master, instead blasting apart a rock next to it and showering it with debris. All but panicking, the enemy Zoid leaped into the air on a single, unstable burst form its remaining booster. The Zoid's wobbling flight took it over a ridge, where it scrambled away and out of Leanne's sight.

"Ah, Heck!" She swore loudly. "Stupid dang sniper…"

"Don't worry about it, Leanne." Floyd began. "We've driven him off for now, and I doubt he'll be back. Certainly not after you shot his arse off like that."

"I guess…" she began, then trailed off.

"Say, uh, could you give me a little help down here?" Floyd added. "I've still got a hole in my side…"

**oOoOo**

Nathan Winters' Godos slowly marched across the desert, accompanied by his small entourage. With the ongoing problem with this rebel army, he had been assigned to work with a small task force, rather then work alone as he normally did. The theory went that a team of Zygra knights, lead by a Paladin, should be able to handle any foes.

Following what he'd seen in Sun Hill and Freedom, he wasn't so sure.

His own Godos was at the head of the formation, with a Tank Zoid behind him. At the back of the team was a Gorgodos, assigned to provide long range sensory and communications support. An Elephantus and a Hydocker rounded out the formation. Additionally, he had a squad of troops assigned to work with him, presently travelling in the tanks armoured transport trailer.

A squad of Pterasolos were on call for air support, but he would have preferred them to be directly attached to the team, but it was better then nothing.

The Eastern portion of the empire had always been difficult. There had always been a higher concentration of bandits and raiders here then anywhere else, and the independent city-states didn't make things any easier. And even then there was the threat of the Drakken Empire looming over them all. Still, he couldn't recall any time where things had been so bad that a Paladin required a support team.

At present, they were on the trail of the so-called Red Claw, the bandit army that had been terrorising the area. From what he had gathered, they had been responsible for the attacks on Sun Hill and Freedom, and probably a number of other incidents. It was hard to tell just how big their force was, but it was something else that disturbed him. They had some form of Liger, a high-end machine that was well beyond anything that the Empire's forces had.

He'd been wondering where they had gotten the Zoid from. None of the witnesses had been able to identify it, but he suspected that it was some form of Liger Zero, most likely the rare Imperial model judging from descriptions of its colouration. If that was the case, he still had to wonder where they had gotten it.

More importantly, he had to wonder about how he, or anyone else in the Zygra army, would stop it. A Liger Zero, even lacking any of the advanced CAS systems, still out-performed anything the Zygra forces fielded.

And that was on its own. Details of their army were still coming in bits and pieces, but it appeared that the Red Claw fielded a substantial force of Zoids, most of which were the equal of the Zoids that the Zygra forces fielded. He suspected, however, that there was a substantial gap in pilot quality. He'd hate to think that it was their only advantage.

A signal from the Gorgodos interrupted his thoughts. "Excuse me, sir." The pilot began. "There's a priority signal from Gayos for you."

"Put it through." He replied. Whatever it was, it certainly was important if it had come from the capital.

"Yes, commander."

There was a brief pop of static, then the communicator came to life again. "Paladin Winters, do you read me?" The voice on the other end of the line began. He recognised it immediately; an older man, but one with a distinguished, strong voice.

"Lord Dezalg." He began. Dezalg was the leader of the Paladins and one of the founders of the Empire. He was also Nathan's mentor and a good friend. "It's good to hear from you"

"It's good to hear from you too." He replied. "How are things going out there?"

"Not so good, I must admit." He began. "I'll have more details in my report."

"I see." Dezlag continued, sounding almost apprehensive. "Unfortunately, what I have to say probably won't improve matters."

This sounded bad. "Go on."

"The Blackstars have captured one of our 'most wanted' and want you to take him off their hands." He explained, almost reluctantly.

Nathan nodded to himself. As a part of their treaty, The Zygra Empire would hand over any prisoners that they had taken who the Blackstars were after, and they would do the same. Of course, some within the Blackstars were famous for making it as difficult as possible for Zygra to recover prisoners. "They asked for me specifically, right?"

"Yes."

That sounded pretty normal. In fact, he suspected who it was who had requested that it was him. "Can't we send someone else? I'm in the middle of an investigation here."

"Normally I'd agree with you." Dezalg continued. "However, this is a serious matter, and in this case I think it would be best to go with their request."

"Can I ask who it is?" If Dezalg was agreeing with the Blackstars, then it had to be severe.

"It's Sturm Trogdor." He replied, very reluctantly.

Nathan could almost feel the lump in his throat. Sturm Trogdor, the Black Paladin, the arch-traitor, the man who had dome more damage to the Empire then anyone else. Three months ago, he'd destroyed a town while trying to apprehend a criminal. Dozens had died, but plenty more had survived and spread the story about how an Imperial Paladin had murdered innocent civilians.

The Paladins were the highest authority in the Empire. They were the symbol of its strength, and the defenders of its people. For one of them to be defeated would have been disastrous. For one of them to be seen to turn on the very people he was sworn to protect and the empire who's laws he was sworn to uphold…

And now the Blackstars had him. It didn't get any worse. He has been hoping that he or another Paladin would have been the one to capture Trogdor. However, if he had been captured, then it was another blow. No Paladin had ever been defeated or captured. Until now.

"I understand." He finished. "Contact the Blackstars. Tell them I will be there as soon as possible."

**oOoOo**

The battle with the Snipe Master had forced them to abandon their search for the day. Floyd, realising that the Zoid may bring reinforcements, had called everyone else back to the valley. The idea was that they would be able to protect him while he repaired the Gustav. If all else failed and the worst came to the worst, then they would abandon the Gustav and run. Rayvenne hadn't been able to spot him from the air, but it could have just been that he was rather good at hiding.

Fortunately, that didn't eventuate. Either the Snipe Master hadn't made it back to the rest of his forces, or its pilot had for some reason chosen not to reveal their location. Either way, they seemed to be safe for now.

The damage to the Gustav was lighter then expected. The sniper round had gone straight through the shell and shattered the wheel, but left virtually everything else unharmed. Floyd happened to have a spare wheel ("Never leave home without it!"), but the Gustav would be left with a hole in its side for now.

Of course, it also meant that they had lost any chance they may have had of tracking down the Red Claw. They'd lost most of the day, which would only give them more time to get away.

"What I don't get is hwy they'd attack us with a lone Zoid." Jason began. "Jenice isn't stupid. She normally wouldn't send out a lone Zoid Even a sniper would have at least one escort."

"Maybe he was a scout or something." Rayvenne spoke up. "He spotted you guys and… pow!"

"That makes some degree of sense." Althiea continued. "He spotted you guys and decided to take a shot. If it's the same Snipe master as before, then he may still be after you, Leanne."

"Great. I got me an enemy now." She said, and sighed.

"Okay, the big question is, what do we do from here?" Jason asked. "We've basically lost track of the Red Claw, and there's no clear indication of where they would have gone."

"There may be one thing." Floyd began. "While we may have lost them, figure what they lost when we blew up their base back in Freedom."

"They lost their base." Leanne began

"Besides that, I mean."

"Well…" She started. "They ain't got a place to rest or repair their Zoids."

"And they would have lost a lot of supplies." Jason continued. "One of their ammo dumps went up, and I doubt they had the resources to move all their remaining ammo and consumables."

"As well as losing ready access to replacements." Althiea added. "Without Freedom's arms markets, they're going to have to raid or scavenge for parts, ammunition and other consumables."

"So unless they have a well stocked base already prepared…" Rayvenne added. "They've got nothing to live off."

"Exactly!" Floyd exclaimed as he stood up. "They need a fresh source of supplies. And they're not going to get enough to run an army off through raiding."

"So, um, where are they gonna get more from?" Leanne asked. "'cause if we can find that, then we'd find them."

"Well, they'd probably need a place approaching Freedom in size." Altheia stated. "And there's nowhere around like that which isn't a part of the Empire. I mean, I doubt they'd try anything like that in an Imperial controlled city. Besides, the sort of parts and equipment they need would be very hard to get in any place the Empire directly controls. So where does that leave them?"

That's when she noticed all eyes were on her.

"What?"

"They'd need to go to a city the size of Freedom." Jason muttered. "And one that was independent form the bloody Empire too."

"And there's only one place that could be." Rayvenne continued. "Ah, crap."

"What's up?" She asked.

"You wanted to know more about the Black Stars?" Jason asked. "Well, you're gonna find out."


	14. Black Star

The convoy of Zoids headed through the desert, travelling in what seemed to be near permanent silence. As they walked, Althiea looked around from the cockpit of her Hammer Rock, watching the rest of the group. Nobody had said anything to each other all day, save for her few attempts at making conversation. Floyd had at least made a handful of excuses.

Rayvenne's Sinker was currently resting on one of the Gustav's trailers; there had been some mutterings about it getting "blown out of the sky" otherwise. While she knew that a flying Zoid was rare and unusual, she couldn't see any reason why it would attract more attention now then at any previous stage.

The four Zoids continued in near silence. She'd quietly wondered what it was that nobody wanted to talk about. She figured that it had something to do with where they were going. Nobody had wanted to say too much beyond that. _Why was that_, she wondered. She knew it had something to do with these Black Star people, but that was it?

She was beginning to understand why people didn't want to talk about them. Every time they'd encountered one – the same one, she guessed – had been under difficult circumstances. The fight in the bar, the battle in Freedom, the desperate escape from the Red Claw; each time, they were there. _Was this it_, she wondered? _Did they bring violence and destruction wherever they went?_

The histories of the Empire that she had learned as she grew up had mentioned nothing of these people. But, from what she'd gathered, they had their origins somewhere in the Empire's early history. They seemed to be a part of the Empire, but yet apart from them

And then there was that one Zoid. What was it about that Darkhorn that made it different, that made her feel like she had some connection to it? Was it another legendary Zoid like the Trinity Liger?

"Heads up." Leanne began. "Two incomings fast."

"Don't do anything." Floyd continued. "Just keep walking."

She looked up as a pair of black shapes passed overhead at high speed. She couldn't see them clearly, but they looked like Redlers, like the one they had fought earlier.

"We must be close." Floyd began. She noted that he was speaking on a closed channel to her. "Look ahead, Ali, and tell me what you see."

Peering into the distance, she couldn't see anything at first. It was just another stretch of desert wastes, possibly a little more barren and desolate then others, but nothing special_. Was this place another product of the war,_ she asked herself. _Probably._

As the continued, she saw something. There was a black blob on the horizon, barely visible through the heat haze. Whatever it was, she noted, it wasn't moving at all. Rather, they were approaching it. As they continued, she realised what it was.

It was a city; one unlike any other place she had seen. Huge, thickly armoured walls, bigger then those that surrounded Freedom encompassed it, presumably in its entirety. Behind them lay what seemed to be an endless maze of towers, pipes, smokestacks and vents. Black smoke and the odd gout of flame billowed out from various points, giving the air around it a heavy, leaden colour. A group of five structures dominated the centre of the skyline; taller then anything else in the city, they were featureless, save for the odd pipe snaking its way down their sides. It was as starkly different from Freedom as Freedom had been from Sun Hill. The only similarity she could see was the colour; a uniform dull grey that seemed to cover ever surface.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"This city used to have a name once." Floyd replied. "Nobody remembers what it was. Now, the people just call it the Black Star."

**oOoOo**

**Black Star**

**oOoOo**

Nathan winters stopped his Godos in front of the massive iron gates and waited. The rest of his convoy had halted behind him. He'd already contacted the Blackstar authorities and they knew he was coming. Now, he figured, they were just making his life difficult, as always.

He looked around at the walls and gate. They were showing some signs of wear and age; streaks of grime and rust, likely caused by the pollution from the numerous heavy industries, streaked their surfaces. At the same time, he figured, they probably were fully functional and capable of repelling all but the most determined of attacks. There were still signs of the last time someone had attacked the city; the odd laser scar or bullet hole in the walls.

A loud clanking noise caught his attention. He turned back to the gates to see them opening slowly, the huge black five-pointed star emblazoned on their front splitting in half as they separated. Behind them, as they opened, he caught a glimpse of a massive black shape waiting behind them. A pair if green eyes watched their Zoids as they approached.

A Darkhorn, he thought. No, not that; a particular Darkhorn. He didn't need to see the twin cannons on its back to know who was piloting that Zoid. He knew the way they thought, which meant that they would have sent a particular pilot to meet him.

"Paladin Winters." She began. "How good to see you."

"Captain Thorne." He replied. No sense in trying to be difficult. "We've come for the prisoner."

"Ah, Paladin Trogdor." She continued. "I am so glad that they chose to send you to collect him. He is, after all, a very valuable prisoner. I would expect no less then the Empire's finest to be allowed to deliver such a dangerous traitor."

_You just requested that I come to collect him so you could rub it in, didn't you?_ He thought to himself. He would have come anyway for this case if they'd said who it was. But their requesting him was a calculated insult; a deliberate slap in the face. He could only wonder what Sturm himself would say about it. Their continued use of his rank, when he had already been stripped of it by the Emperor himself, had to be deliberate. "Indeed." He replied.

"And such a dangerous prisoner as well." She added. "After all, he did defeat three Zygra knights and a Paladin before being captured."

_And it was you who defeated him, right?_ _Yes, I can see that. A Blackstar achieves what a Zygra Paladin could not. You must have loved that._ "May we proceed? I would like to get this situation resolved as soon as possible."

"Certainly." She replied. The Darkhorn turned and proceeded though the inner gates into the city proper. Signalling to his squad, Nathan followed her inside.

_And the sooner this is done with, the better_

**oOoOo**

One of the security officers by the gate watched the convoy proceed into the city. Having waited for it to leave, he activated his personal communicator. This information was very valuable. There would be people who needed to know about it.

**oOoOo**

Althiea couldn't help but feel intimidated as their Zoids stepped inside the gates. The sheer scale of the walls alone was daunting; she wondered just how thick and how strong they were. She had quietly suspected that they were designed to repel or hold off virtually any attacker, even up to the legendary Zoids that she had read about, like the Deathsaurer.

As soon as their Zoids entered through the first set of gates, they were stopped by a second set, the first lot sliding shut behind them. At the same time, a squadron of troops entered from a doorway in the side wall. "Step out of the Zoids, please." One of them began. The soldiers wore dull grey urban camouflage uniforms with armoured chests and shoulders, helmets and some sort of mask over their faces. They couldn't have looked too much more different from the Imperial troops she was used to seeing.

"What do we do?" She asked. The soldiers had rifles slung over their backs. As far as she could tell, there was no way for them to leave the courtyard without breaking through the gates or climbing over the wall – neither of which seemed remotely feasible.

"Just go along with them for the moment." Jason replied. "They're just going to check us, like the guards did in Freedom."

"Time to make yourself familiar with their barbaric customs." Floyd added.

The five of them were led into an office built into one of the walls. A soldier took their weapons placing them into a storage locker. Each one of them were handed a form requesting their details. It's just like what happened in Freedom, she thought. Nothing to worry about.

Following submission of the forms, however, they were each lead off individually to separate rooms. Althiea found that she was fingerprinted, photographed (both face and profile, lined up against a height graph), was required to provide blood and skin samples, had a scan done of her right eye (which left her blinking for a moment) and had the back of her neck poked several times, seemingly for good measure.

She was lead back into the main room where Floyd was already waiting. "Have fun?" He asked.

"Not really." She replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "Isn't this a bit unnecessary?"

"Probably." He replied. "But it's their way of doing things. To them, this is like saying 'Hello! How are you? How's the kids?'. Think of it as being a 'getting to know you' session."

"You shined a light in my eye and poked the back of my neck when we first met." She coldly added.

"That was professional. It was in the name of scientific inquiry."

"Right." Althiea looked at him warily. "So what's keeping the others? And how did you get out so quickly?"

"Well, I've been here before so…"

A soldier entered from outside and passed some sort of data disk to another one. "What's he got there?" She quietly asked.

"That'll be info they've skimmed from the Zoid's computers." Floyd replied. "Basically, they're checking if there's anything suspect about 'em. You know, if they're stolen or anything like that."

"Right." She looked around at the soldiers. "So these are Blackstars then?"

"No." He said. "Well, it's complicated. See that guys eyes. What colour are they?"

"Brown."

"Exactly. Now the term 'Blackstar' could refer to these guys simply because, well, they're from this place. But in its more general use, it refers to a specific group from this city."

"And who are they?"

"Remember that female Zoid pilot that you guys ran across in the bar?" He began. "They recognised her as one. Why?"

"Something about her eyes…" She glanced at the man behind the desk. "They were green, very bright green."

"Like those of a Dark Zoid, right?"

She nodded. "So…"

Before she could say anything, Rayvenne entered, rubbing the back of her neck. "Geez, who do these clowns think they are, pushing us around like that?"

"Blackstar security forces." Floyd replied, completely deadpan.

"Well yeah…" She muttered.

"Get yer damn hands off me!" Leanne snapped as she was escorted back into the room by a soldier. "

"Any problems?" Another one asked him as he approached.

"Just very uncooperative." He let her go. "Wait here."

"Are you okay?" Althiea asked.

"Jus' got a sore arm and a sore neck and seein' spots in font of mah eyes." She replied angrily, then glanced at the soldier. "Why in the heck do they need to poke me so much anyway?"

"You there, Ms Wilds." The soldier behind the desk began. "You pilot the Gunsniper, correct?"

"Well… yeah." She replied. "So what about it?"

"Where did you find it?" He asked.

"In an old storage bunker." She began. "It looked like it had been there a while."

"And how long have you had it?"

"About six months. Maybe a bit less." She shrugged. "And?"

"Nothing." He replied. "Thank you."

"Right…" She turned to Floyd. "What in the heck was that about?"

"Your Zoid probably came up as lost or stolen or something like that." He replied. "However, I'd say that if it was, it has been years since anyone was looking for it."

Jason entered, scowling. "What's with these guys?" He muttered. "I mean, are they paranoid or something?"

"Probably." Rayvenne replied. "They gave us all the full poking, printing and photographing routine."

"Excuse me." The soldier behind the desk stood up. "We've completed your registration. Your Zoids will be taken by our forces and stored until such time that you depart. You will be escorted to the residential district where you can find a place to stay while you are present. You are not to leave the residential district until such time as you are ready to leave the cit, at which point you will contact the authorities there. Your weapons and Zoids will be returned to you at that time. If you wish to get any personal belongings, please do so now."

"Friendly." Rayvenne muttered.

Some minutes later, they found themselves being bustled towards an overhead rail station, carrying whatever they had been able to stuff into their packs or pockets. Ss they waited at the station, Althiela spotted something below. It was their Zoids, being taken away; her Hammer Rock and the Sinker on Floyd's Gustav; the Iguan and Gunsniper on a second, dull grey one.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" She asked herself.

"Ah relax." Floyd loudly replied. "The customs around here are surprisingly clean and honest, if a bit pushy and ruthless."

She glanced at the soldier leading them. Yes, she could see that.

Arriving at the station, they were herded onto a train that had just pulled in. She noticed that there was nobody onboard their carriage apart from them, their escort and another soldier. The train pulled out with a jolt, heading away from the city.

There was a thin layer of grime covering the outside of the windows. Despite this, Althiea couldn't help but stare out at the city as they left the station. It was unlike anything she'd seen before. The buildings were tightly packed in and soared well above the railway. She couldn't see any clear distinction of what was residential and what was industrial in the city; the two seemed to sprawl over and intermesh with each other. Everything seemed to be designed to make the most use of the space available, but it didn't seem to give much consideration to the comfort and conditions of those who lived there.

"Stop starin' out the window and makin' us look like a buncha hicks." Leanne muttered.

"Sorry." She muttered, then turned back. Leaane was looking out the window herself, her face all but pressed up against it.

"Interesting sight, isn't it?" Floyd began.

"Yeah…" She replied. "Its just amazing… I didn't know any place like this existed."

"Well, few of them do any more." Floyd replied. "There's one or two places in the Draken Empire but that's about it. Course, it's not a patch on some of the megacities of old."

"Huh?"

"Tempus… now that was a stinking industrial pile. All gone now, of course."

"Right. The war?"

Floyd nodded. "Yeah, that's it."

They passed over a large wall, apparently entering another part of the city. Althiea couldn't help but notice how different it was to what she'd seen so far. The buildings were usually smaller; being only a few stories high for the most part. They also seemed to be of a far simpler construction. Many of them looked run down, but were clearly inhabited. "What is this place?" She asked.

"Our home for the moment." Floyd replied as the carriage came to a halt inside a station. The door opened, the soldier gesturing for them to leave.

They stepped out of the carriage onto a platform that was shorter then the train. Althiea noticed that none of the other doors were open, and nobody else was getting off. There was another guard waiting at the exit. The soldier who came with them handed him a small device – some sort of miniaturised computer, Althiea guessed - which he checked.

"This is the temporary residential district." The soldier began. "You are restricted to this district for the duration of your stay. Should you wish to leave the district, return to the station where you will be escorted back to the gates." He stepped aside, leaving them to their own devices.

Down on the street level, things looked different. If you ignored the huge walls surrounding the area and the massive towers overhead, it could almost be a regular town in the Empire. Well, if it wasn't so run down, she thought. She hadn't seen a place this bad since they were in Mount Thomas.

"Nice place." Rayvenne spoke up. "If you dig the whole garbage tip chic look."

"Even more charming then I'd imagined it." Jason added.

"Right." Floyd began. "This is the sector of the city that they dump any visitors in for the duration of their stay. Not very nice, I know, but then, they don't want us interacting with the peons or something like that."

"So what's the plan, boss?" Rayvenne asked. "As you're the one who knows why we came to this gord-forsaken hole."

"Same approach we used in Freedom, my dear." Floyd replied. "After we find a suitable place of accommodation, we get to work. Altheia and I will search for parts and equipment that may be useful, while you three will keep your ears to the ground and your noses to the grindstone, looking out for any sign of the Red Claw. I'm pretty confident that they will come here looking for parts."

"Any reason?" Jason asked.

"Because I say so. And I'm never, ever wrong."

**oOoOo**

After his entry into the city, Nathan Winters and his troops had been escorted through the city itself, towards its central core district. His own past experiences had told him that this was the true heart of the city. It was the home of the city's military, the organisation that were, after all, the whole reason for its existence.

They had been marshalled into a hanger inside one of the military bases, their Zoids parked off to one side of the main assembly area, left under the watchful eyes of the Dark Zoids that were normally housed here. Even when he had stepped out of the cockpit of his Godos, he wasn't afforded a break from the scrutiny. A pair of armoured soldiers arrived to escort him and his men further into the base.

It was a ritual he had been through several times before. With familiarity, it only seemed to grow more and more tiresome. The Blackstars seemed to enjoy putting him, or any other Zygra Paladin, through all this. _Why did they do it_, he wondered. _Is it some form of test to see just what we're made of? Or do they want to see what lengths we will go through to in order to fulfil our orders? Or do they just find it fun to lead us around and give us arbitrary orders?_

He and his men had been lead to a barracks inside the base, where they would stay until he was finished his business here. He had no desire to stay any longer then needed.

"You and your men will remain here until you are ready to depart." One of his escorts spoke up as he and his men entered the barracks. "Captain Thorne says that she is ready to begin the handover whenever you are." He knew that he could try and put her through the same things as she was and make him wait. But he also knew that he was above such petty behaviour. Also, in this case, the last thing he wanted to do was wait.

He took advantage of the opportunity to clean himself up after spending so long in his Zoid's cockpit. Following a quick shower and a shave, he changed into his full Paladin's dress uniform. Black pants and a white, high-collared shirt, topped off with a deep red jacket. It was trimmed with golden thread and braids, as well as golden epaulets. The richness of the uniform was supposed to convey the power and authority of the Paladins and, by extension, the Empire.

He knew that he would have to leave one part of his dress uniform here, however. His ceremonial broadsword, supposedly a part of the uniform, would not be permitted outside their barracks.

He stepped out of his quarters into the rec room where his men were waiting. Five Knights, all Zoid pilots waited there, along with the seven infantry that had travelled there on the Tank. As one, they turned to face him. Normally, this would be time for a bit of banter form the men; usually some comments about what the Blackstars were going to make him do to achieve his aims, and some jokes about their situation, being effectively imprisoned. Not today. They all knew who they were here for.

Sturm Trogdor. The Black Paladin. The Arch Traitor. The man who had done more damage to the Empire in the last six months then anyone else had done in nearly fifty years.

The whole idea of a Zygra Paladin going rouge was unthinkable. The idea that one would destroy a village and take dozens of innocent lives had never even been considered. And the idea that he would turn on his former comrades and the Empire that he was supposed to defend was simply too horrible to contemplate.

He was at least thankful that the Blackstars had captured him. Nathan didn't want to think about what would have happened had he defected, claimed political asylum or voluntarily gone into Blackstar custody. Maybe there was still some hope for the man.

"Men, this has been a very trying chapter for all of us." He began. "Hopefully, today, we can bring it to an end. The wounds inflicted on the honour and integrity of the Zygra empire by this whole incident have been deep and painful However, I believe that we can heal them. Bringing this man into custody will be the first step in that healing process." He looked over them all. "I thank you all for your support in this time. I can only hope that the Blackstars will be a fraction as accommodating as you've been."

Rashad, the senior knight of the force, nodded his head. "Thank you, Commander. We all wish you the best in this trying hour."

He turned to face the door, then pressed a button on the communicator there. "Tell Captain Thorne that I'm ready to see her now."

**oOoOo**

A mismatched group of trucks crawled through the desert, a lone, battered Dontress leading them. The area around them seemed to be abandoned, little more then barren wastes. In truth, it was anything but.

From the cockpit of her Pteras, Levisha watched the convoy. She'd located them, a group of smugglers, transporting black market weapons across the outer fringes of the Zygra Empire. A group like that would make a perfect training target for the Red Claw's pilots.

They seemed to be blissfully unaware of her presence thus far. Not surprising. She was probably well out of the range of the Dontress' sensors. And the rest of her group were well hidden. Time for her to make her move. "Now." She spoke into her communicator.

There was an explosion of sand as a group of Zoids emerged form their temporary shelter. A silver and red Geruder led the team in their charge, heading straight for the convoy. Before the Dontress pilot knew what was going on, their Zoid had been literally torn apart by a pair of blasts from the Geruder's cannons.

The convoy vehicles reacted predictably buy splitting up, trying to head off in different directions. Each of their drivers was taking an 'every man for himself' stance that didn't involve helping out his colleagues. It wasn't doing them any good.

"They're separating." She began. "Round them up and bring them back."

There was a quick chorus of replies as the other Zoids went into action. A Brox, newly repaired and assigned to a recent recruit, charged in. The Zoid slid across the sands, coming to a halt in front of a fleeing truck. The truck span around, heading back the way it had come, towards the wrecked Dontress.

To the south, a Demantis buzzed over the desert, spraying fire form its back-mounted Phalanx cannon at a fleeing vehicle. The spray of fire was aimed not to take it out, but to cut it off and force it to turn back.

On another flank, a fast moving Spiderzoid cut off a truck, its driver swerving and heading back towards the centre of the group. A quick burst of fire form its rear mounted machine guns headed off another one, steering it back to the group where a purple Gator waited.

_Good._ They'd bought in just about the entire convoy and its load intact. It had been a considerable success for her. Not only had it allowed the Red Claw troops to gain some valuable experience, it had netted them a considerable amount of supplies that they could use to replenish their dwindling stores.

A beeping noise told her that she had an incoming message. "Towne here." She began as she picked it up.

"It's Jaeger." The voice on the other end began.

"What?" She hissed. "I thought I told you never to contact me while I was on duty."

"I understand, but I thought you would like to know this." He explained. "And no, it cannot wait."

"Go on." She began.

"The Blackstars are preparing to hand over a prisoner to the Zygra Empire." He explained. "Thing is, this prisoner is Sturm Trogdor."

_Now that was worth it_. They'd tried to track him down after he went renegade, but with no luck. Jenice had wanted to bring him in to the organisation as one of her elite pilots. And if he refused that, they had figured that he would make a valuable propaganda tool; after all, very few people could claim to have beaten a Zygra Paladin in combat.

"When?" She asked.

"A Zygra team arrived earlier today." He replied. "I can't say when they'd be releasing him; you know how the Blackstars are."

"Very much so." She replied. "Still, this is an interesting development. Keep me informed if anything changes."

The Pteras wheeled around, turning to head back to Pinnacle Base. "Towne to Nogroko." She began, opening up a channel to her troops on the ground. "Round up the vehicles and lead them back to Pinnacle. I'm heading back to base to see the commander." It flew off, heading back towards the mountains. This was a very interesting development indeed. Now to see what came of it.

**oOoOo**

After spending a while seemingly wandering aimlessly, Floyd had located and arbitrarily selected a guesthouse for them to stay in. From Althiea's observations, it had formerly been a rather spacious two-story house that had been ruthlessly subdivided in recent years. They'd gotten a pair of bunkrooms upstairs; one for Floyd and Jason, the other for her, Leanne and Rayvenne.

She stood at the window of her upstairs room, looking out at the city beyond. The "international Zone" (as Floyd called it) stretched out beyond the house, heading towards the centre of the city. Looking around, she could see that it was walled in, separated from the rest of the city. While the run down houses that made up most of the area were rather shabby-looking, they had a fair amount of space between them, and seemed to her to be that much more liveable then the concrete monoliths that surrounded them.

A derelict section of an overhead rail system, badly rusted and rather run down, past the house, a support pillar jabbing down into the back yard. She assumed that it was some older system that had been replaced with the newer one that they had arrived on. Now it was being used to support infrastructure, with water and power supply lines grafted onto its side. It made for an interesting contrast to the world around her, she thought.

"Will yer stop hangin' yer underwear out on the outside of the room!" Leanne shouted as she walked in, a pile of dirty clothes in her hands.

"Well where am I meant to hang it?" Rayvenne replied indignantly. "And what's wrong with me drying my stuff outside anyway?"

"I don' want people seein' it and assume I wear that kinda stuff. I don't want them to think I'm some sorta cheap girl in a g-string."

"Lee, trust me, there's no chance of anyone ever thinking that." Rayvenne added.

"Well that's okay then…" She trailed off. "Wait a sec, what's that meant to mean?"

A knock on the door cut off any reply, saving her from being caught in an argument. "Are you people even semi-decent?" Floyd began.

"Is she ever?" Leanne began, just asking for trouble.

Floyd stepped inside. "How's it going in here?" He asked her.

"Fine." She replied, glancing at the other two and cutting off any smart reply that Rayvenne may have made. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"Sure thing." Floyd replied, then turned to the other two girls. "Okay, cats, we've gotta fly. Catch you later."

The pair of them headed out into the city. From the ground, things looked a lot worse then they did from the air. Most of the roads in this area were either unpaved, or only partially covered in aged, broken asphalt. What little vegetation there was consisted of sparse patches of dry grass, leaving most of the ground bare. Many buildings were coated with a thin layer of grime, probably pollution from the main city itself.

"How did this place end up like this?" She asked as they walked. "Why don't they do anything about it?"

"Well, the place was a bit of a hole before the Blackstars came." Floyd replied. "By all reports, that is."

"But surely they would do something about it."

"Well, remember that this place is really only here for the benefit of those people insane enough to want to travel here." He explained. "The Blackstars themselves have no real interest in maintaining it. They tolerate it because it brings trade."

"Its just so... so different from the rest of their city." She continued as she glanced around. A train passed overhead, temporarily blotting out the conversation. "I can only wonder how it ended up like this."

"Well, the original inhabitants of this area were squeezed out by the arrival of the Blackstars." Floyd continued. "They all ended up in this area of the city and were left to their own devices while the city grew up around them." He gesticulated with his hand. "Most of the permanent residents here are descendants of those people. The rest of them are descended from the few loonies who want to live here."

"The arrival of the Blackstars?" She asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Hang on a sec…" Floyd began. "Right. You got your shopping list?"

She nodded. "I've got it on a clipboard in my satchel. I've covered everything I could think of."

"Clipboard… how quaint." Floyd muttered.

"Something up?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing." He replied. "Mind if I see it?"

"Sure…" She reached into the satchel and pulled out a list, handing it to Floyd.

"Thanks." He replied as he pulled a small device, similar in size to a pocket communicator out of one of his many deep pockets. "Let's see… he poked the screen of the device with a small pen. "Check, check, check and… wow, you thought of everything, Ali."

"Huh?" She asked, glancing at the device. It appeared to be a small computer of some sort. "Wow… where'd you get that?"

He shrugged, then added "Found it" as he stuck it back in his pocket. "Here we are."

They stopped outside a battered concrete structure that was one of the largest she had seen so far in the enclosed town. It appeared to just be a plain, rather bare concrete wall, with several entrance tunnels along its length. It was cracked and chipped, like everything else in the town. "Ready to go shopping?"

"Sure." She replied. "Where are we anyway?"

"The biggest legal illegal arms market in the whole Empire." He replied. "Come on."

The pair of them walked through the tunnel, emerging in what she guessed was some sort of stadium. The lowest level, what would have originally been the playing field, was crowded with stands, all manner of parts and weapons on display. She could hear the cries of vendors promoting their wares, while customers milled around, inspecting goods.

"This is an illegal arms market?" She asked. "How come it operates so… openly?"

"Because, like Freedom, Blackstar is an independent state within the empire. They can make their own rules."

"But why do they allow something like this to exist?"

Floyd shrugged. "Probably because it pisses the empire off. So let's go."

Glancing around, Althiea noticed several of the armoured soldiers that she had seen elsewhere in the city. A couple were moving through the crowd, while others watched from what would have been the stadium seating. "Funny thing is, this is easily the safest place in this area to be." Floyd spoke up. "There's always a cop around here."

They walked past several stands, inspecting goods and parts on display. Some of the stalls offered parts that seemed to be factory fresh, while others had what appeared to be little more then reconditioned junk. While she couldn't see any signs of whole Zoids, there were plenty of pieces around, even up to partial limbs.

"Do you think we'll be able to find what we're after?" She asked.

"More or less…" He trailed off. "Well, hello. Something's up here."

"What?" She asked. Floyd replied by pointing at a pair of figures, a man and a woman, walking through the crowd.

They stood out form those around them in a number of ways. Both of them were reasonably tall, fit and rather attractive. The woman had long black hair, while the man had shoulder-length blond hair. Both wore black outfits, cut to reveal a lot of skin. But it was their eyes that caught her attention; they were bright green. The same bright green as the Darkhorn pilot had. They moved with a rather confident stride, acting as if they owned the market and everything – and everyone – in it. A pair of armoured soldiers followed them, guns out and readied.

"Who are they?" She asked. "Are those… those are Blackstars, right?"

Floyd nodded. "Don't do or say anything. Remain calm. Just observe."

The pair of them stopped at a stall that had a number of Gyrocaps on display. The woman looked over the display and the stick behind the stall, then turned to the man behind the counter. "Where did you get this one?" She asked, indicating to a large, dull green cap.

"I-I found it." He stammered out. "Honestly. It was in a lot of junk that I bought."

"Well?" She asked her companion.

"Genuine original Darkhorn cap." He replied, looking over a small display on his wrist. "No doubts about it."

"But-"

"Search the stall and his wares." She continued, turning to one of the soldiers with her. "Confiscate any contraband items."

"Yes sir." The soldier replied. The pair of them entered the stall, moving out of Ali's sight.

"What was all that about?" She asked.

"Trading here is a double-edged sword." He explained. "You openly can sell arms that would be illegal anywhere else in the empire. At the same time, you've got to run the risk of the Imperial Stormtroopers coming along and stealing everything you have."

"I see…" She began. "And those people. Those are the ones that people call Blackstars, right?"

"That's right." Floyd replied. "Now, Althiea, using those two and the woman you saw in Freedom as a study group, what can you tell me are identifying features of Blackstars?"

She considered this for a moment. "It's a very small sample to go on, but…" She thought over what she had seen. "They're tall, fit, good looking and have bright green eyes, like those of a Dark Zoid. They wear rather revealing clothes, as if they want to show off their bodies. And they seem to act like they're in charge wherever they go."

"Correct on all counts." He replied.

"But surely they can't all look like that." She continued.

"You'd be surprised."

**oOoOo**

Nathan Winters followed Thorne through the maze of hallways inside the Blackstar base. She wasn't even pretending to wear a uniform, he noticed. Her revealingly cut black outfit couldn't have contrasted more with his elaborate uniform if he tried. And the problem was, he was the one who stood out in a supposed military establishment. He'd seen other Blackstars as he went, all displaying the features so typical of their type. Young, healthy, attractive and under-dressed.

They stepped through a door, into a darkened booth. Looking through a glass window (actually, from his experience, a one-way mirror) he could see a pair of soldiers, clad in their heavy body armour, waiting inside, guarding a single prisoner.

That's him, he thought. There was no mistaking him. He had long brown hair and dark brown, almost black eyes. His handsome face was marred by a scar running across his cheek, while his chin was covered in several days' worth of stubble. At the moment he was wearing a light grey jumpsuit with an identification number over the right breast pocket.

Sturm Trogdor, the Black Paladin. His former comrade in arms and friend.

"I'm ready." He began.

"Certainly. Thorne replied. She pressed a button on her communicator, and waited. The Guards opened the door to the interview room itself, and waited.

Nathan stepped inside, followed by Thorne. Waiting until the guards had left, he turned to face her. "You can do now." He began.

"No, I can't." She replied. "In a case such as this, one dealing with such a dangerous criminal, I feel that it would be in our best interests for me to sit in on the interview."

_So you can gloat over the fall of one of the Empire's protectors, and you can see all our dirty laundry aired before you, right?_ He felt like saying. But no, in this case, he would have to remain diplomatic. It was not conduct becoming of a Paladin. "Certainly."

The door closed behind them, the pair of them sitting down, facing Sturm. Thorne causally pressed a couple of buttons on her wrist computer. "Interview with Sturm Trogdor. Present in room are Captain Asheligh Thorne and Zygra Paladin Nathan Winters. Interview commencing 1400 hours."

"Good to see you again, Sir." Sturm began, cutting off Nathan before he could say anything.

"I wish I could say the same." Nathan coldly replied. "Sturm Trogdor, you have been charged with a number of serious offences. You acquired and used a black-market weapon. You destroyed a town. Killing seventy people and injuring thirty-seven more, as well as inflicting several hundred thousand crowns worth of damage and then killing a helpless prisoner. Then, rather then face the consequences of your actions you fled after threatening your squire. You then attacked a trio of Zygra Knights and later a Paladin. What do you have to say in your defence?"

"How is Paladin Lake doing?" He asked. "The damage to her Zoid was rather severe."

"She was badly injured." He replied coldly. "However, she hasn't suffered any permanent injuries and should be able to resume active service in a few months." Nathan looked him in the eye. "Why did you do it, Sturm?"

"To prove a point." He replied.

"How so?"

"Do you recall the argument we had a week before I tried to apprehend that criminal?" He asked.

"I do." Nathan replied.

"For the benefit of the record, could you explain this to me?" Thorne asked.

_Here it comes, _he thought. He knew what Sturm was going to say. He knew that Thorne would love every moment of it.

"Certainly. I would be deficient in my duty if I didn't." Sturm replied. "Paladin Winters and I engaged in a debate over the quality of weapons and Zoids issued to the Zygra army." He explained. "I believed that our Zoids were inadequate for the tasks we had to achieve. Paladin Winters maintained that the Zygra forces were still adequate to deal with any threat."

He looked at the pair of them, before continuing. "I felt that, for the good of the Empire as a whole, I needed to demonstrate my point. Your capture of me, Captain Thorne, served as a very good example."

"This is true." Thorne replied. "Mr Trogor fought rather well. Had he been using a more capable Zoid, he may have posed a substantial threat to me."

_You're just rubbing it in, aren't you?_ He thought to himself. _Not only is he a traitor, he's a traitor that we couldn't deal with ourselves. You're just using this as an opportunity to score points._ The smug look on her face told him that he was right.

"I felt that, if the Zygra army were to compete with the growing number of malcontents armed with Zoids, we would need better equipment." He continued. "As it stands, the average Zygra Knight has a Zoid that's usually outclassed. And the situation only looks to get worse."

"How so?" Thorne asked.

_Now you're egging him on, _he thought. _You know that he's going to turn this interview into a platform for his political manifesto. And you want to hear it, not because you believe in it, but because it makes us look bad. _"Is this really necessary?" He interrupted.

"It is for our records." She replied. "I want to get the full context of the events that lead up to this incident." She turned back to Sturm. "Do continue."

"The current period of growth of the Drakken Army is seeing them disposing of a number of older Zoids, many of which seem to be making their way into the Black Market. And while a Zygra knight may be able to hold his own against a Rev Rapter or Molga, what is he meant to do against a Black Rhimos or a Heldigunner? Or what about a Redhorn?"

"While I can understand your sentiments, Mr Trogdor, I hardly think that your actions were appropriate." She replied.

"And I have no doubt that the courts in Gayos will say the same thing." Nathan replied, trying to wind up this interview before Thorne made him look worse. "You do understand that you cannot claim asylum here. Under our treaty, you will be returned to the Empire and face trial."

"I do." He replied. "I've made my point. I'm sure that any trial will be a brief one; I've admitted my guilt and claimed responsibility for my actions. I know how the Empire will judge me. The question is, Paladin Winters; how will history? Will I be remembered as a traitor, or will my actions yet save the Empire?"

"An interesting question, Mr Trogdor." Thorne replied. "Do you have anything else to say in your defence before I hand you back to the Empire?"

"Nothing." He stated.

"Very well then." She stood. "Interview terminated. Paladin Winters is to take Mr Trogdor into custody for extradition and trial in the Empire." She opened the door, allowing the two soldiers to enter. "Mr Trogdor will remain in a holding cell until you are ready to depart. At that time, he will be handed over to you."

"Thank you." Nathan muttered through firmly clenched teeth as he stood. He was glad that this interview was over. Thorne had only managed to make what he knew would be a bad experience just that extra bit worse. The problem was that, judging by the rather pleased look on her face, she knew it.

_What was it about them_, he wondered. Why did they seem to enjoy making their lives so difficult? Why the seeming joy in the empire's misfortunes? He'd always thought that it was the result of some sort of superiority complex. Their very nature made them superior in many ways, but they seemed to have some overwhelming desire to prove it. It was why they seemed so arrogant, he assumed. Why they always seemed to push the empire around when it was possible. Why their people dressed so provocatively. It was their way of saying 'look at us. Look how much better then you we are.'

He glanced back at Trogdor. The look on his face told him that he was thinking the same thing, and that somebody should do something about it.

**oOoOo**

Jenice sat in her office, studying the landscape form her chair, an angry expression of her face. She'd just received a report that Levisha had returned to base without the rest of her raiding party, and without informing her why. That didn't sit very well with her. People in this organisation weren't meant to do things without telling her. And she didn't expect this sort of behaviour from Levisha, of all people.

She heard a knock on the door. "Enter." She began, standing as she spoke. She heard the sound of someone walking, then a pause.

"Commander." Levisha began.

"You had better have a very good explanation, Towne." She replied. "You left your men out in the middle of the desert during an operation."

"Yes, commander." She replied. "I do apologise, but I received some information that I felt was too sensitive to relay by any other means, and required urgent action."

"Go on." Jenice stated, angrily. "This had better be worth it."

"Yes commander." She replied. "I learned that the Blackstars are handing a prisoner over to the Zygra army. The Zygra forces will be departing their city later today to transport the prisoner to Gayos."

"And who is this prisoner?" She asked. "And why is this even remotely important to us?" The Blackstars handed prisoners over to the Empire on occasion. She failed to see how one would be of any real interest.

"The prisoner is former Paladin Sturm Trogdor." Levisha explained.

Jencie stopped. Sturm Trogdor... She'd heard about what had happened with him. She'd sent troops out to find him in the vain hope of recruiting him to her cause, but he'd gone to ground, trying to evade his perusers. The stories said that he'd only emerged to deliberately confront the Zygra forces after him.

And she had other reasons for wanting him on her army. She knew from personal experience just how capable a pilot he was, and how resourceful he could be. And, for that matter, a lot of other things about him.

She turned to face her subordinate. "You were right to bring this information to me, Levisha." She began. "This is a very important development, one that could prove to be incredibly beneficial to our cause."

"Yes commander."

"And they're moving him today…" She continued. "Right. I have a plan. Levisha, I will need you to coordinate the operation. Round up…" She studied her roster for a second. "Baktiyari, Ruud and Hicks. Have them meet me in bay in ten minutes."

Levisha saluted and left the room. Jenice turned back to look out the window, studying the desert for a moment. "Strange that our paths should cross again." She muttered to herself.

**oOoOo**

"Ah hate this place, you know that?" Leanne began as the three of them walked through the dusty streets of the town. They'd spent the whole afternoon searching for any leads as to the whereabouts of the Red Claw, but had so far come up empty.

Ahead of them, the crowd parted as a quartet of figures moved through it. Glancing up, Jason could see a pair of Blackstars, a man and a woman, approaching with a pair of armoured soldiers behind them. As a group, the three of them moved out of the way. It was the easiest solution.

"I dunno…" Rayvenne replied as she watched the pair of them go past. "I can see some good points about this place. Rowr."

"Yer hopeless, you know that?"

"Hey, sis." Rayvenne replied. "There's a critical shortage of underdressed men with rock hard abs. I'm just enjoying it while I get a chance."

Jason had quietly wondered how, between the pair of them, he'd managed to avoid getting into any trouble so far. Between Leanne's gape-jawed hick act and Rayvenne's carrying on, the pair of them seemed to almost attract problems.

On the other hand, Rayvenne did have a point. The Blackstars, especially the women, weren't exactly hard on the eyes. And given that some of them were as underdressed as Rayvenne was, it was pretty clear that they liked the attention. They made for an almost pleasant break from the blandness around them.

Of course, this didn't forgive the way they acted or what they did. They were still very unpleasant people, filled with an unbearable arrogance. They hadn't changed in his lifetime, and he doubted they ever would.

"Yeah." Jason muttered. "I suppose so."

"I mean, I could use an outfit like that. I could so totally make it work." Rayvenne continued. "Just because I fly around wearing a men's jumpsuit two sizes too big for me doesn't mean that I couldn't pull off hotpants like that."

"Yeah, Rayvenne. It's not like yer modest or anything like that." Leanne continued, rather absentmindedly.

"And why shouldn't I show off?" She continued. "I mean, I'm just as good looking as any of those Blackstar girls. I'm just a little shorter, that's all."

Well, that was true. The average Blackstar woman was about as tall as Jason was, as far as he could tell. Rayvenne was of average height, which made her noticeably shorter then them. Of course, she was still taller then Leanne, so…

"If I was a little taller, and had those freaky green eyes of theirs – hey, what's with those eyes anyway?" She suddenly changed mid-sentence.

"No idea. But they all have 'em." Jason muttered.

"They're like their Zoid's eyes." Leanne added. "Maybe there's a connection."

"Whatever. They're majorly freaky looking." Rayvene waved her hand dismissively. "But if I was a bit taller and had freaky eyes, I could so totally pass for one."

"Well, you got the arrogant bit down pat." Leanne added.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Rayvenne snapped.

"OK, settle down you two." Jason cut them off. Actually, he was trying to think. An idea was forming in the back of his head, one that might just work.

They entered a local bar where they had arranged to meet Floyd and Althiea. The two of them were already there, waiting for them at a table in the middle of the room. He'd have preferred a side booth, but then he figured that those two weren't really about subtle.

"How'd you guys go?" Althiea asked as they sat. "Any news?"

"Not a thing." He replied. "Nobody in this damned town seems to know a thing. Or, more to the point, they don't seem to want to say a thing."

"Can ya blame 'em?" Leanne asked. "All the guys with guns wanderin' around are a bit of a deterrent."

"I know…" He glanced over to the bar where a pair of Blackstars, a man and a woman, were asking some questions of the barman. "And yet they get all the answers."

"Well, them's the breaks, kid." Floyd began. "We did a lot better."

"You did?" Rayvenne asked. "How so?"

"Well, we found most of what we were after." Althiea explained. "And we figured out a couple of options for our Zoids."

"Like?" Rayvenne asked.

"Well, pretty little lady." Floyd began. "We found you a pair of beam gattling cannons we could stick on your Sinker. We'd need to replace the torpedos, which I figure ain't gonna be much of a loss in these here parts."

"Oooh." Rayvenne replied. "Sounds fun."

"And we may be able to scrounge up a few other things as well." Althiea continued. "If it improves our odds, then it has to be good."

"Cool beans." Rayvenne continued. "So, when do I get the guns?"

"Tomorrow." Althiea replied. "We'll finalise the purchase then and arrange to get them delivered to our Zoids. Of course, we won't be able to add them on until we leave the city, but it's a start."

"Right." Rayvenne replied. "Can't wait."

"Fer what? The guns or to be outa here?" Leanne added.

"Both."

"Figures." She replied. "What about you, Jason? You wanna be out of here to?"

"Huh?" He muttered. He'd been looking at the two Blackstars by the bar. The man had dark skin and very long, black hair tied into a ponytail. The woman had brown hair, and wore a jumpsuit that was opened form just below her breasts down to just above her crotch. "Yeah, sooner the better."

Except give me one more day here. I've got an idea, and I might just be able to make it work.

**oOoOo**

Nathan Winters lead the convoy away from the Blackstar city, glad to be leaving it behind. He never liked having to go there for any reason, and today's events had proven to be more distasteful then normal. The Blackstars had offered to accommodate his men overnight. He'd declined, stating that returning Sturm to the Empire was too important to wait. In truth, he just wanted to be out of there as fast as possible.

His collum headed out into the desert; his own Zoid in the lead. The Tank was right behind him, its personnel transport trailer unit clattering along behind it. He didn't want to let it out of his sight, lest something happen. He didn't want to risk loosing Sturm again.

There was a loud whooshing noise as a pair of Redlers passed low overhead, their shiny black bodies glinting in the twilight. The two Zoids banked and then peeled away, heading back to their home. They had left the Blackstar territory, and were now back on Zygra soil. For some reason, he felt better about that.

They'd been going for about half an hour when a signal from the Gorgodos interrupted him. "What is it?" He asked.

"There's a blip hanging around at the extreme edge of my sensor range." The pilot replied. "It's airborne, but I can't make out the type."

"Affirmative." Nathan began. "Let me know what it does."

"Roger that… hold on, sir. I've got four blips approaching us at speed." He continued. "They appear to be ground based, travelling at 300 klicks per, coming in from the northeast."

"I read that." He glanced at the sensors. Nothing was appearing on his own scope yet, so they weren't that close. "Try to patch me through to them."

"Yes sir."

"This is Paladin Nathan Winters to approaching Zoids. Please identify yourselves." Nothing. "I repeat, this is Paladin Nathan Winters to approaching Zoids. Please identify yourselves." Still, no response.

He opened a channel to the Hydocker. "Rashad, standby to fire a single Cyclone missile on my Mark. Get targeting data from Bell."

"Yes sir!"

He switched back to the open channel. "This is Paladin Nathan Winters to approaching Zoids. Please identify yourselves." Still nothing. Their speed and heading indicated that they were heading straight for them on what had to be an attack run. "Rashad, stand by."

"Yes, sir."

"Fire."

A single missile shot out from the Hydocker's top launcher, arcing up and over the horizon. Almost immediately, the blips on the scope increased speed, closing faster now. "No good, sir!" He called back. "They evaded the shot."

"All units, prepare for combat!" He called out. "Trelaney, get that tank out of here. We'll cover you."

"But sir-" His squire replied form the Tank's cockpit.

"No arguments! Your prisoner is far too valuable to risk loosing to the enemy!" He figured that they had to be after Sturm. Why else would they come after such a large and well armed group? Of course, that made him wonder how they knew Sturm was with them. "Now go!"

The Tank accelerated away, pulling past his own Godos, its trailer clattering behind it. Glancing down at his screen, he could see the blips closing faster, almost on top of them. "Get ready…"

There was a roar of engines as a Serpent Zoid crested a hill, charging straight towards their formation. Behind it came another pair of Zoids, a Tarantulon and a Hellrunner. Nathan turned to fire at the incoming Zoids, when the final member of their team appeared.

It was a red and white Liger, one who's design he didn't recognise. It sported a pair of beam cannons on its shoulders, a large shield on each leg and what appeared to be some sort of sensor on top of its cockpit. Was this the Liger the witnesses in Sun hill and Freedom had described, he wondered.

There was a burst of fire as the Elephantus opened up on the Serpent with its top-mounted turret. The fast moving Zoid sped past it, then opened fire with its own rear-facing weapons, cutting into the Elephantus' hull. The small Zoid staggered, then collapsed as the Tarantulon followed up the attack.

The Gorgodos opened fire on the retreating Zoids, clipping the Serpent's tail with its fire. Before it could do anything else, its side was peppered with shots from the Hellrunner's beam gattling cannon. Bell tried to manoeuvre his Zoid out of the line of fire, only to have the Hellrunner slam one of its feet into its side. The small Zoid crashed to the ground, apparently disabled.

Nathan turned his attention towards the Liger. It was easily the largest and most dangerous of the enemy Zoids, and needed to be dealt with immediately. He opened fore on the enemy Zoid with his main weapons, trying to slow it down. He may as well have been throwing spitballs at it for all the good it did. The main beam cannon scored the armour over one of the shields, but didn't do much to slow it down. The second, smaller shot simply bounced off.

The Liger chose to ignore him for the moment, leaping past his own Zoid and go after the tank. Realising what it was doing he opened up the throttle on the Godos, trying to catch up with it. The liger leaped past him, its glowing golden claws slicing through the long neck of the Tank Zoid. The decapitated Zoid crashed down onto its side, the trailer rolling along with it.

"No!" He called out. "You murderer! Cease and desist now!"

"Or else what?" The Liger's female pilot called back. The huge Zoid turned to face him, snarling aggressively. "What are you going to do to stop me?"

The Liger broke into a run, heading straight for him. Roaring loudly as it went. The Godos dropped back, pointing its spear forwards while raising the shield. _One shot at this_, he thought. _Let's hope she's overconfident enough not to use the cannons._

True to form, the Liger ran straight at him, building up the signature energy field of the Strike Laser Claws. As it leaped, he saw his chance. The Godos thrust forwards with the spear, trying to ram it into the Zoid's vulnerable underside.

Unfortunately, the Liger pilot seemed to be ready for this. She bought the claws down across the length of the spear, shearing it in half. Before he could do anything, it struck again, slicing at him with the other leg. The claws sliced cleanly through the Godos's leg, cutting it in half. The Zoid toppled over, smashing into the ground.

In the cockpit, Nathan was thrown harshly against the side as the Zoid plummeted. Thrown around in his safety harness. He was slammed into the opposite wall of the cockpit. Before he blacked out, the last thing he saw was the Liger standing over him.

**oOoOo**

Sturm was thrown against the walls as the transport rolled over. Crouching up into a ball, he was able to brace himself against the worst of it as the transport rolled onto its side, then came to a crashing halt.

What happened, he asked himself. He'd heard the sound of combat, and then… Someone had taken out the tank, he realised. They were down.

"Everybody move!" He could hear the squad's commander shouting orders to his men. "Get out of the trailer now! Move it!" Looking around, he could see the rest of the squad getting themselves together and bailing out of the disabled transport. "Not you!" He heard their leader shout at him. "Stay where you are! You're not going… down!"

The soldier leaped out of the way as a burst of weapons fire went off around the transport. This looked like his chance. Checking that there was nobody around, he peered out of the transport. He could see the wreckage of Nathan Winters' Godos lying on the ground some meters back, the Zoid resting on its side. Further back, he could see what he figured were the other members of Winters' team, also disabled.

"I told him…" He began. Still, it was an opportunity, one he would be stupid to waste. He stepped out of the transport, and was about to make a run for it, when something moved in front of him. It was a red and white Liger, staring down at him again.

"Paladin Sturm Trogdor." Its female pilot began. "So good to see you again."

"Who?" He asked. He recognised the voice, but couldn't think where. Then he saw the symbol on the Liger's shoulder. He realised what it was; the Red Claw, a large bandit force that had been gathering in the Eastern wastes. They'd been a part of his argument as to the failings of the Zygra army.

"We're here to help you." She continued.

A Serpent rolled up next to the Liger, then lowered its head and opened the cockpit. "Get in." The pilot began.

Sturm looked at him, then looked at the Liger. Maybe his attempts to change the Empire had failed because he hadn't been going about it the right way. Maybe it was time for a different form of protest. He leaped onto the Serpent's head and climbed into the cockpit, squeezing in behind the pilot.

"Let's go."

**oOoOo**

Masked faces hovered over her, glaring down at her from behind featureless goggles. An overhead light bathed the room, wherever it was, and its occupants in green, giving them an odd, almost sinister look. She could see equipment in the room, but had no idea what any of it was. _Where was she? _She thought. _What's going on? Who are these people?_

A hand reached over, a mask in hand. "Begin the operation."

The mask descended over her face, blocking out her vision. "No… keep away from me…"

_Free me. Free me now._

Althiea sat upright in her bed. _The same dream,_ she thought. _Why did it keep coming back to her? _But this time there was something different. There was the voice right at the very end. One that she'd never heard before. It was little more then a whisper, but at the same time it was surprisingly deep, almost… ancient.

She looked around the room. Rayvenne and Leanne were both sound asleep in the other bunk, Leanne snoring loudly. Despite being in an unfamiliar room, it still seemed normal to her. There was nothing wrong, nothing unusual… that is, if she didn't look out the window. Outside, the bulk of the city loomed overhead, a few pinpricks of light standing out against the darkness.

_What was that voice?_ She wondered. Did it have something to do with the dream, or was there something else?


	15. Faces

The ride in the Serpent had been very uncomfortable for Sturm. The Zoid's small cockpit didn't leave much room for passengers, leaving him pressed up against one side of it. Still, he wasn't about to complain. Compared to where he had been, he was glad to be there. He figured that these people whoever they were, didn't go to all the trouble to rescue him just to kill him.

The Serpent had remained just behind the Liger, cruising in a rather neatly ordered formation. He'd been trying to figure out what that Zoid was; it didn't match to any model that he knew of. Its design had elements from the Liger Zero, but it appeared to be more then just a simple CAS system.

The pilot of the Serpent hadn't said much either. Trogdor could understand that; he suspected that the man had been told not to divulge any information until they reached their destination. It meant that he was in there for the long run, and had to go with these people weather he liked it or not. They were assuming that he'd be grateful for the rescue enough to at least cooperate until they reached their destination.

Also, he figured, they had assumed that he wasn't going to do something irrational, like hijack the Serpent and take off on his own. He'd considered the odds of it succeeding; he was in a good position to grab the pilot form here. Of course, once he did that, he didn't know where he would go form there. He would be surrounded by hostile Zoids, one of which was far more powerful then the Serpent, and could easily take it down.

No, he decided that he would cooperate with them. _At least, for now, that is._

Glancing out of the canopy, he could see that they were rapidly approaching a group of large mesas. In the distance, he could see some sort of building jutting out of the side of one of them. _So that was their base of operations_, he thought. _Interesting_. It was a good location, well out of the way from where anyone was likely to go. And its location meant that it would be very hard to get into, but easy to defend.

He had figured that it was probably an old Hydra base. It made sense; they'd had facilities all over what was now the Empire. Every now and then, a lost ruin or partially collapsed abandoned facility showed up. He figured that this one was just found by the wrong people first.

The Zoids entered a well-protected hanger at the base of the mesa. Stum looked around; the bay itself seemed to be a bit worn, as if it hadn't been used in years. He'd figured as much; these people probably were only recent arrivals. The bay itself held a reasonable number of small Zoids. He suspected that many of them were rebuilt form battlefield wrecks, or ones that had slipped though the cracks at the end of the war.

The Serpent opened its hatch, allowing Sturm and the pilot to disembark. Once down, he walked over to the Liger. Strangely enough, nobody around was stopping him. As he approached, its female pilot disembarked, her back turned to him.

"I owe you my thanks." He began. "Whoever you are."

"You should know." She replied, then turned around. He instantly recognised her.

"Jencie?"

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Sturm?"

**oOoOo**

**Faces**

**oOoOo**

"You…" He began.

"It was a surprise to hear about what had happened to you." She began. "I thought that I was the only Zygra knight to have gone bad." She smiled then stared straight at him. "Of course, after what you did… and as a Paladin no less."

He hadn't expected this. He knew about what had happened to Jenice. He was a key witness at her court-martial for numerous offences against the empire. He also knew that she had escaped from prison. But he hadn't expected her to be the leader of the Red Claw. He'd suspected for some time that their leader would be an enemy agent, sent to destabilise the Empire by a foreign power. But he hadn't expected this.

"Interesting isn't it." She began. "The two most dangerous criminals in the Empire are both former Knights and both from the same unit."

"Indeed." He replied, trying to remain dispassionate and detached. "I hadn't expected it to be you, Jencie."

"And you were about the last person I had expected to g crazy and stat burning down villages, Sturm." She replied. "Especially after you became a Paladin."

He wanted to say something to her, but the sound of engines cut him off. A black and tan Pteras with a radar dome mounted on its back flew into the bay, landing next to the Liger.

"Meet my second in command." She began as a female pilot climbed out of the Zoid. "It was her who made your rescue possible."

The woman who approached him was rather tall, he noted, with long black and red hair and blood-red eyes. The way she moved and carried herself reminded him of Captain Thorne, the whole feeling of superiority and total control. "This is Levisha Towne." Jencie continued.

He looked her in the eye, trying to read her. There was something about her that he found unusual, something that he couldn't place. "I owe you my freedom and my life." He began. "Thank you."

"So, you're the Black Paladin." She replied. "I've heard so much about you. It's interesting, given how recent your betrayal was. But then, Zygra Imperial Paladins don't do what you have done." She paused. "It's fascinating."

"Levisha, what's the situation outside?" Jenice asked.

"I swept the area. There was no sign of any pursuit, either from the Empire or the Blackstars."

"Even though we attacked outside their territory, I wouldn't put it past them to pursue us into Zygra territory." Jencie commented.

"Conversely, they'd just as likely ignore a call for help from an Imperial force." Sturm replied. "If they knew that I had been freed, then they'd likely let me go. I'm a threat to the empire, not them."

"Very true." Jencie replied. "I'm beginning to understand how you think, Sturm. And I'm beginning to see why you did what you did." She glanced at him and Levisha. "Come to my office. We have much to discuss."

Her tone of voice suggested that it wouldn't be a good idea to argue. But then, he realised, he had no reason not to go along with her. He remembered Jenice and what she was like. He remembered her trial and the events leading up to it. And he began to realise why she was the leader of the Red Claw. She wanted the same things as he did. She had just taken a different path to it.

"Certainly." He replied. "Lead on."

After a long, silent elevator ride, Sturm stepped into Jenice's office along with her and Levisha. Jenice left the pair of them behind, instead moving to stand behind a large desk, looking out a wide panoramic window at a view over the desert. Even though it was night outside, he was impressed. Besides being a rather dramatic view, it would be a great way to spot an incoming enemy. Several small lights came on, leaving long shadows across the room.

"Paladin Trogdor." She began, using his old rank. "I rescued you for a reason. It was not because we formerly served together, nor because we used to be friends." She paused, then turned to face him. "I think you know why I did."

"Because you and I have the same aims." He replied.

"Correct." She stated. "We both know that the Empire as it stands today cannot survive. Its government is failing and its army cannot protect its borders, let alone its people. If it is to survive, then it must change."

"But efforts to change the Empire from within have failed. The empire will suppress change to maintain the status quo." Sturm replied. "I learned that much."

"That is the mission of the Red Claw." She continued. "We have created a situation whereby the Empire will be forced to change in order to deal with it. They will realise that they cannot stop us. They will know that their troops are unable to deal with is. They will know that we will continue to act with impunity, and any efforts to deal with us will be futile."

"You will force the empire to adapt or die." Sturm replied.

"And should it die, then we will pick up the pieces." Jenice finished. "If we cannot change the Empire, then we will simply build a better one out of it."

"Against the Empire's forces, the Red Claw has yet to be defeated." Levisha spoke up. The darkened room and the shadows falling across her face gave her a very sinister demeanour.

"But you have been defeated, correct?" Sturm began.

"Twice." She admitted. "Both times were by the Blackstars, not the Empire. And in neither case was the engagement our choice."

Sturm realised what this meant. "So what do you want me for?"

"You share the same vision as I do." Jenice began. "You have the same goals. It makes sense that we should work together to achieve them."

"Our men are still raw, many of them inexperienced. While we have our done our best, they remain rabble for the most part." Levisha continued.

"They need leaders. Strong, powerful leaders. Leaders like you, Sturm." She looked him in the eye. "Join us. Be our Paladin. Champion our cause, and yours."

Sturm considered this. Janice wanted the same things as he did. She had the same aims as he did. And she had gone to measures to achieve it that were as extreme as his. He had nothing to loose, and everything to gain.

He glanced at Levisha. Her face was an unreadable mask. She seemed to be staring at a point midway between Jenice and himself. Jenice, on the other hand, had a look of eagerness, almost desire on her face. It was as if she was about to reach her goals, all that she had desired.

"I will." He replied. "You and I have the same goals. Together, I believe we can achieve them."

**oOoOo**

Jason had risen rather early and left the hotel before anyone else had. He had a plan, and he wanted to have as much of the day as possible to use it in. He'd figured that this was the best way he could think of to get the information they needed. The problem was, it depended on a member of their group who he considered to be not the most reliable of people. Still, he had no other option.

He'd figured that there was only one way to get information in this town about anything remotely criminal, and that was by intimidation. Of course, for the most part, going around leaning on people was going to get you into trouble with the authorities. And getting into trouble with the heavily armoured guys with big guns wasn't what he wanted.

Like Floyd, he had been here before. It hadn't counted for much as he was a child at the time, and he had been a guest of the state, after a fashion. But he had gained enough knowledge in his previous time here to begin to figure out how things worked. Seeing it though adult eyes gave him ways to apply that knowledge.

Despite the general poverty that most of the residents of this sector lived in, and the rather poor conditions, there was very little crime. There was a single, simple reason for this. The Blackstars provided a ruthlessly efficient police presence. If you broke their laws, they would capture you and put you away fro a very long time. Or they would just shoot you on site if you tried resisting.

Strangely enough, not everyone here was afraid of the Blackstars. A good number of people just accepted it and went on with their lives. And there was the odd person who actually liked them. Jason could see the appeal; they were tall, healthy and beautiful looking. At the very least, they were nice to look at.

And he wasn't the only person who thought that. He'd come across a store in a discreet corner of the town that he'd initially passed off as stupidly faddish and of appeal only to people with no lives of their own. Now he could see its value. And, to his surprise, it was open very early.

Muttering under his breath, he stepped inside. The walls were packed with racks of clothing of differing styles, but with two things in common. They were all black, and all provocatively cut. It was a store for those people who wanted to be Blackstars, but never could be.

"Can I help you?" A voice caught his attention. He turned around to be greeted by an unlikely, and rather unattractive sight. It was the store's owner, a short, overweight woman with short brown hair, clad in a tight black outfit. He inwardly shuddered.

"Yeah." He began. 'I'm looking for some stuff for my girlfriend." He began. OK, that was a blatant lie. But if it got him out here quicker…

"What kind of stuff?" She asked. "Can you be specific?"

"Pants, gloves, boots." He replied. "Preferably ones with platforms in them."

"Ah, not quite tall enough for the right look, is she?" The woman replied.

"A bit, yeah."

"Well, lets see… How tall would you say she is? And what about her waist measurement?"

Jason ran off a few quick figures based on his observations. In truth, he had no idea. And he had no idea if Rayvenne would appreciate him blurting out her measurements to strangers.

"So, what do you want, low-cut, split side…" She rattled off options.

"Low cut, definitely."

"Does she need new underwear?"

"What?"

"It's the very in look for Blackstars at the moment." She replied. "You wear low-cut pants with your undies hanging out the top. I quite like the look myself."

He inwardly shuddered at the thought. "She'll be fine there."

"Right." She picked a pair of pants off a rack and handed them to Jason. "Now you said you wanted gloves, right?"

"I'll pass, actually. She's got a good pair already."

"You sure about that?" She indicated to another rack. "I've got all sorts of different types here."

Unlike the pants, which seemed to be purpose made, the gloves looked like they had been just bough from any old place and, he suspected, marked up. "No, I'll be fine."

"Your loss." She shrugged. "Now for boots… I'm guessing you wanted to add a couple of extra centimetres onto her height, just to give her the complete look." She picked up a pair of boots from one rack. "These are modified from a UZN G-Suit's systems, which will give the right look. The platforms in the sole are a must have."

He took the boot. "So is that it?"

"No, you'll need accessories. Does eh have a gun belt? You won't look right without a gun belt." She pulled a belt off the rack. "Would a thigh holster fit better, or one draped around her waist?"

"Um, waist, I think."

"That's what I would have picked." She replied. "You see, most of them wear their guns on tight thigh holsters but I prefer the waist ones." Jason couldn't imagine why. She'd need a rather loose one to get it to fit around her thigh. He took the belt. "Is that all?"

"How about arm decorations? Is she going to have sleeves on?"

"Er, no."

"Right." She grabbed some straps from one shelf, and some small pouches from another. "Straps, pouches, bandoliers… all offset bare skin. Very popular."

He took a pair of straps. Why good they did was beyond him, but he figured that they had to be popular. "Anything else I need?"

"Two more things, and then it's complete." She waddled over to her counter, and then ducked down behind it. "Now this is stuff I don't normally sell but… I like you and you're a good customer." As far as he could tell, he was her only customer. "So here's the last few finishing touches."

She placed a small box on the counter. "This is an old Draken army communicator. It's burnt out and completely busted, but it'll make a good substitute for their communicators." Jason picked up the box. "Yeah, I found it in a garbage heap. I thought it would look cool, so I used it." He noted that she was wearing one herself.

"That all?"

"One last thing." She pulled out a small bag. "Be careful, these are fragile and valuable and…" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Very, very illegal."

"What are they?"

"Coloured contact lenses." She replied.

He took the bag. "Perfect."

**oOoOo**

Fortunately, a member of Paladin Winters' support team had been able to get off a distress call before they were knocked out of action. It had been a few hours, but he and the other survivors from his team had been located and returned to friendly forces. From there, they had been hurried straight to Gayos. There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered.

Nathan Winters own injuries had been rather light, aside form a blow to the head when his Godos had been disabled. He'd been lucky. A number of his men had been far less so. Despite this, the military hospital had kept him overnight to check his inquiries, before releasing him. It was then that he received a summons to attend a special debriefing.

He understood what that meant. He had managed to loose possibly the single most dangerous criminal in the entire empire, and his entire team had been disabled while doing no damage to the enemy. Now people would want to know why.

He stepped out of the hospital into a staff car that had been sent for him. The black car pulled out, and slowly proceeded on its way. The hospital where he'd been kept was within the limits of the Zygra army's central headquarters, a sprawling facility just outside of Gayos itself. He presumed that their destination was within the headquarters complex as well. Oddly enough, the driver's section was partitioned off from the passengers', a sheet of tinted glass blocking off any view of who may be in front.

The car pulled up outside his living block. At least they were giving him a chance to look decent beforehand, he noted. The car pulled up and he stepped out. To his surprise, a guard stepped out of the front of the vehicle. _Why's he here_, he wondered. _Is he just to keep an eye on me? Or don't they trust anyone who might have a connection to Sturm?_

Nathan nodded to the man, and proceeded into his quarters. He emerged five minutes later, clean shaved and in his best dress uniform. He climbed back into the car, the guard resuming his place at the front. Starting up, the guard proceeded through the base and then, to his surprise, out of the base.

He pressed the intercom. "Driver, where are we going?"

"My orders are to take you to Gayos itself." The driver replied. "That came from general Wrightfield himself."

General Wrightfield was the commander in chief of the Zygra army. Even though the Paladins were technically separate from the regular army, they still ell under his authority. "I understand." He replied. There was definitely something going on here.

**oOoOo**

"An' where in the heck have you been?" Leanne asked Jason as he stepped into their room. "We've been lookin' all over for ya."

"Sorry about that." He replied. "But I was busy."

"Sure." Leanne muttered.

"Oh, don't mind her." Rayvenne replied. "She's just angry because she hasn't gotten to break anything yet."

"Hey!"

Jason walked over to her, bag in hand. "Actually, Rayvenne, I got something for you."

"For me?" She replied with mock modesty. "Why Jason… you shouldn't have."

Leanne rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, muttering to herself. Jason waited for her to go, before he continued. "Serious, Rayvenne. I had a great idea and, well, you're the key to it." He explained. "So, I, uh, got some stuff for you that's going to help."

"Oh?" She asked. "Just what do you have in mind?" She snatched the bag from him before he could reply, and began rummaging around in it. "So let's see what you've got."

Jason was glad he had put the contacts in a separate bag. "Go ahead. Tell me what you think."

"Lessee…" She rummaged around. "A pair of chunky boots with chunky platforms… a pair of stupidly low cut pants…" She turned to him. "What, you want me to walk around with half my arse hanging out of my pants and use that to distract people?"

"Not quite." He replied. "It's just that, well, I thought about what you said to me last night." He smiled. 'About how you thought you were as good looking as any of those Blackstar girls."

"Well I am." She replied. "And?"

"So I thought that you were right." He replied. "So I got you this stuff."

"Huh? Hang on…" She looked over the boots and pants. "Oh, I get it." A grin formed on her face. "You want me to pretend to be a Blackstar, right?"

Jason nodded. "I figured that you needed the right attire for the job. Your current top fit the bill-" _She was all but falling out of it_, he mentally added. "So I got you some pants, some accessories and some boots that's put a few CMs onto your height."

"Neat." She replied with a smile. "But what about the…" He held out a small bag. "Ooh… you have thought of everything." She snatched it form him. "Give me five minutes" She said as she stood and pushed him out the door. "And no peeping."

That last bit sounded almost like an open invitation, but she'd already shut the door. It didn't matter to him. He'd figured out a perfect way to get around the culture of fear in this town. Rather then trying to fight it, he should exploit it. And Rayvenne was the perfect way to do it.

"OK, you can come in now." She called out. Cautiously stepping into the room, he took a look at her. The outfit had worked; between her top and the low cut of her pants, she had a lot of skin showing. Her g-string briefs were hitched as high as possible, which left a fair amount of visible rear hanging out of her pants. She'd added on her Sinker pilot gloves and one of Leanne's spare armbands to complete the look. And as for the eyes, well, they looked freaky. Which meant it was perfect.

"You look great, Rayvenne." He replied. "I love it."

"Silence, dog." She snapped. "I have a job to do." She walked out of the room, a mock haughty look on her face.

_Brilliant_, he thought. _This plan was perfect._

**oOoOo**

Althiea and Floyd had left early to do a whole lot o different things. Besides picking up and arranging for the delivery on Rayvenne's new guns, Floyd had wanted to look at a number of other, less obvious sources for equipment and supplies. He'd commented that just because you could get the same thing everywhere didn't mean that was the best thing, and then gone off on a tangent about fast-food restaurants.

She'd been trying to follow what he was saying but, being honest, it wasn't easy. He seemed almost to be talking for the simple sake of talking. So she'd just been agreeing, while trying to shove the odd word in edgeways.

"Well, I-" She began, desperately trying to change the subject.

_Free me._

She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. There was that voice again, just like in her dreams, but this time she was awake. It was like there was a voice speaking to her inside her head. She stopped, looking around, trying to see if she could find the source of the voice. Nothing. Nobody else seemed to have heard it. Floyd was still talking, as if nothing had happened.

_Free me now._

There it was again. She slowly turned, looking towards the centre of the city, focusing on the grey towers that loomed over her, and then the huge reactors at the heart of the city. _Was there something in there, _she wondered? _Someone in there trying to contact her? But who was it? And how were they doing it?_

She began walking towards the centre of the city, something inside her seemingly drawing her into it. She needed to know what was going on, what was causing this. _Was it something to do with what happened between her and the Trinity Liger_, she wondered. _Maybe… maybe even that dream, the one that seemed to keep coming back to her._

She strode through the run-down area of town, ignoring her surroundings. Nothing else seemed to matter any more. She needed to find out exactly what was going on, and, if possible, the truth about herself.

After about five minutes, she was literally stopped dead in her tracks. A grimy, cracked grey wall loomed over her, literally blocking her off. She had reached the end of the international area, she realised. The wall in front of her was literally cutting her off from the rest of the city. She couldn't go any further.

"No." She began. "This can't be. I need to get in…" She frantically looked around, hoping that there was some way in. But, as far as she could see, there was nothing. The back of a couple of run down buildings that had been long abandoned, a few rusting barrels, some scraps of paper. There seemed to be nothing here, save for this one wall that seemed to be almost mocking her.

She glanced around again, becoming almost frantic. There had to be something here, she thought. It couldn't just end like this, not now when she was so close… No. The wall seemed solid enough. Despite numerous cracks, they appeared to be in the surface only. She checked them anyway, desperate to find something.

There. She found one that seemed to be deeper then the others. She was able to wedge her fingers in one pace, feeling that it was a lot deeper too. Interesting. She traced along its length as it crossed the wall, before stopping at a rusted garbage skip. The crack disappeared behind it.

She was convinced that there was more to it then this. She pushed against the skip, and was surmised when it moved very easily. A little more and she had managed to shove it a few meters away, revealing something behind it. It was a hole in the wall, a hole that seemed to go all the way through.

_Had this been deliberately hidden here_, she wondered. _Had someone made this and then concealed it? Or was it just an accident? _At any rate, it meant that she would be getting a little closer to her goal. She cautiously stepped inside.

**oOoOo**

From his vantage point on a nearby roof, Jaeger watched as the woman slipped inside the hole in the wall. _So she's found a way in_, he thought to himself. _I wonder why she went in there, though? Is she looking for something? Or is there something else about her?_

He waited until she was well out of sight, then descended down to street level. Confident that she was well out of the way on the other side and that she would not spot him, he slipped inside himself.

**oOoOo**

As the car proceeded into the heart of Gayos, Nathan couldn't help but note how different it seemed to the Blackstar's city. He'd been there just yesterday, but in a way it seemed like another world. Its claustrophobic polluted grey towers seemed to be at odds with the clean, well ordered and well spaced buildings of Gayos. Unlike the Blackstars who built for function only, the Zygran architects were far more dynamic and creative.

He noticed that they were approaching a particular set of buildings. A set of white stepped pyramids lay ahead of him, taller then any other buildings in the city. He instantly knew where they were heading, which, if anything, seemed to be more of a surprise. They were approaching the royal palace, the seat of the Zygra government.

The car passed through the security checkpoint, then pulled into a discrete underground park. Stepping out of the car, Nathan was met by a familiar face, one who's presence seemed to make things a lot better.

The man was in his late seventies or early eighties, but remarkably fit for his age. He had short grey hair and a neatly tripped beard, and perusing blue eyes. "Hermann Dezalg." Nathan began as he approached his friend, mentor and commander. "It's so good to see you again."

"You too." Dezalg replied as he shook Nathan's hand. Dezalg was the leader of the Zygra Paladins and the man who had trained him. He was also one of the founding fathers of the empire, having been one of Zygra's earliest supporters in the dark years. Zygra himself had said that there would have been no empire without him. "It's a pity it had to be under these circumstances."

The pair of them walked towards an elevator. "I'm to assume that this is about Trogdor's escape, correct?" He began, lowering his voice.

"You assume correctly." Dezalg sighed. "There are a lot of people asking a lot of unpleasant questions. We're hoping that you can clarify matters." They stepped inside along with the guard, and went straight up. Nathan noticed that the lift didn't stop until it was on one of the upper floors.

They stepped out into a long hallway. "This way, please." The guard began. The pair of them proceeded until they reached a pair of double doors, ornately decorated like so much else in the building. The guard knocked on the door. "Paladins Winters and Dezalg."

"Enter." A voice came form the other side. The guard opened the door and the pair of them stepped in.

Sturm took in the room around him. This wasn't a briefing room or any kind of formal meeting room. Rather, he realised, it was a private study. The walls were lined with bookshelves, while the centre of the room was dominated by a large, ornate desk. Behind it was a set of wide windows, giving an excellent view of the city. Nathan saw two men behind the desk, one standing, the other seated.

The standing man appeared to be a few years younger then Dezalg. He was tall, and heavily built, with a largely bald head dominated by a long scar running down one side. He had small, brown eyes and a bushy moustache. He knew that it was general Wrightfield. That would make the other man…

Both he and Dezalg kneeled in the presence of the emperor, as was customary. "Your majesty." They both began.

"Arise, please."

He looked up as he stood and approached the desk. Marius Zygra II was a handsome man in his late fifties, with short dark brown hair that showed a few flecks of grey, and dark brown eyes. He was of average height but clearly was reasonably fit for his age. At the moment, he was dressed in a rather simple suit.

"How may we serve you, your majesty?" Nathan began.

"I have heard about what happened to you and your men last night." Zygra began. "About how your forces were ambushed, you were defeated and Paladin Trogdor escaped."

_Direct and to the point. _"Yes, your majesty."

"I wish to know how it happened. While we will have ample opportunity to go over the footage from your Zoids, I want to hear exactly what occurred from your perspective."

"Yes, your majesty." He replied.

Nathan went over the events of the battle, describing everything from the first detection of the enemy Zoids to the point where he was knocked out of action. He paid particular attention to describing the Red Claw's Liger, and how it matched to no design that he knew of.

"Fascinating." Zygra commented.

"And do you have any idea where this machine could have come from?" General Wrightfield added.

"No sir." He replied. "My initial thought was that it may be a previously unseen Liger Zero CAS system, possibly a prototype of a system that was never deployed operationally. On closer inspection, however, I'm convinced that it is more then just a CAS. The cockpit cover and several other systems indicate that it may be an entirely new design."

"So then the question is, who built it?" Wrightfield continued.

"Do you think that it could be some lost Hydra weapon? Something that may have escaped destruction at then end of the war?" The Emperor asked.

"I doubt it, your Majesty." Nathan replied.

"Explain."

"If I could, your majesty." Dezalg spoke up. "Hydra's modified Zoid designs were usually rather straightforward and obvious in their functionality. They would be usually focused around a single factor of the Zoid, almost always firepower. Their series of modified Genosaurers are proof of this. The Liger here seems to have been designed for all-over performance and flexibility, however."

"Besides, I feel that, had Hydra had such a Zoid available to them, then they would have used it." He continued. "Their tactics towards the end of the war consisted of throwing everything they had at us, and using whatever methods possible to slow our advance. If this Zoid was developed by them, then they would have used it."

"So then we must conclude that this Zoid is an entirely new design." Zygra replied. "The question is, who created it?"

"Elements of its design are suggestive of a UZN origin." Nathan continued. "Aside from the obvious Liger Zero elements, it incorporates features from some other UZN designed Zoids. The flat panels and vents are reminiscent of the Shadow Fox, while the armour around the neck suggests the Blade Liger."

"So what is this, a prototype of a new design?" Zygra asked.

"I suspect as much." Wrightfield replied.

"So why use it here?"

"It is possible that they want to field test it under adverse conditions." Nathan replied. "They want to put it through an extended campaign before committing to mass production. The possibility also exists that it may be a stolen prototype, or a new design that was abandoned."

"Until we can get more information on this Zoid, I would be reluctant to leap to any conclusions about its nature, your majesty." Dezalg continued. "While it is one of only a handful of new Zoids since the war, we still don't know anything about it. For all we know, it could be a Draken provocateur using a deliberately UZN-styled Zoid."

"Interesting." Zygra wrote down something. "Tell me, Paladin Winters. In your opinion, do you think we can defeat this Zoid?"

This was not going to go down well. But he had a duty to tell the truth. "Your majesty, I wish that I could bring good news. Unfortunately, I cannot." He began. "Based on my observations, this Zoid is far more powerful then anything we currently possess. Its speed and agility are its key points, but you'll note from my battle recordings that its armour is resistant to most weapons our Zoids carry. Additionally, its own weapons are sufficient to disable most of our Zoids in a single volley."

"But our Bigasaurs and Mammoths carry superior weapons." Wrightfield spoke up. "And can withstand far more damage."

"The Bigasaurs and Mammoths carry more weapons, sir, not superior ones." He replied. "However, both can be equipped to carry larger weapons. I'm referring to the Supercannons. I feel that a single volley from them should be sufficient to disable or destroy this Zoid."

"And what of our regular troops?" He asked.

_And this is where I prove Sturm to be right. _He bitterly thought. _I'm damned if I speak, and I'm damning others if I remain quiet._ "Our best chance, sir, would be to begin upgrading the weapons used by our Zoids. Issuing more of the heavier beam cannons to our Garius units would be a start."

"It is something to take under consideration." Zygra finished. "Thank you for your time, Paladin Winters. You may depart."

"Thank you, your majesty." He and Dezalg bowed, then left the room.

As soon as they were outside, and the door was shut, he spoke up. "They didn't seem impressed with my conclusions." He began.

"Sadly, no." Dezalg replied. "But then, it's often hard to take bad news."

Nathan nodded. "What do you think, sir?" He asked. "You fought in the great war. Surely you saw worse then this." He'd seen some of the weapons used in that war first hand. However, he still had only a limited idea of what they could do.

"Yes I did." He replied. "Of course, its all relative. Coming at the end of fifty years of peace, any thing could be taken as a grave development. This whole red claw situation, and this mysterious new Liger has me worried."

"And you've never seen anything like it?"

"Hmm…" He considered this. "Not really, no. I've seen plenty of Ligers, but this is a new one to me." He stroked his beard for a moment. "But it reminds me of something form my youth."

"Oh?"

"There used to be legends of a Zoid, some mythical creature of great power." He explained. "It was called the Trinity Liger or something like that. Of course, nobody had ever seen one outside of popular comics and video games of the day."

"So what is this thing?" Nathan asked. "A myth come to life?"

"Can you think of a better answer?"

**oOoOo**

The world on the other side of the wall seemed strange and almost alien to Althiea as she slowly made her way through the seemingly endless ranks of grey towers. She was heading towards the centre of the city, but for the life of her she couldn't think why. All she knew was that she had to get there.

The city itself seemed to have been based on some bizarre industrial vision of the netherworld. Its layout made no sense to her; it seemed to alternate between living space and industrial complexes within the space of a block. Often, the two seemed to run into each other, with one of the grey blocks that seemed to pass for housing becoming intermingled with the pipes of an industrial complex.

The city was grey and polluted, but at the same time, it lacked the all-pervading feeling of decay that had predominated in Freedom. She realised that the place was very efficiently run, but at the same time it was run in a way that lacked comfort and refinement. Everything was drab and utilitarian; designed to do what it was needed to do and not much else.

The clatter of a train passing overhead caught her attention for a moment. She looked around, wondering if there was anyone watching her. She didn't stand out form the crowd, but at the same time, she felt like there was someone or something watching her.

She halted at a crossroads, trying her best to mingle with the crowd and remain inconspicuous. They were normal people, she realised. Unlike the Blackstars, they looked and dressed like everyone else, and none of them had weird eyes. For a moment, she felt a bit more secure. As if to throw her off, there was a soft thudding noise, like a heavy footfall. Then, unexpectedly, something loomed out from between two buildings.

She looked up in awe at the shape passing in front of her. It was a Zoid, unlike any she'd ever seen in person before. Its armour was shiny black in colour, with patches of bright green. A pair of massive cannons rested on its back, with tubes connecting them to its body. Its head was covered by a grey dome, a pair of sinister green eyes barely visible underneath. Unlike everything else around, the Zoid seemed to be kept ruthlessly clean.

_A Deadborder… _she thought as she watched it past. She had seen it in books, but never like this. Yet, at the same time, it was so mundane to those around her. The Zoid seemed terrifying to her, almost sinister. But at the same time, she realised that it wasn't what had bought her here_. It was just a Zoid_, she reminded herself. _Just a Zoid like any other._

She headed further into the city, determined to find out what it was that had bought her here. As she ventured further in, she saw that it was becoming more and more industrial. The mazes of pipes and tubes, vents and smokestacks and other mechanical apparatus stretched out like some form of nightmarish iron hell. It seemed like there was something growing at the heart of the city, something that was trying to devour the city around it.

Looking up, she could see the five towers from before. Now she was a lot closer, she could make them out in detail. Each one of them was a massive cylinder, with tubes snaking down their sides. There was a loud hiss, as one of them vented out steam for a moment and then was still as before. _What was this place_, she wondered. _Was this what she was looking for?_

She walked around, trying to take in these massive structures. As far as she could tell, they seemed to be some sort of power plant. _Maybe… maybe these were fusion reactors_. That made sense to her. Plants like these could provide plenty of power, even enough for a city like this. That answered one question, but not another.

Suddenly she stumbled, tripping over something. She landed on her side, bashing her arm into the footpath. _What had happened, _she wondered. _What did I just do?_

"Oww…" She looked behind to see another young woman sitting up next to her, rubbing the back of her head. She was short, probably smaller then Leanne by her guess. She had shoulder-length red hair that seemed to be little moire then a scruffy mess. The girl wore a plain grey jumpsuit, and had a clipboard and several papers scattered on the ground next to her.

She looked up at Althiea. "Oh, I'm sorry!" The woman began. "I didn't see you there… well, I mustn't have been watching where I was going and I didn't mean to bump into you like that." She quickly blurted out. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Althiea replied as she stood, then offered the woman a hand. "I wasn't paying attention either, I think."

"Oh, um, thanks for that." She said as she stood up. It was then that Althiea noticed her eyes. They weren't the bright green that the Blackstars all had, but rather a rather strange yellowy-green colour. She knew that it was only a select few who had the strange green eyes, and this woman didn't seem to be one of them. "Oh!" She began as she then fumbled around for her clipboard and papers.

"Here." Althiea picked them up and handed them to the woman. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, it's my fault. Really." She replied. "Thanks for that miss, ummm…"

"Althiea" She replied.

The other woman looked at her strangely, as if she was expecting something else. "Well, I'm Sabrina Delgado." She finally replied.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened." Althiea began. "I got a little lost and I wasn't watching where I was going. I was looking around and..."

"Oh, it's okay." Sabrina replied. "I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. Too busy with reports." She explained.

Althiea handed her the last of the papers, noting that they were covered in technical diagrams. "I must have gotten a bit confused. A lot of these places look the same to me." Which was only partially true. In fact, she realised that she could be in a lot of trouble if she was caught out. She suspected that trespasses would not be well received, especially around sensitive equipment like this. And yet, at the same time, she hadn't seen much in the way of guards. Weird. Maybe she'd managed to bypass them all.

"So what do you do?" Sabrina asked. "I mean, um, for a job."

"Oh." Althiea was momentarily thrown. "Me, I repair things." She casually replied. It was pretty close to the truth. "Appliances, cars, Zoids. That kind of thing."

"You mean you get to repair Zoids?" Sabrina replied, rather excited sounding.

"Um, yeah."

"That's so amazing." She began. "I'd really like to do that… Its fascinating technology, and it'd be great to work with."

"It is?"

"Oh, defiantly." She replied. "The combination of technological and organic components and the way they mesh together… I mean, it's more like surgery then actual repair work in some ways. And then there's all that Dark Zoid stuff, and exotic weapons like the Gravity cannons…" She was rather excited by this whole idea, it seemed. "Its far more interesting then what I do."

"It's not that exciting, really." Althiea replied, desperate to change the topic. She wasn't about to admit that she didn't really know anything about Dark Zoids. "So, um, what do you do?"

"Me?" Sabrina asked as she fumbled with her papers. "I'm just a fusion reactor technician. I work on those things, keeping them running and all." She indicated to the five huge towers looming over them. "See, that's not that interesting."

Althiea looked up at them. There was something about them, something that she couldn't put her finger on. She'd come here, searching for the source of that mysterious voice. Why here, she couldn't say. "I don't know about that." She replied. "I mean, it's an essential service and all."

"Yeah, it is. But Zoids are far more interesting to me."

_Free me now!_

Althiea was about to say something when she heard the voice again. It was louder now, and more forceful. "Who said that?" She asked as she turned around.

"Who said what?" Sabrina asked.

"Did… did you just hear something?"

"I don't think so." Sabrina replied. "Just usual background noise.

"I thought I heard…" Althiea began, but was cut off by a loud hissing noise. Behind her, one of the massive fusion reactor towers hissed as it gave off a massive cloud of steam, billowing out form numerous ports across its structure.

"Oh no." Sabrina began.

"What's wrong?" Althiea asked.

"That was the Reactor's cooling system." She began. "It means that it must be overheating… which means…" A loud siren went off, filling the air with a loud wailing noise. "Get out of here!" Sabrina shouted.

"What?"

"If it keeps on overheating it could explode…" She continued. "Get out of here!"

"But-"

"Don't worry about me!" Sabrina called out. "This is my job." She ran off, heading further into the complex.

Althiea looked up at the reactor. Steam was still rising off it, while numerous spotlights played across its grimy surface. For now, all thoughts of the mysterious voice were forgotten. Now she was concerned about her survival above all else.

She ran.

**oOoOo**

Jason and Rayvenne had figured out the plan perfectly. He'd go in to a place and see what was happening, and then she'd enter and do her best Blackstar impersonation in order to terrify information out of people. It was guaranteed to work. The people around here were so terrified of the Blackstars that they'd happily say whatever they knew.

It wasn't like Rayvenne was the most intimidating of people. But dressed (Or, as he joked to himself, under-dressed) as a Blackstar, it all changed. People wouldn't really see what she looked like, but rather they'd see what she was. And that's what made it work.

To make sure that nothing went wrong, they'd left Leanne behind. He didn't want her saying something stupid, as she was prone to doing, and messing everything up. Instead, he was relying on Rayvenne to act the part. He figured that if she could pretend to be a male pilot, she could do this. Besides, she was almost self-important and self-centred enough to be a Blackstar.

To make sure nothing happened, they'd gotten a pair of communicators off Floyd, without explicitly stating what they were up to. They were rather advanced models, and rather discrete. It meant that they could tip each other off if something happened, without Rayvenne breaking character.

A few questions had lead them to a weapons dealer on the outer fringes of the town, who had apparently had dealings with the Red Claw. It was their best lead so far, so they'd decided to go with it.

The pair of them walked towards a run-down warehouse leaning up against the outer wall of the town. Looking around, Jason could see where there had been structures before the wall was put up. The Blackstars had apparently arbitrarily decided where the wall would go, regardless of what was in its way.

Rayvenne stepped inside, while Jason waited nearby. He noted that there were very few other people around. Not surmising; this place looked to be more run down then the rest of the town. So far, so good.

Inside the warehouse, Rayvenne sighted her target. There was a single man, supervising a couple of others while they stacked some crates. "You." She began.

"Me?" The man replied, a little nervous. He clearly wasn't expecting a Blackstar to drop by. "Um, how can I help you?"

Rayvene smiled slightly to herself. She quite liked the authority of this character. It was fun making people jump and squirm in fear of you. "You sell weapons." She stated. "We know that you have had dealings with the Red Claw."

"I'm just a regular dealer. Honest." He replied, holding up his hands. "I don't deal outside of the city."

"And yet, others have said that you have dealt with them in past." She snapped. "Tell me where they are."

"Look, I don't know much." He nervously replied. He glanced at his two assistants, who were trying to look inconspicuous. "All I know is that they send a rep or two here to pick up stuff. And it's not usually weapons, actually."

"Then what do they want?" She snapped, her eyes narrowing.

"Well, they have me look out for anything unusual." He explained. "You know, stuff."

"No, I don't know 'stuff.' Explain it to me."

"Artefacts. Junk. Old books or data disks. Anything unusual or weird." He said, trying not to cringe. "They're especially interested in Hydra relics, for some reason. Even if its nothing important, if it's related to them…"

"Psst, Rayvenne." Jason's voice whispered in her ear over the communicator.

"Not now." She hissed. "Tell me," she continued, turning to face the man. "Who is it you deal with? Who collects this stuff for them?"

"It's just a guy." He replied. "He comes every now and then. He's got a Gustav, but I don't know anything else about him."

"And where are they?" She snapped, ignoring Jason's further protests.

"I don't know!" he all but squealed. "All I know is that he comes in from the desert. I heard that they have a base near here, out in the Desert somewhere."

"Tell me!" She snapped.

"Excuse me." A woman began, standing behind her

"Shut up!" Rayvenne snapped. "Tell me where they are!"

She felt a hand on her shoulder. _Fine then, _she thought. _I'll deal with this then… _she turned around, an angry look on the face. "And who the hell do you think you… oh."

Standing behind her was a tall woman with long red hair tied off into a series of long braids. It was painfully obvious from her appearance, dress and eyes that she was a Blackstar, and that she was not impressed by what was going on here. Neither were the two soldiers standing behind her, apparently. "Who are you?" She began.

"I'm a Blackstar, just like you." Rayvenne snapped. "And I'm trying to do my job."

"Sure." She snapped. She grabbed Rayvenne's wrist, and twisted her arm behind her back. "Your data terminal's fake, and not even working." She began.

"Let… let go of me!" Rayvenne squealed.

The woman ignored her, instead poking a pair of fingers into the back of her neck. "And you haven't been augmented. You're not one of us." She snarled. "So who the hell are you?"

"Rayvenne!" Jason called out as he charged into the room. One of the guards turned to him, slamming him in the stomach with the butt of his rifle. Jason doubled over, then crashed to the floor.

"Jason!" She shouted out.

"Now I have your names." The Blackstar woman began. "Now, who are you and why are you doing such a poor job of pretending to be one of us?"

"I'm… I'm just looking for some information on the Red Claw!" Rayvenne admitted.

"And what you have done to get it is a criminal offence." The woman replied. "I should…" She stopped.

"Wha?" Rayvenne began. For a moment, everything was silent. The two soldiers looked at the woman expectantly. Then she heard something in the background. Something like a siren.

"Cover her." The woman snapped as she released Rayvenne. "Thorne here." She began as she pressed several buttons on her wrist terminal. "What's going on? I can hear a siren out here in the transient district." There was a pause. "It's what?"

Rayvenne looked over at her and then at Jason. "What's going on?" She asked.

"You two!" The woman snapped at the two soldiers. "Leave them for the moment. We need to get going now!" She turned and strode out the door in a fast walk, the two soldiers moving out behind her."

"You okay?" She asked as she ran over to Jason.

"Fine." He muttered. "Damn, they hit hard."

"What do you think happened?" She asked. "Why did they run off like that?"

"No idea." He muttered as he stood. "But I don't think it concerns us. Or, more to the point, they're not going to tell us anyway."

"Probably." She replied, then turned to the guy she had been questioning earlier. He was furtively looking around, as if he was considering his options for escape. "Hey you! Come back here!"

"Hey! You can't do anything to me!" he shouted as she ran off. "You're not a Blackstar! You've got no authority here!"

"No, but I can still hit you!" She shouted. The pair of them ran off after him, determined not to let their best lead so far get away.

**oOoOo**

Leanne was not in a good mood. She'd been in a bad mood pretty much all day, actually. It had started off when Rayvenne and Jason had ran off together and left her behind. They were supposed to be working as a team to get information. She didn't know exactly what those two were up to, but it didn't take much imagination to figure it out.

And to add to all that, she'd lost one of her favourite armbands. She hadn't been able to find it in amongst all her clothes. She hoped it was just because she'd put it somewhere strange or maybe it had ended up with someone else's gear. She didn't want to loose it, since it was her favourite and lucky too. She'd been wearing it when she stumbled across her Gunsniper, and then when she first met Jason and Ali.

So now she was left wandering around the town, looking for the rest of her team while trying to gather information. Truthfully, she wasn't having much success at either. Maybe she didn't have a knack for gathering info, she admitted to herself. She was a good shot and a great brawler, but maybe she wasn't as delicate and tactful as she liked think she was. Or maybe it was just that Rayvenne showed off a lot more of her boobs to the world. Probably that, actually.

In the distance she could hear some sort of siren or alarm going off. She wondered what it was and where it was coming from, and how important it was. A pair of Blackstars and a pair of soldiers ran past her while she stood there, considering this. Looking around, she could see that they were heading back towards the central city, where the alarm was apparently coming from.

So it's a Blackstar thing, she thought to herself. Probably don't involve me then. And even if it did, They wouldn't say anyway. Around her, some of the locals were looking over to the central city, trying to see what was happening. Others were getting off the streets, unaware of what was going on but wanting to be out of the way of it anyway.

Looking around, she spotted Floyd walking through the crowds, casually strolling along and seemingly ignoring what was going on around him. "Hey there, Leanne." He began as he approached. "Nice day for a walk, isn't it?"

"Yeah." She replied. "Any idea what's going on?"

"None at all." Floyd replied. "Although, by scientific observation of the situation and reactions to it, I would say that it's probably something earth-shatteringly bad that is going to get us all killed."

"You what?" She replied.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Floyd replied, casually waving his hand in a dismissive way. "I'm sure the Blackstars have it all well in hand. Or, if not, our deaths will be pretty much instantaneous."

"Oh." She replied. Still, she tended to trust what Floyd said; he tended to be right most of the time. "So what should we do?"

"Well, I would watch the city." Floyd replied. "That way we'll get the best view of whatever it is that's about to happen."

"Right." She didn't seem certain about this, but she didn't have any better ideas. "Hey Floyd, you seen Jason or Rayvenne?"

"Who hasn't seen Rayvenne?" He replied with a grin. "But seriously, I haven't seen them all day. I thought they were with you."

"Naw, they ran off early in the mornin'." She replied. "I ain't seen 'em all day either."

"Ran off together eh?" Floyd began, a broad smirk on his face. "Well, I think I know what they're up to."

"Yeah." She muttered.

"Speaking of which, you haven't seen Althiea have you?"

"Ali?" She asked. "Naw, I ain't seen her either. I thought she was with you."

"Well, she was," He began. 'But I turned my back on her for five seconds and she was gone."

"Weird that." She replied. But then, sometimes Ali could be a weird person. "Well, I ain't got any idea at all where she's gotten to either." She glanced over at the city. The siren was still going off, and now she could see steam rising off one of the big pillars at its centre. "So what now?" She asked.

"Jelly baby?" Floyed offered her a small paper bag.

"Thanks." She replied, and took one. The pair of them stood back, leaning on a wall. "What do you suppose is gonna happen?"

"Hopefully nothing." Floyd replied. "Good jelly babies though."

"Yeah."

There was a pause, in which she expected something to explode. It didn't. "Hey Leanne." Floyd began.

"Yeah?"

"Where did you get the Gunsniper from?" Floyd asked. "I was just wondering."

"That thing?" She replied. "I found it in a bunker. The entrance had been half buried and it looked pretty forgotten."

"What shape was it in?"

"A bit beat up." She replied.

"It didn't have any CPs or anything like that?"

"Naw. I found it in pretty much the same state as you see it now." She explained. "OK, so maybe with a few less dents, but you get the idea."

"Interesting. I'd love to check over its combat data some day."

"Huh?"

"Gunsnipers are very smart Zoids. I'd be interested to see if yours remembers anything about its previous owners."

"Oh, right." Leanne pretended to understand what he was saying.

"Oh, and if I see one of those CP-13 Wild Weasel pods, want me to get you one?"

She considered this. More guns sounded good to her. "Sure thing. Thanks, Floyd."

They both stood there for a moment watching the town. Abruptly, the siren stopped, the steam around the tower dissipating. "Well that was disappointing." Floyd began. "I was expecting a big explosion or something."

"Yeah, but we're still alive, ain't we?"

"I guess so." Floyd replied. "So it's not a total loss."

The pair of them stood there, eating jelly babies for a few minutes in silence while they considered this. "Well here's a turn-up." Floyd suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?" Leanne looked around, then noted Jason and Rayvenne approaching. She noted that the latter was wearing a pair of tight leather pants that that were cut about as low as they could possibly go. "Hey!" She snapped. "Where'd you to get to?"

"We were gathering information." Rayvenne snapped.

Leanne eyed her, noting her outfit. "Right. Whatever you say."

"Actually, we got a couple of passable leads on the Red Claw." Jason explained. "Nothing solid, but a few things."

"Like what?" Floyd asked.

"Bits and pieces." Jason replied. "They may have a base near here. There's a guy who comes on occasion to buy weapons for them. And they're also big on antiques and Hydra junk."

"Hydra stuff, huh?" Floyd began. "Interesting."

"Say, any idea what was with all the noise?" Rayvenne asked. "I heard this siren, then suddenly everyone runs off."

"We think it was something over in the city proper." Floyd explained. "Probably something big and world shatteringly important, but none of our concern."

"Nice of them to tell us."

"Well, if it had been bad, you probably wouldn't have had time to know." Floyd finished, and grinned.

"Riiight." Rayvenne muttered. "Say, um, where's Ali?"

"We got no idea." Leanne replied. "She's not with me an' she's not with Floyd. We ain't seen her."

"Right." Jason looked around. The streets seemed deserted now, save for the four of them. "Well, I can't see that we're going to get anything else done today." He admitted. "So I figure we can go back to our place and hope that Ali has the sense to go back there. Unless anyone has a better plan."

"Jelly baby?" Floyd offered.

It was an hour later that Althiea finally returned. She was tired and somewhat scared looking, as if she'd seen something that she didn't want to. She rebuffed all questions as to where she had been, replying only to say one thing.

"We have to leave this place."

Nobody could think of a reason not to.

**oOoOo**

Jenice strode into her office, Sturm behind her. Like the last time he was here, it was dusk, the setting sun leaving long shadows across the landscape. The pair of them had spent the day going over the Red Claw's troops and equipment, as well as their bases of operations and other resources.

He had to admit that he was very impressed by what Jenice had achieved. The Red Claw was a lot bigger and a lot better organised then anyone had thought, himself included. The Zygra army's estimates of their abilities fell well short of what she actually had achieved, and that was after a pair of severe losses.

And even if most of her men were little more then unwashed rabble, they still were an army. They represented the third biggest single force in the Empire, behind only the Zygra army and the Blackstars. He figured that, on their own, they could easily seize a good portion of the empire. Of course, holding it would be another matter.

"So what do you think, Sturm?" She asked as she walked into her office, draping her jacket over her chair. "How does my little army rate?"

"Very impressive." He replied. "It's quite an achievement. You've done all this in what, eighteen months?"

"About that." She replied. "Drink?"

"Thank you." He walked over to the desk where Jenice was standing. She took out a bottle, and poured each of them a glass. Sturm took his and studied it for a moment.

"You haven't done so badly for yourself." She replied. "First a Paladin, then the most dangerous man in the empire. Well, possibly the second. Not bad."

"Yes, but I am just one man. I don't have my own army."

"No, but now you are a vital part of one." She replied. "Sturm, I want you to be my second. Levisha is already my right hand. She is a vital part of my success. She is an excellent tactician, and very good at coordinating operations. Not to mention her skills at surveillance and battlefield control."

"But?"

"She's not what I'd call a people person." Janice admitted. "You are. You possess the drive, the charisma, the force of character to lead my men. Between her skills and your leadership, I believe we could become a far stronger force then we are already. And your position, the arch traitor of the Empire, may become inspirational."

"Interesting idea." He replied. "I like it, actually."

"I knew you would." She admitted. "As I said, we have the same goals. I believe that together, we can actually achieve them."

"What about Towne?" He asked. "I've just usurped her position in the organisation. You don't think that will cause problems?"

"No, actually." Jenice stated as she opened a drawer on her desk. "In fact, she liked the idea when I suggested it to her."

"Interesting."

"Levisha's one of the oldest members of this group." She continued. "She's been with us since the early days."

"Interesting." He replied. "And the others?"

"Well, there's a small group who have been with me for the longest time." She replied. "The McNeil brothers, Gwen and Drake, Bart… most of the others are rabble who I've picked up along the way."

"Bart… he's your chief tech I'd assume. He must be good to keep this lot going."

She nodded. "He is, but I know of at least one much better one."

"I think I know who you're talking about." Sturm began. "And I'm guessing he's not with us now."

"No. He's probing to be somewhat elusive." She handed him a picture. "Remember this? The Fearsome Four?"

He looked at the photo. It showed a quartet of people; three men and a woman, all dressed in Zygra uniforms. They were standing in front of a Gustav, a ruined city behind them. "That must have been the last time the four of us were working together." He began.

"Something like that." She shrugged. "Whatever happened to Schneider any way?"

"Karl?" He asked. "You know that he was given a dishonourable discharge."

"I know that, but I didn't know what happened afterwards. Circumstances were against me."

"I honestly expected him to have turned up here." Sturm replied. "He pretty much vanished after he was discharged. I spoke to him once or twice, but then…" He shrugged.

"Huh." She commented. "I wouldn't have expected that. There you go." She smiled at Sturm. "Anyway, that's all in the past. Right now, I prefer to concentrate on the future." She held up her glass.

"The future." He replied, then took a drink. It would be a very interesting future, he thought.


	16. Shadow Army

For a few short moments, Jaeger had thought that he was doomed.

He had been discreetly watching the girl that he had been trailing, seeing what happened as she weaved her way through the Blackstar city. He wondered if she knew where she was going, or if she was just travelling in whatever direction suited her. Or, he suspected, she was being drawn towards somewhere.

He wanted to know this girl's secret. He had seen what had happened with the Trinity Liger, and realised some of the implications of that event. He was no wondering if what had happened there was a one-off event, or whether it could be repeated. And, if so, what could it do…

He watched as she approached the reactor complex and began talking with one of the technicians there. It seemed to be nothing significant, until she turned around, staring straight at one of the reactors. He wondered if she'd seen something, and then if there wasn't something else going on.

And then the sirens had gone off. He'd ran, knowing full well what that meant. He didn't care about what he was meant to be doing; he just wanted to get as far away as possible from what was about to happen. If that reactor had overloaded as it seemed too…

Fortunately, it didn't. However, he did loose track of his target in the chaos, which frustrated him to no end. He'd have to find her again, which would not be easy, especially after what had just happened. And he suspected that there would be a flood of people tyring to all leave the city at once.

Fortunately, one of his contacts had paid off. They'd informed him that a woman matching the description he gave left the city early the next morning. She was travelling with a small group of Zoids. He'd read off the names of the other pilots, with one of them getting his attention. He wasn't surprised that a woman with her talents would be travelling with him.

He'd decided that he needed to get some help to capture them. He waited on a rocky outcropping in the desert, his Sandspeeder hidden nearby. Checking his watch, he could see that it almost was time for the support he had requested to contact him. _Good._

There was a beeping from the small communicator he hid within his coat. Taking it out, he activated it. "Jaeger here." He began.

"This is Kage One." The voice began. "Kage Two and I are in position and awaiting instructions."

"Good." He began. "A group of Zoids should approach your position in approximately an hour. It will consist of a Gustav, a Gunsniper, a Hammer Rock, an Iguan and a Sinker. The Sinker will be carried by the Gustav, but assume all the others are active and piloted."

"Understood."

"You are to capture the pilots of the Gustav and Hammer Rock. It doesn't matter what you do to their Zoids, although salvaging them would be preferable." He continued. "Do what you wish with the others."

"Understood." He repeated.

"Contact me when you have achieved your objectives, but maintain radio silence until then." Jaeger finished. "Out."

"Acknowledged. Ending transmission." He finished, then closed the line.

Jaeger couldn't do anything now except wait. With his own Zoid now long-destroyed, he didn't have too many other options. It didn't matter. He was sure that the operatives that he had bought in would be sufficient to achieve the task at hand. Still, he would have preferred to deal with matters himself.

_Whatever that girl's secret was_, he thought, _it was both powerful and dangerous. _Which meant that he must control it.

**oOoOo**

**Shadow Army**

**oOoOo**

Althiea had admitted to herself that she didn't know what it was that she was running from. She'd tried to rationalise it by saying that she was trying to flee from a potentially exploding fusion reactor, but she knew that wasn't it.

No, what she was running from was... a presence. It was like there was something there, something that had been reaching out for her. She'd heard the voice in her mind again just before the sirens went off, and it had terrified her.

This had led her to wonder if the two events were related. Something had drawn her towards the reactor. Something had been calling to her. And then the reactor suddenly malfunctioned. Coincidence? She didn't think so.

She assumed that they had gotten things under control. The sirens had stopped going off after a while, so that seemed to indicate that the trouble, whatever it was, had passed. Floyd had pointed out that the lack of an earth-shattering explosion had indicated that things were all fine and that they should stop worrying. She only hoped that Sabrina was okay.

She had refused to talk about where she'd been or what she'd seen. She didn't want to say that she'd found a way into the city itself, lest it provoke a round of difficult questions from the others, Floyd especially. Instead, she'd insisted that they leave as soon as possible, which seemed to suit the others fine.

The next morning they'd left. Due to a lack of solid leads, Floyd had arbitrarily picked a direction for them to travel in; heading west towards the Draken frontier. From there, they would plan some sort of search to try to find the Red Claw's location. The only info was that the Claw had a base 'nearby in the desert'. It wasn't much, but it may yet get them somewhere. Besides, it meant that they were away from the Blackstars.

She'd never figured out what that voice was that had been calling to her. She wanted to know why she'd heard it and not anyone else. What was it that was so special about her anyway? Why did Jenice want her so badly? And what was that voice anyway?

For some reason, she was afraid to find out.

**oOoOo**

"Good morning, Paladin Trogdor." Sturm looked up from his breakfast to see Jenice standing over him.

"Oh, good morning, Commander." He replied.

"I did some thinking overnight regarding your position in our organisation." She began. "Especially with regards to your range of responsibilities.

"Such as?" He replied.

"As my second, you'll be required to lead my troops into battle, as well as fight by my side." She explained. "Obviously in order to do such, you will need a Zoid."

This got his attention. He'd been wondering if Jenice had something in mind for him since she offered him the place in her army. He still had a relatively poor idea of wheat Jenice's army possessed, but the impression he got was that most of their force was made up of older, smaller Zoids. The few newer models or more capable Zoids she possessed seemed to be concentrated in the hands of a small cadre of 'elite' pilots, such as Towne.

He glanced across the room to where a pair of pilots were eating, a short man with black hair in a long coat and a young woman with purple-tinted hair. The woman had been glaring at him all morning thus far. Judging form their lack of uniform, he assumed them to be two of those elites. _So what was with the glare_, he wondered? Maybe she was fearing for the security of her place in the army, or similar.

"I assumed you had something in mind." He continued. "To be honest, I'm more impressed with the numbers of your Zoids then their quality."

"It's a fair assessment." She admitted. "We make do largely with what we find. However, I have something for you, which may prove to be a little more interesting

He considered this. "Very well then." Momentarily abandoning his breakfast, he stood. "Please, I'd like to see this Zoid, if possible."

"Certainly." She lead him to an elevator, which descended through the core of the mesa. Sturm wasn't sure how far down he'd gone, but he figured they were well underground by the time they stopped.

The doors opened, the pair of them stepping out into a large hanger bay. To his surprise, Towne was waiting there for them. "Levisha, Sturm's here to see his new Zoid."

"Very well." She began. The three of them proceeded through the hanger, Sturm taking in his surroundings. A number of the lights in the room seemed to be off, probably due to wear or similar. He could make out shapes in the darkness; some he recongised as being Zoids, while others seemed to be little more then lumps of junk.

"This is a storage hanger more then anything else." Jenice began. "We use it for Zoids that are too far gone to be useful, or for ones that we haven't yet found a use for." Sturm could make out the form of one of the imperial Chimera Zoids lurking nearby.

"Here it is." Levisha began. Looking up, he could see a single Zoid standing before him. It was rather small, but its design was sleek and slender, suggesting speed and agility. It was a small, bipedal dinosaur type, with cannons mounted on its forearms and rather nasty-looking claws. More interestingly, it had what appeared to be metlaic feathers on its arms and legs.

Sturm recognised the design; it was a newer UZN model of Zoid (Where "newer" meant "less then sixty years old) known as an Evo Flyer. Rather small, but very fast and agile, it had the unique ability to convert into an avian mode, allowing it to function both on land and in the air.

"Interesting." Sturm began. "Where did you find it?"

"It was in a storage bunker we uncovered." Jenice replied as she stood next to him. "It was a bit beat up, but we were able to repair it with parts on hand. Both Myself and my chief technician have done our utmost to ensure that it is perfect working condition." She glanced at him. "I'll admit it's not the biggest or toughest Zoid we have on hand, but I thought you'd appreciate its range of capabilities."

"Definitely." He replied. He was already seeing the tactical possibilities inherent in the design.

"We stored it because none of our current pilots were able to handle it." Levisha commented. "We have only a few who are capable of operating Flying Zoids, and most of those are marginal at best."

"Whereas I know that, as a Paladin, you are qualified to operate air, land and sea Zoids." Jenice continued.

"True. And while I prefer land-based Zoids, I can see the advantages to this one." He walked around the machine examining it. "I can see how this would be an advantage to our forces. It should be able to handily out-perform anything the Empire has."

"Its firepower is a bit limited at the moment." Jenice continued. "But I feel that you should be able to get more out of it."

"I'd have thought that you would be able to do something about that." Sturm commented. "After all, you have shown a certain creativity in past."

Levisha shot a glance at him, then her, as if she was aware that there was something she was missing.

"Well, for the moment, most of our supplies have gone into maintaining our existing units rather then upgrading individual Zoids." She admitted. "Should our supply situation improve…"

"Hmmm." Sturm considered this. "Jenice, I would be honoured to accept this Zoid from you. I will use it to the utmost of my abilities to further our cause."

"Thank you, Paladin Trogdor." She replied, a hint of a smile on her face.

"With your permission, I would like to take it out for a test flight to see just what it is capable of." He continued. "While I know the design, I'm not personally familiar with it."

"Certainly." She stated. "Levisha with go with you, just in case something should go wrong. After all, we haven't used it properly as yet."

"A wise precaution." He replied. And one that makes sense for a new recruit that you're entrusting a lot too. He had no doubt that Levisha was there as much to ensure his loyalty as anything else. "As soon as you're ready, Towne, then we can go."

"Indeed." She replied, flatly. Sturm wasn't sure, but there seemed to be something about the way she was studying him that didn't seem… right to him. It was almost as if there was something she wanted or expected from him, something that he couldn't put his finger on. Still, he had no reason not to trust her, especially after she had ensured his freedom.

He turned back to the new Zoid. It would be interesting to see what it, and his newfound allies, were capable of.

**oOoOo**

Jason had noticed how quiet the team was. That didn't bother him. What did bother him was how quiet Rayvenne was. Normally she was loud, almost obnoxiously such, and acting like she was the centre of the universe. If she didn't have everyone's attention, then she'd carry on until she did.

However, since last night she'd been decidedly sulky and quiet. She hadn't said much of anything at all. Hell, she hadn't even been annoying Leanne like she usually did. He had no idea why she liked doing it, but she wasn't any more.

He opened a channel to her Sinker, which was riding on one of the Gustav's trailers. "Hey there." He began."

"Hm?" She replied. "Oh, its you."

"Something up?" He casually asked, trying to figure out what was up with her.

"No." She replied, sulkily.

"Okay then." He replied. "I was just asking, what with you being all quiet. I was making sure everything was okay."

"It's fine." She replied angrily. "And you know what's up"

Right, that explained it. "Look, Rayvenne, I'm sorry about that." He began. "I thought that everything would work out."

"Well it didn't." She snapped. "And it nearly got me… well, I don't want to know what it nearly got me."

"Look, how was I to know that a real Blackstar would turn up?" He asked.

"Damn it, why didn't you think of that?" She snapped.

_It's not like you objected to my plan or anything_, he thought. _In fact, you seemed to be revelling in playing the part of a Blackstar. You did arrogant, superior and condescending way, way too well. _"Look, it was working fine until then." He began. "And you didn't object to it."

"That's only because you didn't tell me what they'd do if they caught me!" She shouted back.

"Hey!" He began. "I didn't know that anyone would be able to tell the difference. I didn't expect a random Blackstar girl to show up, okay?"

"Well you should have!" She snarled. "They could have killed me there! Or dragged me off to do… I don't know. Whatever it is they do that keeps everyone so damned terrified of them! Whatever the hell it was that happened to scare them off, I'm glad it did."

"Look, you went along with me, so it's just as much your fault!" He replied, angrily. "And I didn't see you or anyone else coming up with a better plan! And I shilled out for your gear out of my own pocket"

There was a brief pause.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened." Jason admitted.

"It's okay." She quietly replied.

"And, uh, you can keep the stuff if you want. Or sell it. It's yours now."

"Thanks for that." She replied. "Besides which, I kinda like the look."

"Well, it does look good on you." Which was true. 'Half-naked' was a good look for Rayvenne. He wouldn't mind removing that half some day.

"Well, of course." She replied. "After all, I'm good looking enough to be mistaken for a Blackstar. Better even."

"Well, yeah." He replied. She was a lot easier to deal with after a bit of flattery. "I mean, you wouldn't ask Ali or Lee to impersonate a Blackstar, would you?"

"Of course not." Rayvenne replied, any hint of anger gone form her voice. "Because only I have the looks, the body, and the not inconsiderable charm and subtlety to pull it off."

He knew what the limits of her charms were, but he decided not to say a thing. She was talking to him again, and that was good enough for him.

**oOoOo**

Nathan Winters stared down his opponent through the canopy of his brand new Godos. His opponent, an elderly Garius stared back at him. He subtly moved the Godos, shifting its feet and moving its centre of gravity forwards in preparation to strike. The Garius didn't seem to react.

_Now!_

The Godos lunged forwards, swinging its spear downwards and thrusting forwards. The Garius, to his surprise, raised its own spear, blocking his strike. Undeterred, he thrust again, this time lower down. The Garius again blocked him, then swung with its own spear in reply.

The Godos shifted back, raising its shield to block the strike. There was a resounding clang as the spear bounced off the shield, leaving his Zoid unharmed. Seeing his chance, he thrust forwards again, seeking to strike his opponent before they could attack again.

The Garius was again too fast for him, swinging around its shield to block his attack. The spear dug into the shield, stuck fast but unable to go any further through.

"You're not at your best to day, are you?" Dezalg asked from the cockpit of his Garius.

"No, I'm not." He admitted, the Godos raising its hands in a mock symbol of surrender.

"Is there something bothering you?" He asked. "You seem... distracted."

"Its this whole situation with the Red Claw." He admitted. "The more I think about it, the worse it seems to get. They seem to be a lot stronger and a lot better prepared then we first thought."

"I was surprised that thy would have the audacity to attack your convoy." Dezalg commented.

"That's just a part of it." He admitted. "What bothers me is that they knew exactly where we were. And it's pretty clear that they knew who we were carrying. I'm just trying to figure out howe they knew."

"Well, you did just come from the Blackstar city." Dezlag offered. "Maybe thy had an informant in there."

"Possibly. What concerns me is that their informant would have to be inside the Blackstar's military. And if they could be subverted or swayed to their cause…"

"It is a quite terrible prospect, yes." Dezalg replied. "However, we know that the Blackstars seem to be as opposed to them as we are."

"True. But at the same time, it's a worrying state of affairs that the Blackstars have had more success against them then we have." In truth, it did deeply concern him. It also sounded like a justification of everything Sturm had said.

And if that one Blackstar who had been so successful against them was Thorne, then that only made things worse. That woman seemed to have some sort of hatred towards the empire that went beyond the general obnoxious arrogance of her kind.

"Careful there. You're beginning to sound like Sturm." Dezalg commented.

"And that's what's worrying me." He replied. "I'm beginning to wonder if we can really fight them. It's that Liger of theirs that bothers me. If we knew more about it…"

"I fought against Hydra during the war." Dezlag continued. "We fought many unusual Zoids that nobody had seen before."

"Yes, but you didn't fight them with Garius and Elphantus."

"Some days, I think it wouldn't have mattered." Dezalg shrugged. "Some of what Hydra had made that Liger look rather tame by comparison."

"And yet we prevailed."

"And the Zygra empire was born out of it." Nathan finished. He knew the history off by heart. The Zygra empire had been born in war. After the war, it had prospered while the UZN and Draken empire had floundered, moving ahead while they stayed in the past.

"So." Dezalg began as the Garius pulled the spear free. "Another round?"

**oOoOo**

The day had worn on, with the silence across the team hanging heavily over everybody. Nobody seemed to want to speak to everyone, giving the day a rather oppressive tone. Instead, they just trudged on, remaining determinedly silent.

It was just before dusk when somebody finally spoke. "Hey cats." Floyd suddenly began. "I'm getting a small blip on my sensors. Anyone else see that?"

"Uhh…" Leanne replied as the Gunsniper looked around, its two ear-like radar antennas twitching in the air. "No, I ain't got a thing."

"Well, It's there." He replied. "About three o'clock, probably abut a click away."

Althiea checked her own sensors. They didn't show a thing, but she expected that. The Gustav and Gunsniper both had far better sensors then her Hammerock or Jason's Iguan. Still… She searched the area. There were a few rocks, perhaps big enough to conceal a small Zoid, but nothing that looked out of place or unnatural, save for the long dusk shadows their Zoids cast across the landscape.

"What is it, Floyd?" Jason called out as the Iguan stepped forwards, looking about as it walked. The Zoid flicked a sharpened metal pole that it had been carrying as a spear.

"No idea." He replied. "It's small, elusive, and well hidden."

"I'm getting my Zoid ready." Rayvenne called out as she clambered into the Sinker's cockpit.

Althiea glanced around again, looking for some sign of the enemy. Actually, she realised, they may not even be hostile. For all she knew, it could be some other traveller who had seen them coming and assumed that they were dangerous. _Now I'm getting paranoid_, she thought. _I've been out here on the run for way too long._

"Dangit, don't anyone know anything about these guys?" Leanne muttered. "I can't see spit on my sensors. Whoever they are, they're slippery."

"Don't panic." Jason spoke up. "Remain calm. Don't make any sudden moves or so anything to provoke them."

"Hey, I'm going up for a look-see." Rayvenne called out. "Maybe I can find out if they're hostile or not." The Sinker rose from the Gustav's trailer, climbing straight up into the sky.

Suddenly a beam of energy shot out of nowhere, tearing through the sky. The shot tore through the Sinker's side, literally swatting the smaller Zoid out of the sky. The Sinker tipped, then plummeted downwards, smashing into the ground on the far side of the Gustav.

"Nice call." Floyd muttered.

"Rayvenne!" Jason called out. "Are you okay?"

"I…" she muttered. "I think so. I don't think anything's broken but… ahh… my Zoid's busted… its real bad."

"Where'd that come from?" Leanne asked. 'Where in the heck are they?"

"Over there!" Althiea called out, peering into the distance. "I think… there's a large rock over there. They may have hidden behind that…"

"I'm onto him!" She called out. "Jase, let's get him!" The Gunsniper snarled and turned towards where Althiea was indicating.

"Hang on, I'm getting another blip!" Floyd called out. "Behind you!"

The Gunsniper turned just as something pounced on it. There was a flash of golden energy as the enemy Zoid sliced through the Gunsniper's leg, tearing it in half. As the Gunsniper collapsed, the smaller Zoid ran off.

"What the hell was that?" Jason called out.

Althiea frantically looked around, trying to locate her opponent. It was a small, fast-moving Zoid, looking something like a black Blade Liger, but was smaller then a Helcat. "There he is!" She called out as she opened fire with the Hammer Rock's beam guns. The shots went wide of the fleeing Zoid, which continued to sprint away from them. It disappeared into the shadows, ducking down behind a rock and hiding from sight.

"Let's get after it!" Jason called out as the Iguan sprinted after it.

"Wait… Jason, look out!"

"Wha?" The Iguan twisted around to face the Hammer Rock as the first attacker fired again. The shot narrowly missed his Zoid, cutting through the space it had occupied seconds ago. "Down!" He called out as another shot went past, scoring the armour on the side of the Gustav.

"Good news, kids!" Floyd called out. "It looks like our feral biting cat is a Leoblaze. So he's likely not got any long-range weapons."

"Great!" Jason called out as the Iguan scurried for cover. "So who's his buddy with the big gun?"

"Well, I'm not too sure about that." Floyd replied. "But following usual patterns, I'd say it's a Unenalgia."

"They don't normally carry guns that big, do they?" Ali asked. While she knew only a bit about the Leoblaze and Unenlagia, she knew enough to know that neither of them carried weapons that big.

"It's a Unenlagia packing serious heat then." Floyd replied, sulkily. "Look out! Kitty's back! He's coming in from behind"

The Leoblaze charged out of hiding, heading towards the two Zoids. Jason's Iguan spun, opening fire with its tail-mounted canons as it went. The Leoblaze weaved and twisted, avoiding the shots with its incredible agility before leaping at the Iguan.

Jason twisted his Zoid out of the way, raising the improvised spear and swinging it at the enemy Zoid. There was a loud clanging noise as the two met in mid-air. The spear bounced away, bent hopelessly out of shape, while the Leoblaze was sent crashing to the ground.

Before either of them could get a chance to take advantage of it, the other Zoid fired again. The shot narrowly missed the Iguan, instead blasting the improvised spear apart. The Leoblaze quickly rolled over and regained its feet before charging again, this time running at Althiea's Hammer Rock.

Althiea opened fire, and was surprised when her shots bounced off an energy shield around the Zoid's head. The Leoblaze dropped the shield and leaped again, going straight for the Hammer Rock. Althiea twisted the controls, her Zoid trying to get out of the way of its attacker. The Leoblaze's attack barely missed her, the claws tearing into the armour over the shoulder but not doing any deeper damage.

Having missed both its opportunities to strike, the Leoblaze again ran off, vanishing into the twilight.

"Damn it." Jason snarled. "Stand still and fight, you cowards!"

"They ain't gonna!" Floyd replied. "They're both better suited to this sort of battle then a straight-up fight."

"Damn it… Ali! Behind you!"

The Hammer Rock turned just as the Leoblaze emerged from hiding again, this time opening fire with a three-barreled cannon mounted on one shoulder. The shots struck the Hammer Rock, tearing holes in its chest and shoulder. As Ali fought to keep the Zoid upright, it charged in, heading straight for her.

"No you don't!" He called out as he charged in. The Iguan swung around, its foot arcing through the air as the Leoblaze leaped. The kick caught the Leoblaze in the side, again sending it sprawling. Before Jason could do anything about it, however, the Unenlagia opened fire again, striking the Iguan in the back. The Zoid toppled forwards, barely managing to avoid crashing to the groud.

"Jason!" Althiea called out. "What's happened?"

"It looks bad…" He began. "The booster's shot to all hell, and I've got red lights all over the board!"

She glanced around, spotting the Leoblaze again, Instead of running off this time, it was standing its ground, snarling at the pair of them. She opened fire on it, but again her shots were deflected by the Leoblaze's energy shield. Keeping its shield up to deflect incoming fire up, the smaller Zoid charged straight at her-

only to be cut off as the Gustav slid in front of it, blocking its charge. "Whoah there, kitty!" Floyd called out. The Leoblaze snarled, then opened fire again. The shots hit the Gustav, but didn't seem to have much effect on it.

"Go on!" Floyd called out. "Scat! Gitoutofit!" The Gustav turned to face the smaller Zoid, then charged forwards, heading straight for it. The Leoblaze leaped out of the way, only to have the Gustav turn to follow it, still running after it.

Seeing her chance, Althiea opened fire on the enemy Zoid, her shots narrowly missing it. Jason added his own fire to hers, one of the shots hitting it in the side. The pilot recovered, however, before any of them could capitalise on this. He opened up the Zoids throttle, the smaller Zoid springing away from the three of them.

Another beam from the other Zoid shot past the Iguan, clipping the side of the Gustav's shell. Both the Iguan and Hammer Rock scurried for cover, looking for somewhere to hide. "Okay…" Jason began. "We've managed to deter the kitty for the moment. Question is, what do we do about his pal?"

"He's got a longer range and the advantage of higher ground." Floyd replied. "Which means that he's holding all the cards and concealing a large gun behind them.

"So what can we do about him?" Jason asked. "We could charge him, but we'd need some cover if we were going to make it." He indicated to the smoking hole in the Iguan's back. "And there isn't anything we can pick up and carry with us that's going to last against that sort of fire."

"Hmm…" Althiea looked around. All she could see were a few rocks, none of which looked very portable. Her Hammer Rock could pick up and carry something, but that would drastically reduce its speed and make her an easier target.

"What we need." Floyd began. "What we need is a large wall or other obstruction with wheels on, that we can push forwards while advancing. Now, while under normal circumstances I could easily hammer one together, this is a rather challenging situation."

"Actually, I think I have an idea…" She began.

**oOoOo**

Levisha tended not to like large assemblies with the bulk of the Claw's forces. Its wasn't that she found such things to be a waste of time. On the contrary, she knew that they could be incredibly useful. No, the problem was the people. She couldn't stand them.

By and large, most of the Red Claw's members were criminals. They were little more then thugs with a degree of drive and ambition. Those who made it to become Zoid pilots weren't too much better, merely having more drive and talent, and maybe a touch more brainpower. At heart, however, they were still mindless thugs.

The ones who really annoyed her, however, were the so-called elites of the Red Claw. They were the ones who had been there from the earliest days of the organisation, and who owned their own Zoids (as opposed to those who had been assigned Zoids by Jenice). They weren't really any better then the bulk of the Zoid pilots. True, their Zoids tended to be a little more powerful, but that was it.

She entered the auditorium relatively late, marching past the rows of infantry soldiers in their cheap uniforms, helmets and masks. Continuing to the front row, she passed the ranks of Zoid pilots; they didn't wear uniforms, but each sported a distinctive patch on their sleeves. Eventually she reached the front row, neatly positioning herself at the end of it, next to Malcolm. She noted with some satisfaction that, at the other end, Gwen had ended up next to Bart. The idea appealed to her, and she hoped that Gwen was having a truly miserable time.

She turned towards the stage, waiting for whatever it was that had bought her here to occur. After a few minutes, Jenice walked in and stood behind the podium that was at the centre of the stage.

"Soldiers of the Red Claw." She began. "Today is a very important day in our history. Today, I will unveil our newest weapon, one that will greatly aid our cause."

This sent a murmur through the crowd as the soldiers discussed what this weapon could be. Levisha knew, but she found it interesting to overhear the discussion of the possibilities. Most of them were discussing new Zoids; which was a predictable result. Typical of their rather bland and linear thinking, she thought.

"This new weapon was acquired two days ago by a small group of our Zoid pilots." She continued. "These daring individuals carried out a heroic raid on an Imperial Zygra military convoy, retrieving the weapon and, in the processing, defeating the Zygra forces." This sent another murmur through the crowd. "In the process, they also defeated a Zygra Paladin in single combat."

A loud cheer rang out form the crowd. Levisha understood why she was willing to downplay her own role in the attack; the very idea that these people could defeat a Zygra Paladin, supposedly the best Zoid pilots in he world, would be an incredible morale booster.

Jenice let this continue for a moment, before signalling for silence. "This new weapon is not a traditional one. It is not some new device, nor is it a new Zoid." This sent another murmur through the crowd. "Rather, it is a rather unconventional weapon, but one who's power is greater then any gun or any Zoid." She turned to one side and nodded.

Sturm walked onto the stage, dressed in a new uniform. It was based off his original paladin's uniform; a richly decorated jacket with dress pants and epaulets, with a large sword carried at one side. The big difference was that whereas a regular Paladin's uniform was red and blue, his was black with a gold trim. He walked over to the podium to stand next to Jenice.

"This man is Sturm Trogdor, the Black Paladin." She began. That generated another murmur from the crowd. No surprises; Sturm's story was becoming legendary in some circles. "This man is our new weapon, the one that will bring us victory."

She stood aside and allowed Sturm to take the podium. "I was once a Zygra Paladin." Trogdor began. "But I found that, while I had reached a position of supreme power and authority, it was one that I no longer desired."

"The Zygra Empire, our supposed protector, has become weak and ineffectual. Its armies are stretched thin, and struggling to defend its people. Threats to the empire exist on all sides, both form outside the empire-" He paused then looked around over the crowd. "And within. You, the Red Claw, represent the singe greatest threat to the empire."

"I believe that the empire needs to change. And I also believe that we, the Red Claw, are the agents of that change. We have the strength and the ability to now take on the Empire's armies directly. We no longer have to strike from the darkness, lashing out and then fading away. We no longer need to run and hide. Instead, we can dominate this empire, and take it from those who would style themselves as our superiors."

A loud cheer went out from the crowd. Levisha remained quiet for the moment, analysing his statement. While not strictly true, it was also a great way to motivate the troops. And it fit so well with her own aims.

"I know how the empire operates. I know how they think and act. And I know their weaknesses and their failings. And I will be able to exploit those, to bring us the victory, and the power, that we all so rightfully deserve." He finished. "The Zygra Empire will be ours."

There was another loud cheer from the crowd, as Jenice took the podium again. "From today. Paladin Trogdor will be my right hand. His leadership, his skills and his knowledge will be essential in bringing us the victories we so desire. He will work with all of you to build a better and stronger Red Claw, one that will be able to take on the Empire. And, when he is done, we will be victorious."

There was another cheer from the crowd, with Zoid pilots and soldiers chanting for victory. The only exceptions were the so-called elite, who were remaining relatively quiet. "I don't see why he's been put in command." Gwen muttered. "I mean, we've been here far longer then he has. Why does that guy get to go ahead of all of us? What's he got that's so special?"

_That's because he the capability to bring us victory_, Levisha thought. _That's because he isn't a small-minded thug like you are_. She examined the man standing on the stage, analysing his qualities. He was a keen mind, yet very dangerous. And at the same time, very, very interesting.

**oOoOo**

"You're crazy." Floyd began. "I think you should know that."

"I'm sorry, Floyd." Althiea replied. "But this is the best way I could think of to get that guy."

"Oh, I don't disagree." Floyd continued. "In fact, my use of the word 'crazy' was intended as a mark of respect. This is a very creative plan you've dreamed up, Ali, and I'm glad to be a part of it."

"Uh, thanks." She replied.

"Okay, can we stop yapping at each other and get going?" Jason asked.

"Oh, all right." Floyd muttered. "I was having so much fun too…"

"Right." Althiea began. "On the count of three. Three, two, one… go!"

The Gustav charged forwards, heading straight towards the rocks where the Unenlagia was hiding. The Hammer Rock and Iguan were crouched down on its first trailer, using the Gustav's shell for cover. Its second trailer had been left behind, tipped on its side to shelter the damaged Gunsniper and Sinker.

A shot came from amongst the rocks, the bright energy beam shooting out and scoring the armour on the front of the Gustav's shell. Besides leaving an ugly back mark, it didn't seem to do any damage to it, just as Ali had expected. "Yeee-haw!" Floyd called out as his Zoid charged forwards. "Yeee-haw-haw!"

"Jason, behind you!" Ali called out as she spied the Leoblaze dart out from cover on the Gustav's right side, and begin closing rapidly.

"I see him!" Jason called back. The Iguan twisted around, firing its quad impact cannon at the enemy Zoid. It was briefly enveloped in a cloud of smoke as the shots went off around it, kicking up clouds of dirt and rubble. The Zoid leaped out from the smoke and continued to close, but seemed a lot more hesitant all of a sudden. A second volley of fire saw it drop back, letting the Gustav get away from it for the moment.

The front of the Gustav was briefly enveloped in fire as something opened up on it with a pair of rapid-fire beam cannons. The shots seemed to be bouncing off the shell with no effect, Althiea noted. Peering her Zoid's head around, she could see that their attacker was indeed a Unenlagia, coloured black and blue like the Leoblaze.

"There he is!" She called out.

"Little varmint's getting' away!" Floyd called back as the Unenlagia darted out from cover and began sprinting across the plains.

"I'll get him!" Althiea called back. "Jason, take care of the Leoblaze!"

"Gotcha." He shouted.

The Hammer Rock leaped off the side of the Gustav and set off after the fleeing Unenlagia, knuckling along as fast as its short legs could carry it. Althiea opened fire with the shoulder cannons and Vulcans, spraying shots across the desert at the enemy Zoid. Several rounds form the vulcans smashed into its side, ripping into the armour.

The Unenlagia hissed back at her, firing back with one of its arm-mounded beam machineguns. Several of the shots hit her Zoid's shoulder, doing no real damage. As she suspected, the Zoid couldn't use either its tail cannon or the heavy beam rifle while on the move. So all she needed to do was chase it down.

"Come back here!" Jason called out as the Iguan chased after the Leoblaze. A burst of fire from the quad cannon sprayed the ground near the smaller Zoid, narrowly missing it. Rather then turning and firing back, the Leoblaze continued to run, heading in the same direction as the Unenlagia. "They're trying to regroup!" He called out.

"Yeah, I noticed that." Althiea shouted as her Zoid dodged another volley of fire from the Unenlagia. To her annoyance, the smaller Zoid was faster then her, and was beginning to get away. She could see that Jason was having the same problem with the Leoblaze; it was proving to be very good at evading his shots.

The pair of them ducked behind a large rock, the biggest one available. "We've got them now!" Jason called out. "Nowhere for you two to run anymore!"

"Wait!" Floyd called out.

"Why not?" Jason asked. "They're cornered. We've got them on the run. They know they're in trouble."

"And we've gotten them into the same place." Floyd replied.

"Huh?" Both Jason and Althiea replied at the same time. "What's wrong with that?" Jason asked. "It just makes 'em easier targets and gives us less to chase."

"You don't know what those two can do together, can you?" Floyd replied.

"…like what?"

A volley of fire erupted from behind the rock, peppering the Iguan and knocking it down. Before either Jason or Ali could respond, a Zoid emerged from behind the rock. It was a low-slung, lizard like creature with a pair of bream cannons on its back and what appeared to be the Unenlagia's head. On closer inspection, she could recognise features from both Zoids. "What is that thing?" She asked.

"That's a Double Arms Lizards." Floyd replied back. "It's the combined form of a Leoblaze and a Unenlagia."

"Combined form?" She asked as the Hammer Rock sprinted over to the downed Iguan, while evading fire from the Lizard's beam machine guns. "What do you mean?"

"The pair of them combined to form a new Zoid." Floyd explained. "Many blox-type Zoids are capable of doing it."

"So what can we do about it?" Jason asked as the Iguan struggled back to its feet. The small Zoid was battered, but not out of action yet.

"It's bigger and tougher then either of you." Floyd called back. "And it can fire its heavy weapons on the move, something that a Unenlagia can't do."

"Great. Frelling fantastic!" Jason called out as the Iguan sprinted away from the Lizard, firing its quad cannon as it went. The shots hit the combined Zoid, but didn't seem to have much effect.

Thr Lizard hissed angrily and opened fire with its heavy beam cannon, narrowly missing the Iguan. The combined Zoid stomped forwards, continuing to fire with its smaller weapons as it advanced.

"I've never heard of Zoids doing that before!" Ali shouted as her Hammer Rock ran past it, spraying its flanks with fire from the shoulder guns.

"Of course you haven't." Floyd replied. "The Zygra Empire continues to rely on rather stupidly obsolete designs for their forces, rather then using more modern ones. The odds of you encountering a pair of Blox Zoids are pretty low."

"Great." Jason yelled as the Iguan doubled back, exchanging fire with the enemy Zoid. "So the question is, who the frelling hell is this guy, and why is he after us?"

"Good question." Floyd replied. "It's pretty clear that the attack was deliberately targeted. They way they ambushed us was too good to be a pair of random bandits who mugged us because we were there. This had to be deliberate."

"So is this the Red Claw again?" Althiea asked as her Hammer Rock scurried behind a boulder, then opened fire from cover.

"I don't think so." He said. "If they had these Zoids, then we would have seen them by now. Besides, this doesn't strike me as being the Claw's style."

"Agreed." Jason called back. "Its too well organised to begin with. And Jenice would have sent more then two Zoids to deal with all of us."

"Can we save the debate until later?" Althiea called out as a shot from the heavy beam cannon obliterated the rock she was using for cover.

"Sorry!" Floyd called out.

"Right." Jason shouted. "New plan. I'll cut left, Ali, you cut right. We'll hit him from both sides at once."

"Sounds good to me."

"On three, two one… go!"

The Iguan and Hammer Rock charged towards the DA Lizards, each approaching form a different flank while opening fire. Despite its short legs, the enemy Zoid proved to be rather agile, able to evade a number of their shots, then retaliating. It bought its top cannons around, opening fire on the Hammer Rock first.

The triple-barrelled cannon sprayed Ali's Zoid with fire, tearing up armour on its torso and flanks, causing it to stumble as it charged. Almost instantly, it bought the guns around, opening up on the Iguan. Jason weaved his Zoid through the enemy fire, before sprinting away.

The Lizards turned its attention to Ali's Hammer Rock, targeting its weapons on her. Abruptly, Jason's Iguan attacked again, this time from behind. Rocked by several hits, the Lizards turned its turret to face his Zoid and opened fire again. This time it had more luck, managing to hit the Iguan several times. The tall Zoid stumbled again, managing to come to one knee.

"It's got two crew…" Althiea muttered to herself. That's why it was so good at attacking them both at once. She should have thought of that… She trued to bring the Hammer Rock upright, but the Lizards again opened fire with its smaller weapons, pinning her down. At the same time, its back turret kept focused on the Iguan. "Come on… give me once chance…"

As if in response to what she said, the DA Lizards was abruptly rocked by a volley of rockets hitting it in one side. The Zoid reeled, damaged but still functional, but now confronted with a new opponent. It turned to spot the source of its attack, as did Althiea.

Looking around, she could see what it was; Leanne's Gunsniper had propped itself up on the stump of its leg and had opened fire on the Lizards. "I have no idea what you are," She began. "But it ain't nice of you to shoot up my friends."

The enemy Zoid hissed loudly and turned towards the Gunsniper, slowly advancing on the damaged Zoid. Althiea realised that the Gunsniper was helpless against it; it couldn't go anywhere to evade its fire. She also realised that Leanne had bought her a chance.

No longer the focus of the DA Lizard's attention, she was abler to bring the Hammer Rock to its feet. Seeing her chance, she decided on am ore direct approach then what she had tried before. The Hammer Rock sprinted towards the enemy Zoid, travelling as fast as its damaged legs would carry it. At the last possible moment, the Zoid leaped, then crashed down on the DA Lizards with its armoured knuckles.

The Zoid smashed into the back cannon assembly, its twin armoured knuckles crushing the weapons mounted there and driving them into the Zoid's back. The lizards bucked around, hissing loudly before managing to throw the Hammer Rock off. Althiea's Zoid landed on its feet and scurried away from the larger Zoid.

"Floyd!" She called out. "Get him!"

"Sure thing!" Floyd shouted out. His Gustav accelerated towards the Zoid, charging at its flank while it was chasing after her. The collision picked it up, pitching it forwards and rolling it onto its side.

"Yeee-haw! Git along there, little doggie!" Floyd shouted out. His Gustav backed up, then charged at the downed enemy Zoid again. Rather then risking being hit again, however, the DA Lizards did something rather unusual. The Zoid literally split in half, its components re-arranging themselves into the two smaller Zoids. The Gustav simply drove between the pair of them as they rolled back to their feet.

"Damn…" Jason began. "What was…"

"That was them de-combining." Floyd replied. "I told you they could do that."

The Unenlagia and Leoblaze both broke into a run, sprinting away from the Gustav. Both Zoids showed signs of severe damage, seemingly worse then what the DA Lizards had experienced. "Hey! They're getting away!" Jason yelled.

"Let them." Althiea replied. "We're in no state to go after them."

Jason snarled. "Yeah, I guess so." He bitterly replied.

Althiea looked around at their Zoids. She knew that her own Hammer Rock was badly damaged, the Iguan didn't look too much better off. Floyd's Gustav had numerous scars on its shell, but seemed to be working fine. And she knew that both the Sinker and Gunsniper, while only hit once, were both out of action for now.

"So what do we do from here?" She asked.

"We find a place to lie low and fix our Zoids up." Jason began. "And then try to figure out who the hell those guys were."

**oOoOo**

Jaeger listened to the reports from the two pilots as they withdrew from the battle. He had been surprised that they both had been beaten, especially after their initial ambush had gone off so well. Clearly he had underestimated the skill and resourcefulness of the enemy pilots. Or was it something about her… he wondered. Was there some as yet unseen talent of that woman which had contributed to their victory. It would be interesting to find out.

For now, he would advise to leave them alone, rather then trying future capture attempts. It would not be prudent for them to show their hand too early, and too many attacks risked exposure before the time was right. No, for now he knew that there were other people who could do their work for him. After all, they had an interest in the same two people.

_It would be interesting to see how this plays out,_ he thought. _Of course, in the end, there would be only one winner._


	17. Desert Rain

Nathan Winters strode across the assembly grounds, passing the ranks of Zoids as they were prepared for action. He ignored the rows of regular troops, instead heading for a single Zoid at the end of the ranks. The dull grey Barrigator was larger and more heavily armoured then most of the other Zoids, standing out from those around it. Tis colour matched the dark clouds overhead, as well as his mood.

"Paladin Winters." Its pilot began as she turned to face him. She was tall and graceful, with dark skin and a shaved head. Like him, she wore a Paladin's uniform. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Paladin Okaro." He replied. "I came here as soon as I heard about the operation."

"I see. Did you wish to be a part of it, sir?" She asked.

"You don't realise what you're up against, do you?" He began. "Your force-"

"Is conducting a search and destroy operation in the area around where your convoy was ambushed." She replied, cutting him off. "We intend to hunt down the Red Claw and bring them to justice. They represent a threat to the empire, one that must be eliminated."

He could see the logic in her argument. At the same time, he couldn't see where her confidence was coming from. "The enemy force is a lot larger and a lot better organised then we initially thought."

"They are still rabble." She replied. "We still possess superior training and coordination. And, in all likelihood, they are not that well prepared for large-scale operations. On the other hand, we are. General Wrightfield has picked one of his best units for this operation, and will be personally leading it. I am merely here as an observer for his imperial majesty and the supreme court to ensure the proper legal processes are observed."

He understood what she was saying, but he still didn't like it. "We still don't know the limits of their forces. They may be a lot larger then you have anticipated."

"Yes, but we know they've lost their central base of operations and much of their supplies." She countered. "At least, that's what your report indicated."

He knew what she meant. Okaro was ambitious and driven. She was going to use this operation as an excuse to further her career, while he was worried for the welfare of the troops she would be leading. Still, he had seen things that she hadn't. "They have that Liger." He continued. "You won't have anything that can deal with that."

"I disagree there. General Wrightfield will be leading this force personally." She explained. "And his Mammoth with its supercannons should be enough to deal with any threat." As if to prove her point, the Mammoth walked past the pair of them, several patches of rain blotching on its huge cannons. "You don't need to worry, commander. You've done a lot of good work in gathering information with the Red Claw. Now its time for us to finish them."

She climbed into the Barrigator, closing its cockpit behind her. The Zoid stepped off the ranks, following after the Mammoth. Ignoring the rain, Nathan watched it go. He'd expected something like this, but didn't realise the full extend of what was happening. Wrightfield was convinced that the Red Claw were like any other bandit group. Maybe a bit larger, but still something that the empire could easily deal with.

_You're not ready, _he thought. _There's more to the Red Claw then we think. I know it._

All of a sudden, he wondered what had happened to Sturm.

**oOoOo**

**Desert Rain**

**oOoOo**

The rain beat steadily down on the tangled mess of concrete that had once been a town. Very few of its buildings were still standing; most of the few that hadn't been destroyed by warfare had succumbed to age and simply crumbled. Several structures did remain, however. And one of them, the largest in the town, was not uninhabited.

One room, formerly a high school gymnasium, had been converted into an improvised repair by its new inhabitants. Their Zoids had been badly damaged in a recent battle and they needed a place where they could hide and repair their machines.

A Gunsniper stood in the middle of the bay, being propped up by several cargo cranes. Its right leg was partially disassembled and being worked on, the two crew trying to put it back together after it was ripped apart. They'd been working at this, the most damaged of their Zoids for hours, and they still had a long way to go.

"It's amazing." Althiea commented as she worked at reconnecting a damaged control circuit. "Seeing a Zoid like this, having to get into the literal guts of the machine to affect repairs… I never realised just how complex they could be."

"And that's just the start." Floyd replied, adopting a drawling accent. "Now your basic Gunsniper, well, he's a complex little beast for his size. 'cause of the way he's built, he uses a lot of parts that weren't stock in his day. And thems can be tricky little buggers to track down."

For some reason, this made her giggle in spite of herself. "But y'see, yer Gunsniper, he's not that tough." Floyd continued. 'Whe you get larger Zoids, well, they make him look like nothing. Yer Saber Tiger… well there's a nasty beast to have to repair. Or a Zeekdober, well, you can't believe what one of them things like inside."

"I'd love to see one, really." She continued. Her curiosity piqued.

"Now if you want a really, really mean begger, you can't go past your Gai Rayuki." He continued. "Huge, nasty begger full of nasty, pointy non-standard parts that you can't find in any shop. Not to mention their two Chimera Drones, well… Gary, well, yer going up against a tough one there. Trust me on this, he's one mean little begger you don't want to cross paths with."

Althiea blinked. "You've seen a Gai Ryuki?" She asked. She was suddenly interested by this development. As far as she knew, all Gai Ryukis, along with all other Charged Particle Cannon equipped Zoids had been banned following the war, dismantled and stored by treaty. But for Floyd to have seen one… "What was it like? Was it active or a wreck or what?"

"I… uhh…" Floyd began, at a momentary loss for words. "I probably shouldn't have said that. Nope." He went back to his work, making sure not to look at her.

She could see where this was going. Floyd was very reluctant to give up any information he didn't want someone to know. In this case, he'd just slipped up. She shrugged, realising that she'd have to abandon this line of questioning for now. Instead, she moved onto something else that was bothering her.

"Floyd, do you have any idea who was behind those Zoids that attacked us?" She began.

"Good question." He began. "Lets analyse the facts."

"Right. For starters, they were piloting a Unenlagia and a Leostriker. Those are UZN designs."

"So that rules out the Draken empire, and Zygra as well." Floyd replied. "And when you figure that those two were a special covert ops model developed during the war, that makes their presence here in the Zygra Empire more interesting."

"But they'd be operating a long way from the UZN." She replied. "And I can't see why they would attack us." She considered this. "So it's not likely to be them is it?"

"No siree Bob." Floyd replied. "But it could have been a wartime-era DA Lizards that some third party had salvaged."

"Could it have been the Red Claw?" She asked. "They have come after you in past. And we have proven to be a problem to them, so they'd want to get rid of us."

"An excellent idea, but with two key drawbacks." Floyd replied.

"True. If Jenice had as powerful a Zoid as a DA Lizards, she would have used it by now. It would be far too useful to keep hidden away."

"Good start." Floyd grinned.

"They worked well together, each one supporting the other. They coordinated their attacks so we wouldn't be able to defend against them." She continued. "The pilots were too well coordinated, too capable and too skilled to be from the Red Claw." Most of their pilots, she knew from experience, were amateurs with little formal training. "They had been trained on those machines, and knew how to use them well."

"So, in conclusion, they're not the Red Claw." Floyd finished.

"No." She nodded. "So then, the question is, who are they?"

"Well, analysing all the available data, eliminating the more improbable options… I have no idea." He finished. "But it will be fun finding out."

**oOoOo**

Jason watched the area from the roof of the abandoned school. All he could see around him was a sea of ruined buildings, sand, dull grey skies and rain. What he couldn't see was any sign of their attackers, and that bothered him.

_They should have been coming after us_, he thought. They would have known that their Zoids were badly damaged. They would have known that a second attack with more troops would have been enough to take them out. So why didn't they come back to finish them off? They couldn't have been that hard to track. But no, they'd escaped without farther harm. _Or maybe_, he thought, _they'd been allowed to escape._

"Hey!" Rayvenne's voice interrupted his train of thought. "You gonna stay up here in the rain and brood all day or what?" There was a brief pause. "Fine then." She stomped away, slamming the door shut behind her.

She stomped down the stairs, trying to make as much noise as possible. _Why was Jason being such a jerk_, she asked herself. _Why'd he have to get all broody and angsty all of a sudden and hide on the roof?_ _Ah, stuff it. If he wants to stay out there and get wet, it's his problem. And if he doesn't want to come inside to sped some quality time with me… well.. then he must be nuts. I'll never understand men… and I pretend to be one._

"Hey Rayvenne!" Leanne called out form downstairs. "I found something down here. Wanna come and take a look?"

"Why not?" She called back. "Beats hanging around on the roof and sulking." She bounded down the stairs to where Leanne was waiting. "So what'd you find?"

"Its down in the basement." Leanne replied.

"Thrilling. But whatever it is, it has to be more interesting then captain Angstboy up there. Let's go."

Leanne lead her down a fight of stairs into a darkened hallway. The place's walls were a mess of rusted pipes, with pools of water in places on the floor. "Nice joint." Rayvenne muttered. "Great place for an axe murderer to hang out. Say, what were you doing down here anyway?"

Leanne opened a door into a smaller room and stepped inside. Seeing no other alternative and having nothing better to do, Ravenne shrugged and followed her. "Well yeah." She said as she stepped in side. "It's a darkened room Lee. That's fascinating."

"Yeah, but take a look." She turned on her torch, shining it on a section of the wall. Rather then bare concrete as she had expected, Rayvenne could see that the wall was covered in pictures.

"Hey… What is this stuff?" She began as she shone her own torch over a section of wall. She could see all manner of illustrations; people, Zoids, places, insignias… "Hey, that's a Hydra logo, isn't it?" She asked, peering at a group of symbols.

"Look at this one." Leanne said, indicating to a picture on the wall. It depicted a Gunsniper, a Shield Liger and a Command Wolf, all standing on top of a ridge. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, it is…" She kept looking around. "Hey, who do you suppose this is?" She asked, shining her torch on one picture. It was a life-sized portrait of a young woman with long hair; while it was only in black ink on the wall, it was rather well drawn. Looking at it, Rayvene could see that the woman had several tattoos on her shoulder.

"I got no idea." Leanne replied. "Look at that one though." She indicated to a picture of a young man. "Don't that kinda look like Zygra, but, like, when he was really young?"

Rayvenne squinted at the picture. "I think you're just imagining it, Lee." She replied.

"Oh." She replied. "But it does make you think, don't it?"

"What does?"

"Look at these pictures." She explained. "While you know that this was a city, these are a reminder that there were people here once."

"So?"

"Well, when you think about all the abandoned cities and stuff we've visited, you gotta wonder… what happened to all the people who used to live there."

"There was a war, Lee." Rayvenne replied.

"Yeah, but… you think about all those people, and now they're all gone." She continued. "And you think could it ever happen again?"

"It won't." She stated. "Remember, the empire was created to make sure there wouldn't be any more wars, 'cause they made sure that there was always something between the UZN and the Draks. So if one wanted to attack the other, they'd have to go through a strong, organised country in the middle."

"Yeah, but now we got the Red Claw and all that." Leanne explained.

"Don't worry about it." Rayvene answered with a shrug. "The Empire can handle them. They always handle things like this."

**oOoOo**

Levisha's Pteras cruised above the cloud layer, its radar scanning the airspace around it, as well as the ground below. The rain meant that it was unlikely that there would be much activity. That's not why she was out here. Instead, she was hunting for something.

She'd heard form Jaeger about his attempt to capture the two fugitives, and how their targets had put up an unexpected degree of resistance. She was rather surprised by that. She thought that the Kage team would have been capable of dealing with them. Obviously they were more skilled or resourceful then she had thought. Which meant that capturing them would only become more important.

Their Zoids had been badly damaged in the battle. That meant that thy would need to go to ground in order to repair them. Unless they had returned to the Blackstar City, they would have to be hiding somewhere in the desert. She intended to find out where. She'd made some excuse to Jenice, then gone out on a search operation.

So far, it had been quiet. She was beginning to wonder if she'd missed her prey, or if they'd managed to do a better job of concealing themselves then she'd anticipated. Of course, it they'd gone back to the Blackstars, then there was no chance of catching them. Jenice was brave, but not suicidal.

Her radar beeped to indicate a new contact. Analysing the signal, she could see that it was ground-based. Interestingly enough, it was joined by another signal. And then another few more. At the same time, here radar warning receiver warned her that an enemy search radar was looking for her.

_Odd_, she thought as she watched the scope filling with dots. There were a large number of Zoids travelling in what appeared to be a well-ordered formation. She wondred what they were, who they belonged to and what they were doing this far out. _Time for a closer look._

The RWR's beeping increased in pitch, indicating that the enemy's radar had located her Zoid. She didn't want them to locate her, but at the same time, she needed to find out who they were. _Time for a change of plan, then._

The Pteras dived down to below the cloud level, falling closer to the desert floor. She ducked in amongst the mesas, weaving in and out of them in an effort to break up the enemy's radar signal. Sure enough, the RWR indicated that the enemy had lost their lock. _Good. Now let's see who they are._

The Pteras landed in a box canyon, well out of the estimated path of the unknown unit. Opening the cockpit, Levisha climbed out clad in a coat and hood. After checking that her Zoid was secure, she set out across the desert, the rain splashing off her.

Fifteen minutes later, she sighted them. They weren't hard to miss, actually. In the distance, she could make out a mass of Zoids heading in a well-ordered formation. Picking up on her electro-binoculars, she zoomed in on them. Two Zoids immediately caught her attention; a Bigasaur, and a cannon-equipped Mammoth. Around them were a whole mess of smaller Zoids, all Zygra issue designs. Observing them, she noted a lot good number of Hydockers and Gorgodos, as well as several Tanks towing field guns.

_Interesting_, she thought. _They're clearly armed for an assault, but against whom? Unless… _Checking her map, she tried to plot their past course. If they had come this way, then they would have headed from the main road between Gayos and Blackstar. It was the same road that Jenice had ambushed that Zygra paladin on.

_So that's their plan, _she thought. They were performing a sweep of the area, looking for the Red Claw's base of operations. Someone had figured that Jenice's forces had to have come form somewhere around here in order to have reached that convoy so soon after it left the Blackstars. Maybe they'd also found out that there had been a Hydra base somewhere around here.

The force they had amassed was considerable. And they had enough firepower to crack open Pinnacle Base and force Jenice's troops out. And, she figured, they could easily do it. For all the advantages that Jenice's troops had, it would be very hard to argue with that much sheer firepower.

_This was an unexpected development, _she thought as she sprinted back to the Pteras. She needed Jenice's forces to be a threat to the Empire. In order to do that, they would have to somehow evade this force or deal with it. Now she had to figure out a way to do it.

**oOoOo**

One of the many, many benefits Jenice had found to having Sturm as a part of the Red Claw was his knowledge. Being a former Paladin meant that he had been in the highest circles of the Empire's military, which had given him access to a lot of privileged information. So she'd spent the last few days picking his brain for anything worthwhile. He didn't seem to mind; in fact, he seemed more then ready to volunteer information.

Their discussion of the exact strengths and numbers of the Paladins was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Its Towne." The voice came from outside. "I need to see you urgently."

Jenice glanced at Sturm, looking for a reaction. He shrugged. "Enter."

The doors opened and Levisha strode in. The first thing that Jenice noted was that she had clearly come straight from her Zoid. Not only was she carrying her neurohelmet, but her hair was soaking wet and hanging limply around her face. "I'm sorry to interrupt." She began, but I thought you'd need to see this as soon as possible." She handed Jencie her binoculars. "I recorded what I found."

Jenice connected them up to a screen and activated the playback. Despite the rain blurring the image, she could see what Levisha was talking about. "Sturm, take a look at this." She began, and looked up. "Where were they?"

"Grid Bl-1, heading northwest." Levisha replied.

"That means that they're heading more or less straight for us."

"Exactly." Levisha finished. "I figure they either know where we are, or are looking for us now."

"Damn." She muttered. "Right, Levisha, begin procedures for evacuating the base. I want to be out of here before they can find us. I have a backup, but its' nowhere near as well equipped."

"If I may, commander, I have a better idea." Sturm began.

"Oh?" She and Levisha glanced over at him, both somewhat surprised. "Do tell, Sturm."

"This force is set up to take out our base." He began. "Note the field guns, Hydockers and an over-abundance of support units. They won't be as capable in the field. Furthermore, I'd assume that they didn't have any air assets."

"That's correct, yes." Levisha replied.

"Jenice, with your permission, I can prepare your forces to take them out." He turned to face her. "I believe that you have the manpower and the Zoids to take this unit out before it can reach your base."

"Is it possible?"

"I don't think that they are planning to fight a large Zoid group head-on." He explained. "They're simply not expecting us to do something like attack them first. They believe that they have the numbers and the equipment to protect them from such an attack. Their plan, I suspect, was to lay siege to our base, not take on our forces."

"Its risky."

"I know." He replied. "But there are two benefits. The first is the obvious one; you get to keep your base. The second is less tangible, but potentially more important."

"Explain."

"Certainly." Sturm replied. "By attacking and defeating this force, you'll send two messages. The first is to the Empire. By attacking them, you tell them that their forces are not invincible and that you have both the strength and determination to take them on." He paused for a moment. "The second is to your own men. Basically, you tell them that you believe that they're strong enough to take on the empire, and that the empire cannot defeat them. The effect it will have on their morale will be considerable."

Jenice considered this. It was a gamble, but it was one that could pay off. She ran the risk of loosing a good number of Zoids, but at the same time she didn't want to loose Pinnacle base. And she couldn't deny the value of showing her troops that they could take on the Empire's forces head on. And then there was the salvage…

"Very well then." She replied. "My complete forces are at our disposal, Sturm."

"Thank you, commander." He replied, then turned to Levisha. "I want you to do a survey of the area around them, especially their path. I need a good site form which we could stage an ambush. High ground will be especially useful. And some places where we could use multiple approaches with cover would be beneficial."

She nodded in reply. "I'll get on it right away. Is there anything else you need of me?"

"Once things get underway, I'll need you to monitor the battle. Keep an eye out for any communications or additional troops, especially air support." He explained. "Warn me if anything happens."

"Understood." She replied, and turned to leave.

"Can I ask what you're planning, Sturm?" Jenice began.

"I've been analysing our assets." He replied. "We have a few key advantages, a handful of things that we could use in our favour. Familiarity with the local area is one of them. I believe that we can use these strengths to overcome theirs, and defeat this force."

"Interesting plan. I like it." She replied, smiling. "I knew I made the right decision when I rescued you, Sturm."

"We have the same goals, Jenice." He replied as he looked out the rain-streaked window. "And I believe that what we do today will go a long way towards realising them."

**oOoOo**

Thorne approached the colonel's office, pausing outside the door. She had been summoned here at rather short notice, which was odd of him. It had left her to wonder if this was related to her actions in Freedom.

That still left a sore spot with her. She knew that she was right in what she was doing. The Red Claw needed to be dealt with, and she had been close to stopping them. To her mind it didn't matter what the Freedom defence forces had thought. They would have never have been able to do what she had done that night.

But to be recalled by her own commander… how could her. How dare he think about what they wanted when their own cause was at risk. She balled up her hand into a fist, ready to strike the door. Remembering herself, she stopped, instead gently tapping on it. "Captain Thorne, reporting as you ordered sir." She began.

"Enter, please." Came a voice from the inside. She opened the door and stepped in, mentally preparing herself for whatever her commander had to say. Instead, she came up rather surprised.

Standing inside the room was a young woman in her early 20s at most. She clearly wasn't a Blackstar Zoid Warrior, Thorne immediately deduced form examining her. She was rather short, for starters, with short, scruffy red hair. Rather then the usual style of clothing preferred by Blackstars, she wore a plain grey technician's jumpsuit. Most interesting were her eyes; they were an unusual, yellowish-green colour.

"Colonel?" Thorne asked, wondering what this woman was doing here.

Colonel Cade, her commander stepped around his desk. He was a tall man, with handsome features and very long, dark brown hair that descended down his back in a single long braid. He wore a black and grey uniform, something that only high-ranking officers chose to do. He appeared to be in his late 20s, but she knew for a fact that he was far older then that.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, captain Thorne." He replied.

"Can I ask why you called for me?" She began, flatly. _And what she's doing here. Whoever she is._

"This is Sabrina Delgado, a technician. She specialises in fusion reactor maintenance." He continued. "From today, Delgado will be assigned to you as a trainee."

"Sir?" She was genuinely confused by this. She'd heard of an outside being trained as a Blackstar warrior, but she'd also heard that there were legitimate reasons. But this woman? She was a technician. She didn't look like she had any combat skills to begin with, and didn't even look that physically capable. "Can I ask why?"

"I felt that your high degree of field experience would make you a suitable instructor for her." He replied, which didn't come close to answering her question. She also realised that he probably wouldn't offer too much more of an explanation beyond that.

_And at the same time, my being assigned a recruit will prevent me from partaking in field operations. And that will stop me from doing anything like I did in freedom, correct? _She glared at him, her bright green eyes staring straight into his. "Thank you, colonel."

"Sabrina hasn't had any augmentation as yet." He explained. "I want you to start her on theory and move her up to simulations. In essence, I want you to proceed as far as you can while she remains at her current level."

_Strange. Why train someone as a Zoid warrior of they're not augmented. _She shot a glance at Sabrina. _There is something odd going on here. _"Certainly."

"Thank you for that, captain." Sabrina began, nervous with excitement. "Its, uh, it's a real honour to be working with you. I've always wanted to be a Zoid pilot, and, well, I hope I can live up to your standards." She began. "I've heard a lot about you and your unique Zoid and all the stuff you've done."

"I'm certain you have." Thorne replied, turning back to Cade.

"Sabrina, if you could wait outside, I'd like to discuss some matters with the captain." Cade continued.

"Yes. Uh, thank you, Colonel." She replied nervously, then stepped out, closing the door after her.

"Can I ask what the hell this is about, sir?" She snapped the instant the door was shut.

"Orders, captain." He replied. "I was instructed to begin her training. I chose you for the role-"

"-because of what I did in Freedom, right?" She cut him off.

"Amongst other things, yes." He continued.

"Why did you recall me?" She snarled. "I had the Red Claw. I could have taken down their leader and decimated their troops."

"And the Freedom Defence Forces had ordered you not to act." He replied. "You ignored their orders and went ahead and did it anyway."

"Because I knew that they were incapable of doing it on their own." She explained. "They couldn't have done anything against the Red Claw. And most of their forces would have been paid off to look the other way anyway."

"That still doesn't justify what you did, captain."

"Don't give me that." She continued. "I merely did what was necessary, what nobody else had the courage to do. And I didn't see anyone reprimanding me for it either."

Cade sighed. "Trust me, Captain, I wanted you to release the consequences of your actions. But there were other voices that applauded what you did. In the end, the decision was taken not to formally reprimand you for your actions."

_So I was right after all, wasn't I? _She thought. "So this, then, its my punishment? Since you can't do anything to me formally, you'll instead hobble me. You'll make sure that I don't leave the city and upset anyone else while doing what I know is right."

He shook his head. "If you want to see it like that, then I won't argue with you."

_You miserable little half-breed, _she thought. _You've got the same taint as I do, and so you choose to use me to cover for your own failings. _"So what is this all about anyway?" She asked. "Why do I have to train that…" She looked for the word, but couldn't think of anything. "-person. Why her?"

Cade turned to face his window, looking out over the city. The dull grey sky drenched the city in rain, making it seem darker and gloomier then it normally was. "Unfortunately, Thorne, I can't tell you. You have a mission, and I expect you to fulfil it."

It was a standard routine, almost. He couldn't say, and she had to do it. Situations like that were not uncommon. "Fine then." She replied, coldly. 'I will do my best with what you've given me. If there is nothing else, then?"

"Thorne, a question before you go." He began.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever been… concerned about your lack of, well, humanity?" He asked. "Not just yours, everyone's."

"Why would I want to be human?" She asked. "I'm already better."

Not getting a reply, she stalked out of the office to where Delgado was waiting. "Captain?" She began. "I, uh, wanted to say that, well-"

"Whatever." She snapped. "We have work to do."

**oOoOo**

Maykame Okaro watched the rain as it bounced off the cockpit of her Barrigator. The Zoid slowly advanced though the desert, the column of Zoids behind her. They were under her command, and all tasked for a single purpose; to locate and destroy the Red Claw.

She wanted to see the Claw destroyed. They were a menace to the empire, one that could not be allowed to exist. That they had been brazen enough to attack Paladin Winters' force meant that they were also out of control, and needed to be dealt with. Clearly, they had been allowed to run rampant for too long. They had gained too much strength, and were now a danger.

At the same time, she wanted to be the one that destroyed this menace. While it would satisfy her need to see justice done, there were other reasons beyond that. Ending the menace of the Red Claw would be a significant achievement, and one that would look very good on her record. The person who destroyed them would be a hero to the Zygra people. And she intended to be that hero.

When general Wrightfield had put together this task force, she'd been eager to volunteer to lead it. She knew that an operation like this would require a Paladin to oversee it, and that she was the right Paladin for the job. She'd head Nathan's gloom and doom about the Red Claw's supposed strength, and dismissed it. After all, if the claw were really that strong, surely they would have done something bigger by now.

And their Liger? She knew that they could deal with it. Wrightfield's Mammoth was the perfect solution to the problem. That is, if they didn't just bury it under a mountain of rubble. She knew that simply destroying the Red Claw's base was the easiest – and fastest – solution. But if she had to face it directly, she would be ready. Winters wasn't, she figured. That's why he'd gone down so easily.

A beep from her communicator got her attention. "Duane here." The voice began. "All clear up ahead."

"Excellent." She replied. "Move ahead." The use of Gargantulus scouts was a necessary precaution. She didn't want to run the risk of an ambush. The collum moved ahead, entering the gap between a pair of mesas.

There was a sudden loud crack, followed by a shattering of glass. "What was that?" She called out as she glanced around.

"Look out!" Somebody called out. In the middle of their formation, the Bigasaur stumbled and wobbled, as if it was drunk.

"What's going on?" She called out. "What's happening? Answer me!" There was no reply form the Zoid. She glanced back at it again, and then realised why. Its canopy was blown apart, the pilot obviously dead. "Everyone! Out of the way!" The Bigasaur staggered, and then collapsed on its side, smaller Zoids scurrying out of its way as it fell.

"You said the canyon was clear!" She shouted into her communicator. "What happened?"

"There must have been a concealed sniper!" He called back. "I didn't see-"

"Well check again!" She shouted.

"What's happening there?" Wrightfield shouted. "The Bigasaur is down."

"We're under attack by a sniper." She called out.

"Understood." He replied. "As soon as you have his location, tell me I'll-"

There was a pair of loud explosions; one in the middle of the formation, another to one side. The first one landed dead centre on a Hydocker, blasting one of the Zoid's legs off. "Artilelry!" He called out. "Scatter! I repeat, scatter!"

"Where's it coming from?" She called back.

"Give me a second." He replied. "I can get their location form their next volley and program a counter…" a loud beeping noise cut him off. "There's an enemy force approaching form behind!"

"From behind?" She called out. "How did you miss-" Another explosion cut her off as a pair of shells landed nearby. "What's going on here?"

**oOoOo**

Levisha watched as a pair of explosions sprouted in the middle of the enemy's formation. _Excellent, _she thought. Sturm's plan was going off perfectly. It couldn't have gone better if she had planned it herself.

She had found him interesting. He had the same aims as Jenice, to change the Empire through any means necessary. However, there seemed to be more then that. No, there seemed to be some greater need. Something that was enough to drive him to abandon his rank of Paladin for his cause.

Whatever that was, she wanted to know more about it. But for now, it could wait.

She activated her communicator. "Team two, move in. Strike the Mammoth first. Team one, hold fire for now." There was a wave of affirmative replies. "Team three, standby."

"Yes, boss." Gwen replied with a sulk that told her exactly what she thought of taking orders.

"Affirmative." Sturm replied. The three of them had pre-positioned their Zoids on top of a mesa, and had them powered down, waiting for the enemy force to appear. The enemy wouldn't expect their air support to be so close at hand. She was surprised that Sturm had given her the lead of the force. He'd explained that he had relatively little experience with leading airborne operations, and that he was deferring to her.

She watched as the small, fast Zoids of Team Two moved in, attacking the enemy's rear flank. As she had expected, the Zoids attacked the Mammoth first, distracting its crew. As it stood, the Zoid would have been able to detect the approach of their other units. Like Drake's Snipemaster and Harry and Malcolm's Cannon Tortoises, they'd been concealed and half hidden so that the Gargantulus' sensors wouldn't find them until they revealed themselves.

"Move in." She ordered. Her Redler lifted off and flew towards the enemy formation, Gwen's Redler and Sturm's Evoflyer behind it. She could see that their formation was breaking up, as their troops turned to face the attackers nipping at their flanks, while others scattered lest the Cannon Tortoises open fire again.

Her sensors picked out individual targets as she closed. Locking up a Garius and an Elephantus, she launched all four of her missiles at the targets before peeling away. Both Zoids were hit and went down, neither moving again. Behind her, Gwen and Sturm began strafing the enemy lines with their cannons.

A beeping noise caught her attention. Checking the radar, she could see that a quartet of objects were heading towards them at high speed. _So there's the air support. _Things were going exactly as Sturm had said they would. She was glad for that; she hated the unexpected.

"We have enemy airbornes approaching from thee o'clock high. Gwen, you're with me." She began. She knew that Sturm had a particular part still to play in this operation. "Group four, begin your attack on the enemy force. We will keep the enemy off our back."

The Pteras turned away, climbing through the cloud layer. Gwen's Redler followed it, pulling level with her. "I can see them." She excitedly began. "Its probably just a bunch of Cozmozoids. I'll deal with 'em myself." The Redler accelerated away from the Pteras, leaving it behind.

"If you want to then…" She began, a smug smile on her face. She opened up the throttle to pursue the Redler, but let herself remain comfortably behind it for now. If Gwen wanted to go ahead and get her arse shot off, it was fine with her.

**oOoOo**

Jenice watched the approaching mass of Zoids through the Trinity Liger's heads up display, making sure that her target was in the centre of her screen. The Mammoth was distracted by her other troops, leaving it vulnerable to her attack. Good.

She remembered General Wrightfield from her days as a Zygra Knight. She recalled him as being a pompous, arrogant man who seemed to be more concerned with looking good then commanding his men. He'd go on for hours about how he fought alongside Zygra during the war against Hydra and how he was there when the empire was born. Jenice would always wonder what he had done lately.

Wrightfield had been the one who had bought charges against her. It was his accusations that had seen her stripped of her rank and imprisoned. And she knew why. She represented change, something that he couldn't handle. Rather then change, rather then do what had to be done, he would always take the soft option. In her case, it was to sentence her on trumped-up charges of treason.

Now he was going to see what the power of change could do.

"All units, break off form the Mammoth." She began. "I'll deal with him personally."

The Hellrunner and Tarantulon that had been harassing it broke away, seeking other targets. Jenice confidently smiled to herself as she opened up the throttle, heading straight for the enemy Zoid. The Mammoth's gunners must have noticed her, as the tail sung towards her Zoid. It didn't matter.

Two streams of energy fire came at her as she charged forwards. Most of the shots went wide, while several more bounced harmlessly off the neck shields. She'd rebuilt them herself following the destruction caused by that Blackstar Darkhorn, and she was confident of their strength.

Grinning, she thumbed the trigger and returned fire. The Trinity Liger's twin beam cannons spat fire at the enemy Zoid, tearing into its flanks and back. The Mammoth took the hit, but didn't stagger under the impact. Rather, it turned ponderously to face her.

The quad impact cannon on the Zoid's front opened fire, rippling shots at the Liger. She violently served the contols, her Zooid weaving in and out to avoid the shots. Explosions went off around her, shaking her in the cockpit, but they did nothing to deter her charge. Intead, the Liger continued forwards, heading straight for its opponent.

She fired its boosters as it approached, leaping at the Zoid while its claws glowed with brilliant golden energy. The Trinity Liger leaped, its claws scything through the air before slicing into the Mammoth's flanks. The enemy Zoid trumpeted in pain as her claw tore through its structure, tearing a long gash down its side.

As soon as the Liger had landed, she opened up the throttle again. She had no intention of leaving herself vulnerable to the enemy Zoid or in close quarters. That was what had cost her so heavily against the Darkhorn last time, a mistake she didn't intend to repeat. At the same time, she didn't want to get so far that he could use the Supercannons against her. The Liger sprinted away as the Mammoth opened fire, its trunk mounted gun trying to follow her.

Jenice bought the Liger around, speeding up as she prepared for another strike. This time the Mammoth was ready for her, and had turned to face her. She didn't care; she was determined to take him down. The enemy Zoid opened fire again, this time with one of its hip-mouted missile launchers.

Again she twisted the controls, swerving in and out between the enemy shots. A pair of them struck her neck shields, shaking the Zoid but not doing anything to slow her down. Instead, she leaped at the Mammoth again, the Liger's claws outstretched.

The claws tore through the Mammoth's flank, cutting through one of its ears before continuing onto the upper leg. The claws tore through the Mammoth's systems, shredding the leg's powertrain while ripping the missile launcher free from its mounting. The Mammoth staggered and slumped, but remained upright.

"Give it up, Wrightfield!" She called out over the PA system. "There's no way you can defeat me."

"I will never surrender to the likes of you!" He called back.

"You leave me with no choice." She replied. "I only hope I don't have to damage your Zoid too badly!" She circled around, making sure she stayed on the Mammoth's damaged side. The Mammoth tried to turn to follow her, but its leg was clearly too badly damaged. The Zoid stumbled, staggering in place.

Fire form the Mammoth's tail and back guns peppered the ground around her as Jenice came around for another attack. She opened fire with the beam cannons, puncturing holes in the Mammoth's flank as she approached. Despitre its damage, the Mammoth turned to face her, its two tusks cracking with energy. Rain splashed off them with an audible crackle as the Zoid bought them around, trying to bring them to bear.

Jenice swerved the Liger again as if she was turning away. The Mammoth turned to follow her, not ready for her next movie. She suddenly bought the Liger around again, leaping at its damaged side. The Zoid threw itself bodily at the Mammoth, its claws digging into its damaged flank. The Mammoth staggered, trumpeting in panic.

"Now you die!" She called out as the Liger struck, its claws tearing through the Mammoth's back. There was a loud explosion as the Zoid suddenly shifted, and began to topple. Jenice leaped away as the Mammoth crashed to the ground, her Liger landing next to it.

She turned to look at it as the canopy opened, its pilot crawling out into the rain and the mud. She considered killing him there, but then remembered the plan. _Besides_, she thought, _seeing him like this is revenge enough_. Instead, she turned the Liger around, charging into the fray.

**oOoOo**

Gwen opened up the throttle on her Redler, accelerating away from Levisha's Pteras and heading towards the enemy Zoids. _Stupid Imperials, _she thought to herself. _I'll take you all down myself. That'll show them._

She hadn't been at all happy with the idea of following Sturm's plan. She didn't like him; after all, he was brand new to the organisation and had suddenly become Jenice's right hand. She had been with the Claw for far, far longer. It didn't make any sense to her. What did He have that she didn't, she had wondered. And he was a traitor, which made her wonder even more about how he had gotten there.

Of course, it galled her even more that her stupid brother would be leading the assault. Just because he had a sniper Zoid, he thought that he was so special. As if. She was a far better pilot then him. And to make it worse, she had been forced to follow Levisha's lead and work alongside Sturm to provide air support. Like she was going to let that happen.

The Redler closed in on the enemy Zoids. As she suspected, they were Pterasolos; the empire's main flying Zoid type and easy prey for her. Firing the boosters, she closed in on their formation.

The Redler opened fir with its twin beam cannons, the shots tearing htrough the air and heading straight for the enemy Zoid. There was a brilliant explosion as the beams tore through the enemy Zoid's body, blasting huge holes in it. The Pterasolos literally plummeted out of the sky, its body a twisted mess of burning metal.

_Too easy, _she thought. _I don't see why everyone makes such a big deal of the empire's so-called strength. I could probably take them all on myself. _The Redler turned to follow a second Zoid, while the other two scattered.

The Pterasolus dived and banked, trying to get away form her. She twisted the control stick, diving down after it and opening fire. The beams tore through the air but missed their targets, instead puncturing the clouds below it. She opened up the throttle, her own Zoid closing in on its enemy.

The Pterasolus opened fire with its trio of beam cannons, scattering shots around her Zoid before suddenly breaking off. Grinning, she turned to follow it, closing in on its tail before firing again. The enemy Zoid dodged and weaved, the shots going past it.

_No matter, _she thought. _I'll just catch him and rip him apart myself. _The Redler sped up, closing on the enemy Zoid. Its front legs stretched out, the talons ready to rip into its body. _This way is far more satisfying anyway-_

There was a loud squeal from her radar as several shots sped past her Zoid, while a few more hit its body. Glancing behind her, she could see a pair of Pterasolos above and behind her Zoid, spraying it with cannon fire. _What? How'd they get behind me?_

She opened up the Redler's throttle, trying to accelerate away form the enemy Zoids. The gap between them widened, but not enough throw them off. The two Zoids opened fire again, this shots coming closer and closer to striking something vital. She yanked the controls hard to the right, trying to throw off the enemy Zoids. This worked for a moment, but also had the net effect of allowing the one she had been chasing to suddenly slip behind her.

"Damn you!" She called out. Banking again, she opened up the boosters to try to climb away form them. Sher knew that the Redler would leave them behind in a vertical climb; all she had to do was avoid their fire for long enough. To her annoyance, however, the third one stayed on her tail, doing its best to keep up.

Suddenly a burst of fire ripped across its body form the tail to the canopy, puncturing through the cockpit cover. The Zoid flipped over, then plummeted from the sky, crashing down through the cloud layer. Looking behind her, Gwen could see Levisha's Pteras diving on one of the other Zoids, opening fire with its nose-mounted cannon.

"How dare you!" She called out. "That was my kill!"

"I'm so sorry." Levisha replied. "Next time I'll leave you with three of them on your tail."

The Pteras's shots tore into the back of another Pterasolos, ripping across its wing. The smaller Zoid tried to twist out of the way, taking more hits as it went. Trailing black smoke, it tilted in mid-flight and began to fall, dropping below the cloud layer.

The remaining Zygra Zoid peeled away form the formation and climbed, trying its best to escape. Gwen opened up her throttle, climbing after it. She'd had two of her kills stolen, and she wasn't going to let this one go.

"Leave him." Levisha called out.

"What?" She snapped.

"He's retreating. Our task is to support the ground forces." She stated. "Is that understood?"

"Perfectly." She muttered. The Redler turned away, letting its prey escape. _Damn you, Levisha. _Gwen thought to herself. _And damn you too, Sturm._

**oOoOo**

Sturm's Evo Flyer swooped down on the mass of Zoids, diving towards them. As he approached, he opened fire with the Zoid's two cannons. Shots peppered the enemy forces, cutting through enemy armour. He didn't care how many of them he cut down. What mattered to him was that they could see what he was doing to them.

A sudden beeping from the control panel caught his attention. One of the enemy Zoids had locked him up and had launched a pair of missiles. Looking around, he could see the smoke trails from the weapons as they soared towards him, betraying their launcher's location. He twisted the Evo Flyer's control stick, turning sharply across the path of the enemy weapons.

His plan worked; the two missiles were unable to track him through the tight turn, instead veering off course. He maintained the curve, straining against the G-pull as the two missiles tried to regain their target. A pair of muffled explosions behind him told him that they hadn't. Excellent.

He knew that only certain types of Zoids used by the Empire carried surface-to-air missiles. Specifically, they were ones used by the Paladins. Which meant… The Evo Flyer's sensors located the source of the missiles, a lone Barrigator at what would have been the head of the column. Just as he thought. There was a Paladin in amongst this unit, as he had suspected. Good. He would have a chance to make his statement.

The Evo Flyer swooped down, heading straight for the Barrigator. As it approached, the Barrigator launched it's remaining two missiles straight at it. This time, rather then turning from them, Sturm dived even lower. The Evo flyer pulled under the course of the missiles, swooping down to just above the ground. Its wings swung downwards, reconfiguring into legs as it advanced. The Zoid touched down, running straight at the Barrigator.

Sturm squeezed the trigger, the twin back-mounted cannons firing at the enemy Zoid. The shots hit the flank of the heavily-armoured Zoid, charging out huge gouges form its armour but not disabling the Zoid. Growing, the Barrigator turned to face him, opening fire with its own back cannons. Swerving the Zoid to one side, he dodged the blasts then charged in for the kill.

The Barrigator lunged forwards, snapping with its heavily armoured jaws. Sturm's Zoid deftly skipped over it, then slashed at the Zoid's damaged flank with its toe claws. The claws cut through the armour all ready damaged by the beam cannons, cutting into the Barrigator's systems. The Zoid roared out as it tried to struggle out of the way of her attacks.

"How dare you!" The pilot called out as her Zoid struggled to turn to face him. "I am a Zygra Paladin! I demand that you surrender now or else face the consequences."

He recognised the voice of the pilot. He should have known that if anyone, Okaro would be leading this operation. She was just eager enough that her desire to further her career and look good would override her common sense. "Surrender?" He replied. "Why should I when it is clear that you are at a disadvantage." The Evo Flyer lashed out, its claw digging into one of the Barrigator's forelegs. There was a loud tearing noise as it yanked free a mess of parts and twisted metal. "After all, I know all about you, Mykabe Okaro."

"Who…" She began as her Zoid struggled to get past his. She fired another shot from one of its canons, the beam clipping one of the Evo Flyer's retracted wings. "You're Sturm Trogdor, aren't you?"

"I am." He replied.

"In that case…" She began. "You are under arrest for your crimes against the state! Surrender now, or face the consequences!" She called out. Limping badly, the Barrigator lunged forwards, its jaws wide open. Sturm wheeled the Evo Flyer around, its clawed foot tearing into the underside of the Barrigaotr's jaw. The upper jaw twisted around, then buckled before splitting in half. Not wasting nay time, he came back around. The Evo Flyer grabbed hold of the damaged jaw in one hand, then ripped it free with the other, exposing the cockpit.

"No!" Okaro called out as she covered her face from the Zoid looming over her. "Don't hurt me!"

Sturm looked down at her. "Pathetic." He muttered. "You, the Zygra empire… is this all you can do?" The Evo Flyer threw aside the buckled upper jaw.

"Jenice here." Her voice came over the communicator. "They're braking and fleeing, just as you said they would."

"Good." He replied. "Tell your men to let them go. We want them to make it back to the empire."

"Understood." She replied. When he'd told her of his plan, she'd been sceptical at first. But then, she'd come to understand what he had in mind.

The Evo Flyer turned back to the crippled Zoid. Okaro stumbled out of the cockpit, only to slip and fall into the mud by her Zoid. "Go!" He began. "Go back to the empire, and tell them exactly what happened here. Tell them exactly how the Red Claw beat the Zygra Empire's armies, and how you, a Paladin were defeated." She didn't waste any time in scrabbling to her feet, then breaking into a run, trying to get as far away as possible.

He knew his plan had worked. Letting the survivors go was just a part of it. They'd get back to the empire, and explain exactly what had happened. Soon, the story would spread of how the Red Claw and the Black Paladin had defeated the Zygra army. The effect it would have on their morale would be devastating, he thought.

And after a defeat like this, the Empire would have to acknowledge its weaknesses. They would be forced to change, or die.

**oOoOo**

Marius Zygra II, ruler of the Zygra Empire, valued his private time. There were times when he wanted to stop doing everything and just quietly retreat form the outside world. Today was one of htem.

He reflected on the day's events as he stepped into his private study. Isolated from the rest of the palace, it was his own, private sanctuary where he could, if only temporarily, escape from the pressures of running a nation. Closing the door behind him, he walked in and sat down behind his desk.

He glumly examined the trio of framed photographs on his desk. The most prominent of the three was one of him with his mother, taken when he was fifteen. It was one of the last photos of her that were ever taken, he remembered. _That was so very long ago_. The one next to it offered him little solace either, being of his wife. It had been taken not too long before their wedding. That too seemed like it was an eternity ago.

The third one was distinct from the other two, It was of his father, the first Emperor Zygra. His face was instantly recognisable to most of the planet's populace. He was a hero, a legendary figure who had saved the world from what would have either been a tyranny or absolute destruction. He had raised an army, forged an empire and brokered a peace that had lasted fifty years.

And he had been a loving father and a dedicated husband. He had been a truly great man.

_Would it be that I could take your place_, he thought. For ten years, he had ruled this empire. It hadn't been easy, especially not in the last few months. The appearance of the Red Claw and the defection and subsequent escape of Paladin Trogdor… all these things weighed heavily on his mind.

He'd been initially dubious about general Wrightfield's plan. He was launching one of the biggest military actions in the last fourty years, all to deal with one insurgent group. That Paladin Okaro had endorsed him had gone some ways to reassuring him. He trusted her judgement, due to the requirements of her office.

What truly disturbed him was the fact that a group like the Red Claw existed. _Why would they need to exist_, he wondered. _What is it that they want that the Empire doesn't give them? _The Zygra Empire had the second highest standard of living on all Zi (after the wealthy Zespoian Mercantile Republic, and possibly the Acronians) and provided for all its citizens needs. True, there was some poverty in the Eastern Expanse, but it was relatively minor. _So why do they fight us?_

Hopefully, after today, that would no longer be one less issue to trouble him.

The intercom on the desk beeped, suddenly grapping his attention. He lifted the receiver, and answered it. "Zygra here."

"Excuse me, your majesty." The voice on the other end began. "This is captain Wilks from the signals branch. I wouldn't disturb you so late, but we've just received a priority message form general Wrightfield."

"Go ahead." He replied. _He's probably located the Red Claw's headquarters, _he thought. _I suspect that this may all be over by morning then._

"The general reported that his collum came under attack by enemy forces." Wilks continued. "They have withdrawn with severe losses. Both he and Paladin Okaro have survived, but are both injured."

"I see." He replied, his voice low, even hollow. He hadn't expected this at all. Some losses were inevitable. But this… "What's their situation?"

"They're falling back to Bakersville to regroup. Form there the general is planning to head to Freedom and rendezvous with other forces."

"Thank you, captain." He finished. "Keep me informed of any new developments."

"Yes, your majesty." Wilks finished and hung up.

He slowly replaced the receiver as he tried to take in the enormity of the situation. _Wrightfield's force was defeated. The Red Claw had the strength to take him on, and won. _The situation must have been far worse then he anticipated.

He sat back, looking at the photo of his father. _What would you have done, _he asked himself. _You defeated Hydra and saved the world. Now I'm being beaten by a group of bandits. Why has this happened? And what can I do about it?_

**oOoOo**

Jenice's office at night was a rather unusual place. She kept the lights in the room dimmed, as to reduce the odds of the windows being seen form outside. While Sturm could see that the windows did nothing for the bases' defences, thew was no arguing with the view during the daylight hours.

The Darkness seemed to suit the mood, however. They had achieved a great victory and struck a blow to the empire. For a revolution to succeed, he thought, there would always have to be bloodshed. And today had been just the start.

He glanced at Levisha, who was lurking off to one side of Jenice's desk, mostly concealed within the shadows. There was something just… not right about the way she did that, he thought. Almost as if she enjoyed the darkness.

"We did well today." Jencie began. "We lost two Zoids, a Spartak and an Evil Scorpion, but both pilots were recovered. Several more will require some degree of repair, but nothing serious."

"On the other hand, our opponents lost over a dozen Zoids." She continued. "When you figure that the numbers include a Bigasaur, a Mammoth and an Paladin's Zoid, that becomes even more impressive. We've recovered a great deal of salvage from them as well. Bart tells me that the Bigasaur can be easily repaired. The Mammoth will require a lot more work, but it is still viable. Both will be big boosts to our strength."

"Our men faired a lot better then even I had expected." She glanced up at him. "I owe it all to you, Sturm. Your plan seems to have done its trick. Our troops were able to act in an effective, coordinated manner. They were able to cut a swathe through the Zygra forces, dealing with what should have been superior pilots. Their morale ins incredible right now, and there is a sentiment that we could overthrow the empire tomorrow if we wanted to." She smiled. "And I owe it all to you."

"You are too generous." He replied. "You have done all the hard work in building this army, and Levisha has done so much to train them. I merely used the results of your labours."

"Yes, but you were able to wield them far more effectively then we ever could." She finished. "You have made the Red Claw into the army I had always hoped that it could be."

"Thank you, commander." He finished. "I only want to see the Empire accept change. Today's battle has convinced me that the Red Claw is the instrument that will affect that change."

"It will be." She said. "Through the Red Claw, we will change the empire. We will create a new, better one from it."

_Even if we have to destroy it first, _he mentally finished. He knew she was about to say it anyway. "If there's nothing else, then I will request my leave. It has been a very long and eventful day and I, for one, have been left somewhat drained. We will have a lot of work to do if we are to capitalise on today's events."

"Likewise, commander." Levisha spoke up. 'If we have no further business here…"

"No. You've both done great work today." Jenice finished. "Get some rest. You've both earned it."

He nodded and left the office, Levisha behind him. "You are a fascinating man." She began as they left."

"Oh?" he replied, turning oared to face her. "How so?"

She looked at him, her red eyes meeting his. "You abandoned the power and privileges of a Paladin to follow a cause you believe in. You profess a belief in saving the empire, yet you destroyed a village and killed innocent people to prove your point. You show no problems with siding with bandits to fight your former comrades."

"Your point being?"

"Its an interesting mindset. In fact, its similar to mine." She continued, then smiled. It was the first time he'd seen any emotion on her face. "To both of us, we feel that the ends justify the means."

"So we have a lot in common, then." He began.

"You have no idea how much." She began, then leaned closer. Before he knew it, she had pressed her lips against his, kissing him deeply. He was surprised, but at the same time, he didn't resist. After a moment, she broke it, stepping back.

"That was… unexpected." He began.

"I find out to be a fascinating man, Paladin Trogdor." She said, taking his hand in hers. "I'd like to show you how much so."


	18. Insurrection

Nathan Winters stood on the top of the gatehouse at the front end of the military base, looking out over the approaching column. Even in the distance, he could get a good idea of their numbers, and, more importantly, how much smaller they were then what they should have been. _Things must have gone just how I expected they would, _he thought. For once, he wished he'd been wrong.

As the first few Zoids approached the gate, he could make out more details of the group. The lead was being taken by a pair of Elephantus; one of them had its right ear torn off, the other one's back turret was little more then twisted wreckage. He had no idea what had happened to the gunner, but he figured what their chances of survival would have been. Behind them, the rest of the column looked to be in similar states.

"Not exactly the great victory parade they were expecting, is it?" Dezalg began as he walked over to join his friend and former student. "I don't think a singe one of their Zoids has gotten away undamaged."

"No." Nathan quietly replied. "From what I heard, they lost over sixty percent of their Zoids." He looked at the group. "As you can see, that includes both Wrightfield and Okaro's machines, and their Bigasaur."

"And from what we've seen, the Red Claw are good at salvage." Dezalg commented. "We've probably only fed their forces with what they will take from us."

Nathan considered this. The addition of the Mammoth alone would be a great boost to the Red Claw's forces, especially if its supercannons were still intact. "How about the pilots? So we know how many of them were lost?"

"Not yet." Dezlag replied. "But apparently the Red Claw were very lenient, and allowed a lot of the pilots to escape. Well, at least those who could." He paused. "Apparently, the losses amongst the infantry and support personnel were terrible. A lot of them were killed in their transports."

"I see." He watched as the main gates swung open, allowing the column to enter. "It doesn't look very good for us, does it? Our nation's defenders defeated by a group of bandits."

"A group of very well-armed, well coordinated bandits." Dezalg observed. "In fact, they seem to have a very good working knowledge of our tactics."

Nathan considered this. "And we know that they took Sturm." He added. "One of our best pilots and our best tacticians." He considered the ramifications of this. _A Paladin working for the enemy. He knows all our secrets, all our strengths and all our weaknesses. Could it get any worse?_

"If he is supporting them, then we could be in more trouble then we could imagine." Dezlag commented. "Nathan, if there was a time when the Empire needed you, this was it."

"Yes, I suppose it is." He observed. _But how am I meant to support them when I'm going to be advocating the stance of a man who is now their greatest enemy?_

**oOoOo**

**Insurrection**

**oOoOo**

Sturm blinked awake, wondering what time it was. He'd been very, very late in actually getting to sleep last night, he recalled. But then, there'd been reasons. Realising that he was up against the edge of his bed, he rolled over.

Levisha was lying there, apparently still asleep with her back to him. He looked down along her sleeping form, noting the large black dragon tattoo on her back. He hadn't seen it last night, he realised. But then, he'd had an awful lot more to think about.

Lying down again, he studied the design. It wasn't actually solid black, but rather it had an incredibly intricate design of interlocked scales, giving it a believable, reptilian look. He could see that its tail trailed off under the sheets, making him wonder just how large it was. It wasn't entirely black either, rather being a mixture of grey and black scales.

She rolled over to face him, her narrow red eyes glaring straight at him. "I didn't mean to wake you." He began, apologetically.

"I was already awake." She casually replied, stretching out an arm across his chest. "I just didn't want to disturb you."

"Thanks." He looked into her eyes. "I… I'm sorry for staring, then."

"Wha?" She began. "Oh, that."

"It's a fascinating design." He admitted. "I've never seen anything like it. But then, I must admit that I haven't met too many people like you either." Which was true. There was something about her, a certain fierce intensity that at the same time interested and frightened him. He wanted to know more about her; while she apparently knew his history, he knew nothing abut where she had come from.

"Are you trying to flatter me, or jut stating fact?" She asked.

"Its true. You're very different to what I expected after I met you." _But then, I hadn't expected you to invite me back to your room. _

"I am?" She asked. "Its interesting. You're exactly what I had expected, Paladin Trogdor. And what I had hoped as well."

"So I'm predictable?"

"I wouldn't say that." She replied. "More of… I had certain expectations of you. Your drive, your determination. Your ruthlessness. Your beliefs and what you would do to achieve them." She smiled. "You are exactly what I had hoped for."

"I want to help Jenice achieve her goals." He stated, matter of factly.

"But they do happen to coincide with your own ones." She replied.

"True." He admitted. "So what about you? Why are you here with these people? You don't strike me as being an idealist revolutionary."

"Power." She admitted. "I'm attracted to it. Jenice provided me with… opportunities that I wouldn't find anywhere else. And the challenge of fighting against a superior foe is… stimulating, I'd say."

"Unusual."

"I'm an unusual woman." She stated.

He noted her red eyes, her coloured hair, her tattoo... That would be an understatement." He commented. "Certainly, your conduct with your fellows is… unexpected."

"Like taking them to bed?" She asked. "You hadn't expected that, had you?"

"Well, no…" he admitted. "Do you often fraternise with other members of your unit?"

She laughed, a reaction he hadn't expected to provoke. "Please." She replied. "I would never sleep with an underling. Nor would I with a superior." She leaned closer, kissing him on the lips. Braking the kiss, she whispered into his hear. "Only those who I would consider to be my equals."

He turned to glance at her. "Equal in rank, or equal in ability?"

"Well, there are many ways you could describe it." She stated. She rolled over on top of him, pressing her naked body against his. "You, Paladin Trogdor, are my equal in all of those."

**oOoOo**

It had taken Floyd and Althiea quite some time to repair all the damage their Zoids had suffered during the battle with the two mystery attackers. Fortunately, Floyd's supplies had carried all the parts they needed to complete the work, even if they did need to dip heavily into the reserves, leaving them very short for spares in case of future engagements.

Floyd had, of course, apologised profusely, and stated that next time he would plan for attacks by pairs of enigmatic black Zoids that were surprisingly well trained and well coordinated. Nobody could tell if he was joking or not.

"So cats." He began as he joined the rest of their team. The Zoids were waiting outside the derelict school that had been serving as their hanger and hideout for the last few days. "Everyone ready to set out and kick some severe bottom?"

"We will, as soon as we know where we're heading." Jason replied with a near growl.

"Yeah." Rayvenne replied. "We're still no closer to finding the Red Claw's base. Heck, if anything, we're further off since we spent the last few days hiding in a hole in the ground."

"Yeah, but it had its moments." Leanne added with a sigh. "Those piccys on the wall were cool. I wish we could take 'me with us."

"They'll be fine." Floyd replied. "They've managed to survive this long with no problems. I'm sure that, in years to come, some archaeologist will discover them and be completely baffled as to their meaning."

"You reckon?" She asked.

"Positive." He nodded.

"Guys, if we could be a little more focused…" Jason began. "We are trying to win a war here."

"Since when did it become a war?" Rayvenne quietly asked Floyd.

"I think since he declared it to be such." He replied. She nodded sagely. "At any rate, I think I have some ideas as to where the Claws are, if you would let me…"

He rummaged through his coat pockets and pulled out a large map. Unfolding it, he placed it between the five of them. It was an older one of the area, and showed some signs of wear, but was still recognisable. "So we're here." He began, pointing to a grey blob on the map.. "Which is an unnamed pile of broken concrete. Now figuring relative positions of ourselves, Freedom and the Black Star city, allowing for the travelling range of a supply truck, forming a convoy…" He examined the map. "The odds are fair that the Claw are hiding around here."

"We know that they went north out of Freedom." Altheia offered. "And that they were headed pretty much in a straight line as long as we could monitor them."

"So, that still leaves a large area." Jason replied. "We need to narrow it down."

"Okay, consider this." Althiea began. "Jenice needs to hide a lot of Zoids and a lot of troops. She can't just leave them out in the open."

"Exactly." Floyd continued. "So what we need to do is find places where one could do that."

"Somewhere like here, you mean." Leanne spoke up.

"Pretty much." Floyd replied. "We know that she's not here. But we do now have a frame of reference; she needs some place that will provide cover and preferably facilities. And, unless there's a forgotten secret Hydra base around here that I'm not aware of, that does limit her options."

Jason studied the map. There were a few ruins indicated, several of which were still considered hazardous. "There's an abandoned mining town at Bad Post." He noted as he pointed to the map. "That's a pretty good start. You could hide all manner of things there."

"Bad Post, eh?" Floyd considered it. "Hmm… could do."

"Hey that's a point." Rayvenne spoke up. "What if she's got a cave or something and has converted it or fitted it out. I mean, I did a nice job of mine, so I don't see why she couldn't either."

"There isn't too much around here that would be big enough though." Althiea commented. "I don't see where she'd hide an army."

"There's Spiral Mountain." Floyd spoke up. "It has an extensive cave system that was fitted out by a group of bandits to act as their hideaway back before the war." He paused. "Or, uh, so I've heard."

"Are there any other towns that are big enough for the task?" Leanne asked.

"Lanard was still populated at the time of the drawing of this map, but it was dwindling." Floyd commented. "They may have moved in there."

"But its awfully close to the Blackstars." Jason replied. "Its only just outside their territorial claims. I wouldn't want to hide that close to 'em, especially if they're in a mood to make some random land grab."

"True. Maybe we should exclude them and an area around them." Althiea began. "Say, run to twice their current claim to be sure."

Floyd sized up the map. "That's left us a nice blob in the middle of the map labelled 'Don't Go There,' which is pretty good. And even though Jencie is clever enough to try that, I doubt that she'd want the risk."

"So what does that leave us with?" Altheia asked.

"Well, we can pull up a list of probable locations from this map." He offered. "Then we can try to whittle them down by some process of elimination, until we're left with only a few certainties."

"Or, we could grab a Red Claw and beat the stuffin' out of him until he talks." Leanne offered.

"A very crude, but at the same time very effective way to do it, actually." Floyd began. "My dear lady, I think that it is a superlative suggestion, even if it does have one minor flaw."

"Which is?"

"We don't have a Red Claw to beat the sage, parsley and breadcrumbs out of."

"Well… yeah." She admitted, then glared at Jason. "I should thought of that."

**oOoOo**

Not everyone had been happy with the arrival of Paladin Trogdor, and his immediate promotion to near the top of the Red Claw's chain of command. There were some people who saw his arrival as being a threat to their own positions within the Claw, or that they had been pushed aside in favour of him. Gwen Tach was one of those people.

She had been with the Red Claw since what a lot of people called the 'early days' of the organisation. Back then, there had been no rebel army. There had only been Jenice and a handful of followers, her so-called elites. They had been the ones who she had first sought out; those individuals who had Zoids and were willing to make a stand against the Empire. People like her and Drake.

They had found their Zoids in a storage cache outside Freedom, and had claimed them as their own. They didn't care why those Zoids were there or who they really belonged to. All they cared about was the power that they now possessed. With them, they had planned to carve out a small empire. Instead, Jenice found them. She offered them a chance to be a part of smirching bigger, and gain more power then even their petty little dreams had considered. They both leaped at the opportunity.

For a while, there had been just the three of them. Then Jenice had found Bart, who had proven to be invaluable to their operation with his technical skills. Gwen had to admit that he was useful, if incredibly repulsive. Then she'd found the McNeil brothers, who's two Cannon Tortoises had added a considerable punch to their team.

Jenice had further expanded the Claw from there, recruiting bandits and other fringers from the wastes. She'd salvaged and reconditioned Zoids, building her army up. And then had come the big change, the one that Gwen hadn't liked.

Unlike the others, Levisha Towne had sought out Jenice. She'd contacted their leader and offered her services as a pilot and tactician. Jenice had accepted her into the claw, and pretty soon, she had become Jenice's right hand. To say that Gwen had been unhappy with this development would be an understatement. That a total stranger could just march into the Claw and sweep aside all those who had been there since the start was unacceptable to her.

Yet Levisha was clearly Jenice's favourite. Thanks to her, the Claw had dramatically expanded, tripling in size within a year. More Zoids, infantry support, transportation, more resources… She had managed to arrange all of these things. And in the meantime, Gwen and the others were pushed further and further into the background.

And now it was going to happen again.

She glanced around the dimly-lit room at the figures gathered around the table. Drake was sitting nest to her, doing his best to remain patient. Harry McNiel sat opposite him, while Malcolm leaned up against the door. Also with them were a quartet of pilots; Gwen didn't know their names of the top of her head, but she knew why they were here. The same reason that the rest of them were.

"Right." She began. "We know why you've come here. We know what the problem is." She glanced at them. "Jenice is a great leader. She's achieved so much in such a short time. She's made us into an army, one strong enough to take on the empire." There was a chorus of murmurs from the gathered group. "However, she has also made a severe mistake."

"She has allowed an outsider to come into this group. Not just any outsider, but a traitor, one who is a danger to this organisation." She continued. "And what has she done with this Traitor? She's allowed him to become her aide, making him the equal second most important man in this army."

"What makes you think he's dangerous?" Drake asked.

"Yeah, he's done us well so far." One of the pilots added.

"Isn't it obvious?" She hissed. "You can't trust traitors! If he's betrayed the Empire, what's there to say that he won't do it to us again?" She glared around the room. "He's already swept aside us, her most loyal supporters and usurped our places within the Claw. And yet, he's a danger to us all. If he's willing to betray the Empire, who's to say he won't do the same to us?"

"So what you're saying is that you can't trust a squealer." Harry replied. "If he's done it once, he can happily do it again. We could be putting him in charge just so he can turn around and stab us in the back, right?" He tapped his fingers on the table. "Just like the old days back in Freedom. Never trust nobody."

"That's right." She continued. "We remain loyal to Jenice. We do all the hard work. We risk our lives to follow her orders, and what do we get for it? Nothing. Yet this treacherous slime is allowed to take over and tell us what to do."

"So what do we do about it?" Drake asked.

"I'm sure that we could arrange for a little accident to happen, right Mal?" Harry began.

"Dat's right." Malcolm replied. "He could get 'imself hurt real bad if he didn't watch out."

"No, that's not doing to do." She replied, shaking her head. "What we have to do is beat him at his own game. We have to show we're better then him." She looked around the room. "If he thinks he can just walk all over us, well, we'll fight back. We have the skills and the ability to be better then he could ever be. If we can show Jenice what wee can do…" She smirked. "We'll be able to run roughshod over him."

"But how?" Drake asked. "He managed to do so much when he fought off the empire…"

"He got lucky." She snapped. "No, there is one good way to Jenice's heart." She began. "We all know what that is."

"Floyd effing Glass." Harry noted. "We need to bag him."

"Right. Jenice has been after him for ages. What we need to do is bring him in." She grinned. "If we can do it, if we can succeed where Levisha has failed, we will be the top dogs of this heap."

"But how?" Drake asked. "Nobody's been able to get Glass so far."

"Yeah, and he's got a squad of pilots working with him now." Somebody else added.

"So far, he's gotten lucky." She stated. "But I figure that if we all work together, pool our resources, keep our eyes open… well, he can't run from us forever." She leaned back against the wall. "Sooner or later, his luck will run out. And we'll be there when it does."

"So what do we do?" Harry asked.

"We keep our eyes and ears open." She hissed. "Anything you hear, any reports of his movements, any rumours, any sightings… anything." She continued. "Don't tell anyone outside this room about it. Instead, tell me. That way, we can hunt him down ourselves."

"Won't Jenice be upset that we're going behind her back though?" Drake asked.

_You petty-minded fool, _she thought. _You don't get it at all, do you? _"No, brother dear." She replied with a bit of a drawl. "Jenice won't mind. When we bring in Floyd glass, she won't care." She smiled. "And when we succeed where this so called Paladin has failed… well then there will be no stopping us."

**oOoOo**

Levisha's Pteras slowly descended into the box Canyon, the shadows falling over it as it settled down. It was just past noon and already the place was dark, making observing it hard. Which was just what she wanted. Levisha stepped out of her Zoid's cockpit, climbing down form the canyon floor and waiting.

A minuter later, a shape strode out of a narrow crack between the rocks. Tall and lean, it was mostly hidden by a long coat and a hat. Despite its appearance, she wasn't worried. She knew what she was dealing with. "It's been an interesting last couple of days, Jaeger." She began.

"I heard about your success over the Empire." He replied. "Things seem to have gone even better then I had expected."

"The news has spread fast." She said as she glanced around. I will admit that I hadn't expected the Red Claw to do so well. The information that Paladin Trogdor gave us was very useful."

"I'm only glad that I could help you." He commented. "I thought that you may find him useful."

"Oh, defiantly." She stated. "I can't begin to estimate his value. There's been a sharp increase in the morale and performance of the Red Claw's soldiers. And the knowledge that they have a former Paladin amongst their ranks is bound to have a detrimental effect on the morale of the Empire's forces. And that's before I consider how much knowledge of the Empire's inner workings he possesses. You did me a great favour, Jaeger."

"Do you think you can trust him?" He asked. "After all, he is a traitor."

She had to consider this. "I think so." She stated. "He has the same drive and determination as Jenice. The two of them share the same goals and have adopted the same methods, which means that he has no real reason to betray her. I think we can continue to safely use him in this manner."

"If you think so, then continue with the plan." He replied. "Speaking of which, we acted on the in formation you gave us regarding Floyd Glass and his female companion."

This surprised her. She hadn't expected Jaeger to take an active hand in matters. At least, not yet. Last she heard, Glass was to be dealt with solely by the Claw in order to maintain cover. "What happened?"

Jaeger shrugged. "To our surprise, they managed to defeat Kage squad and force them to withdraw."

"Very interesting. What's their status?"

"Two of their Zoids, the Gunsniper and the Sinker were disabled, but can be repaired." He stated.

"So they've been likely lying low for repairs." She considered this. "We may yet have an opportunity. Hmmm…" She trailed off. "Oh, before I forget, I have the latest batch of BattleROM data." She pulled out a disc from a pocket. "Nothing too exciting beyond the last batch, but thy do include the attack on the Zygra forces. You may find it interesting."

"Thankyou for that." He replied as he took the disc. "Its always good to see how our little project is go-"

He was cut off by the roar of engines passing overhead. Looking up, Levisha could see a Redler, presumably Gwen's passing over her. While she figured that the pilot couldn't see them, she had other concerns. "If that's Gwen… what's she doing out here?" As far as she could tell, Gwen wasn't scheduled to leave the base on patrol or similar. While her Redler was a great asset, it was almost too valuable to risk on a routine recon flight. Besides, Levisha's Pteras was far better suited to the role.

"Something up?" He asked.

"No." She replied. "But it may soon be."

**oOoOo**

Gwen checked her map again as her Redler passed over the landscape, eating up the distance to her objective. Judging form he maps, there would be a large ruined city nearby that, if her informant was right, would be where Glass and his companions were hiding.

It was a stroke of luck, really. Not too long after she had left the meeting of her little conspiracy, she'd overheard some of the soldiers talking. They'd apparently seen some Zoid tracks out on patrol, but had been unable to track them down, having lost track of them near this city. She'd added it up, and figured that it had to be Glass. There weren't supposed to be any other Zoids in the area, and as far as anyone else could tell, the Zygra forces had retreated well away from the area.

_So that leaves only him, _she thought. _Good. This shouldn't be too hard. _She'd organised a team to seek out and capture him as quickly as possible, trying to include as many of the pilots that had joined their little group as possible in the force. She hadn't added Malcolm, Harry or Drake to the team however. She needed to strike fast, which ruled out the Cannon Tortoises, and she simply didn't want Drake to screw everything up.

Of course, that meant that she would get all the glory for the capture. She could live with that.

The Redler passed over the formation of Zoids below it, banking to allow her to inspect the force. A black, yellow and silver Tarantulon lead the force, followed by a green Molga with a massive cannon on its back. Behind them were a Twinhorn, a Guysack, a Hellrunner and a Brox, rounding out her force. She knew that she outnumbered the enemy force and, more importantly, the single one of them that was the most important to her goals was incapable of fighting back.

_We eliminate his guards and force him to surrender. And then, when I bring him back, I'll be the number one in this little army. _She smiled to herself as she spotted the mess of jumbled grey concrete on the horizon. _So that was where he'd chosen to hide_, she thought. _How appropriate. We can use it as a grave for his unfortunate companions._

"Attention all units!" She called out over the communicator. She knew that most of the pilots down there were members of her little group or knew what was going on, but she felt like reinforcing the message. "The enemy are hidden in the ruins ahead of us. Your objective is to ferret them out and eliminate them, wherever they may lie. Disable or destroy the bodyguards, but do not damage the Gustav. We want it and its pilot alive."

She glanced over the formation. "Ferrengo and Brazza will lead the formation to probe for the enemy. The rest of you are to back them up and support them if they are engaged. I will provide air support." The Tarantulon and Guysack headed out in front of the rest of the formation, advancing towards the city. She knew that thy were the best adapted for the environment, and would serve as great scouts.

_And thy will also handily trip any alarms or traps they've set for us. _She finished. _Perfect. _The Redler continued towards the city, its pilot anticipating the battle to come.

**oOoOo**

The quartet of Zoids slowly made their way through the crowded, rubble-packed streets, picking their way through the debris. Althiea's Hammer Rock lead the group, using its mobility to clamber over any obstacles that got in its way. The Iguan and Gunsniper travelled on either side of the Gustav, acting as its bodyguards, their pilots keeping their eyes open for trouble. Behind them, Rayvenne's Sinker rode on the Gustav's trailer.

"I don't get it." Leanne began as she checked her scopes for the dozenth time. "Why don't we leave the same way we came in? It ain't like there's anyone following us. If there were, they'd have attacked us by now."

"Mainly, its so we don't leave such an obvious trail." Jason replied. "Our mystery attackers may have used the time to regroup and rearm, and could be waiting for us. This way, we head off in a different direction, which means that they'll have a harder time tracking us."

"And besides, there's some interesting formations north of here that could be used to conceal a base." Althiea added as her Zoid clambered over another rubble pile. "So it makes sense to head that way."

"Ah, relax, Lee." Rayvenne added. "Floyd knows what he's doing, and we've seen no sign of the baddies. They're probably miles away."

"Congratulations, young lady." Floyd spoke up. "You've just won 'good call of the day.'" The Gustav's top radar mast rotated, the antennas adjusting their angles and scan. "The big bug radar has just spotted an airborne incoming heading right for us."

"Any idea what it is?" Althiea asked.

"None as yet, little lady." He replied. "But judging by speed and altitude, I'd say the odds are that it's the Redler or that crazy Pteras we've come to know and love." He paused for a moment, then changed some of his displays. "Well, I'm getting no return of a long-range search radar, so I'd say it's the Redler."

"They won't have come alone." Jason commented. "Its bound to be another group of them out to get us."

"I'll take a look, jus' gimme a sec." Leanne commented, her Gun Sniper sprinting past Althiea's Hammer Rock.

"Just be careful in case that sniper's around." She called back.

"Yeah, yeah…" Leanne replied. The Gunsniper trotted up to a ruined building, clambering up one side and perching itself on top. It crouched down, so only the top of its head and its two radar antennas were visible above the shattered wall. "Lesse…" She began as she studied the scope.

"Well?" Jason asked, his Iguan waiting by the base of the building. The Zoid looked around as its pilot scanned the rubble for any sign of danger.

"Ah… heck." Leanne began. "Looks like the Redler and a whole mess of ground Zoids, probably five or six of 'em coming for us. Dunno if they have our exact location, but I think they've got a rough idea of where we're at."

"And we're still stuck here." Jason commented. "We can hide in the city, but I suspect that they'd only hang around to make sure we didn't escape. Or if we try running off, then the Redler can follow us and call for more help. And I don't think anyone here wants to face that Liger."

"I don't mind." Rayvenne quipped. "But that's only because I can fly way from it."

"Yeah, but that's no good for the rest of us." He began.

"Well, I reckon I could take a couplea them." Leanne began. "I could line 'em up as thy approached and pot 'em off."

"That's only going to work once." Jason countered. "The Redler's going to find your location and take you out."

"Well then we'll have to distract it." Althiea replied. "I think I have a plan. What we do is we get them inside the city and try to take them on our terms. We could ambush them and try to take them out before they can get to us."

"That's nice." Rayvenne replied. "But in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly cut out to take on a Redler all on my lonesome, yanno." She began. "A Sinker isn't exactly a match for it."

"Hmmm…" Althiea began. "How about this. You lure it into the city, then use your Zoid's size and mobility to evade it. Then, while the pilot's looking for you, your Sinker and one of our Zoids could both attack it."

"She's a smart little lady, you know." Floyd spoke up. "I could track it with my own radar and keep y'all up to date on its whereabouts and what it's doin'."

"So it's agreed then." Althiea finished. She looked around, noting a pair of large, mostly destroyed towers at the northern end of the town, where the enemy Zoids were approaching from. Even though they were little more then rubble, their bases looked to be intact enough. A plan began to form in her mind. "Okay then. Here's what we're going to do…"

**oOoOo**

Ferrengo's Tarantulon cautiously entered the outskirts of the ruined city, the large radar mast mounted on its back rotating as it scanned the area around it for any signs of enemy forces. Brazza's brown Guysack travelled parallel to its course, picking its way across the rubble-strewn streets.

"Well?" Gwen snapped into the communicator. "What's going on down there? Where are they?"

"I can't say yet for sure" Ferrengo replied. "There's a lot of clutter on my scope, which is making it hard for me to get anything solid."

"So you can't see any sign of them at all?" She asked, the anger colouring her voice.

"Well, not as such…" He admitted. "They could be further in or using the clutter to hid themselves."

"Then keep going!" She snapped. "Head in there and ferret them out!"

"Y-yes commander!" He stammered.

"And you, Brazza!" She turned to the Guysack's pilot.

"Yes?"

"Back him up! Keep a close eye on him and the surrounding area." She snapped. 'Make sure that nothing gets past you!"

"Yes, commander." He nervously replied.

"Good." She switched over to the whole squad. "The rest of you are to keep advancing behind them. Be ready to engage the enemy at a moment's notice." There was a chorus of affirmative replies. _They're smart enough to follow orders. _She thought to herself. _That's all that I really need._

She looked down at the ruined city below her. _Come on out, you little fools. You can't hide forever. Sooner or later, I will find you. And when I do, there will be no escape._

**oOoOo**

"Ali, we got a prob." Leanne hissed over the radio.

"What-" Ali began, then was cut off by the sound of the Redler passing over her Hammer Rock's was hiding place. The small Zoid was crouched in the upper floor of a ruined tower, and was hopefully blending in with its surroundings. She waited a moment to see what the Redler was doing before replying.

Confident that it wasn't coming back, she allowed herself to reply. "What is it?"

"The Spiderzoid's got a radar on its back." Leanne explained. "It might be able to sniff us out before…"

"Understood." She replied. "I guess you'll just have to take him out first." She'd wanted to wait until they were all inside the city before acting, but it seemed like she didn't have much of an alternative now. "Everyone, listen up." She quietly began, hoping that the enemy Zoid wasn't listening to their radio. "We're going to have to set the trap early. We'll try to lure the rest of their force into the city towards you."

"Understood." Jason replied.

"Right. Just tell me when I go." Rayvenne added.

"Gravy." Floyd finished.

"Whenever you're ready, Leanne." She began.

"Right."

There was a tense silence as the two Zoids cautiously approached, Althiea gripping her Hammer Rocks' controls. _Okay, Leanne… _She thought. _Whenever you're ready. Don't be hasty… _She noticed a blip on her radar warning receiver. The Tarantulon was scanning for her. _But sooner rather then later would be nice._

As if to provide an answer to her thoughts, there was a loud explosion. A shot literally punctured through the Tarantulon, the shell ripping out the other side of the small Zoid's body, leaving a trail of shredded metal behind it. The Tarantulon was lifted off its feet by the force of the impact, then crashed to the ground on one side.

The Guysack whirled around, looking over to its downed companion, and away from where she was waiting. Seeing a chance, she acted. The Hammer Rock had been hanging onto the side of the tower in which she had been lurking. Now it leaped off, swinging off its out stretched arm with the other one directed downwards.

Before the enemy Zoid could react, the Hammer Rocks' iron-shod knuckle smashed into its side. The Hammer Rocks' mass drove the armoured fist through the smaller Zoid, crushing its frame. The Guysack buckled, then crumpled into a mess of limbs.

"Now let's move!" She shouted out to Leanne. The Hammer Rock leaped away from its downed foe, then knuckled along the broken pavement as fast as its short limbs could carry it. Glancing back, she could see Leanne's Gunsniper leap out of the tower where it had been hiding, landing in amongst the rubble. The sniper Zoid broke into a run, heading away from the tower.

No sooner was it down, however, then the top of the tower exploded in a brilliant ball of flame. Debris rained down on the streets, with chunks of concrete bouncing off the Gunsniper. "Leanne!" Althiea called out. "Are you-"

"I'm fine!" She shouted back. "But one of them's got some sorta artillery piece!" She Gunsiper clawed its way across the rubble, heading further back into the city.

Althiea heard a loud, high-pitched whistling noise, followed by the tower where she had been waiting exploding behind her. "Everyone, heads up!" She called out as the Hammer Rock knuckled its way across the choked streets. "The enemy force has artillery. Repeat, they have artillery!"

"Say what?" Jason called out. "What's going on out there!"

Another explosion blew apart a smaller building further up the street. "The enemy are shelling us." She explained. "No idea what it is or where it is." She desperately searched around for some sort of cover form the enemy attack.

"Not to panic, Kids." Floyd called out. "I can get their location from the shots." There was a pause. "Rayvenne! I'm gonna feed you the data. I want you to go and shut that there big ol' gun down."

"But what about the Redler?" She asked. "If I try to go out there, it'll-"

"God damn it, just do it!" Floyd shouted.

"Whoah, okay!" She replied, defensively. "I'm just saying, that's all…"

"Jason!" Althiea called out. "We're heading back in your direction. We'll try to loose the enemy force in amongst the rubble. Be ready for us and them."

"Gotcha." Jason called out.

"Leanne, stick with me." She added. "And watch that radar of yours. If you see any sign of the enemy, let me know immediately."

"Sure thing." Leanne replied.

The two Zoids crashed their way along the pavement, heading back towards the heart of the city that, until recently, they'd been hiding in. Behind them, another explosion blew apart a building, sending concrete, steel and glass raining down onto the streets.

**oOoOo**

Gwen hadn't been prepared for what happened. One moment, her scouts were heading towards the city and were on the verge of flushing out the enemy. The next thing she knew, they were both down and out of action.

Fortunately, someone in her own forces had some degree of sense to them. The Molga pilot (She'd forgotten his name, having decided that it wasn't that important) had begun shelling the northern end of the city, where the attack had been staged from. She couldn't see if the enemy Zoids had been hit in his attack, but certainly she could see that he had destroyed their cover.

"Cease fire!" She called out over the communicator. From up in her cockpit, well above the battlefield, all she could see was a pall of smoke covering the city. There was no sign of the enemy Zoids, but weather it was because he had taken them out or the smoke was covering them she couldn't tell.

At any rate, her troops still outnumbered theirs, and she was holding a lot of advantages. _Time to exploit them._ "All troops, move in. They are hiding in the rubble. Flush them out and destroy them. But I want the Gustav and its pilot captured!" She ordered.

Below her, the Zoids of her forces advanced into the city. The four of them kept to an orderly formation, marching in a nice, neat, straight line. Just like she wanted it. _I'm pretty good at this leadership stuff, _she thought to herself. _I could do Levisha's job easily. It's just a matter of telling them where to go, that's all._

Her sensors beeped as they detected a single, fast moving object coming out form the city. Looking around, she briefly glanced a dull purple blur dashing across the city, not too far above the ground level. _What's that? _Looking closer, she could see that it was a smaller flying Zoid, specifically a Sinker. _It's him!_

The enemy Zoid dived on her forces, spraying fire from a pair of cannons under its wings. The Zoids below it broke and scattered, splitting up to avoid its fire. "Move it!" Somebody called out over the communications channel. "We're going to get nailed out here!"

"Don't move!" She shouted back. "Remain in formation! Do not break formation!" As if to spite her, they began to scatter, looking for any form of cover. "Damn you all! I'll deal with him myself!"

She turned the Redler, diving towards it. The enemy pilot, however, seemed to be ready for her and turned sharply, heading back towards the ruined city. Clenching her teeth in frustration, Gwen fired the Redler's boosters, trying to close the distance between the two Zoids. "You're not getting away from me again!" She shouted. "I am going to hunt you down and take you out!"

She squeezed the trigger, opening fire with the twin cannons mounted on the wings. The Sinker was ready for this, however, and peeled away from her attack. Before she could fire again, it dived down towards the ruins.

"You can't run from me forever!" She shouted out. The Redler hissed angrily as she dived down to chase the enemy Zoid. There was no way she was going to let it escape from her. As if to defy her, the Sinker turned sharply, ducking between two buildings. Gwen shot straight past them, desperately throttling back the Redler to try and slow down and improve her cornering.

As the Redler swung around, she looked for any sign of the smaller Zoid in the rubble below. As far as Gwen could tell, there was no sign of it. "Where's he gone?" She snarled to herself. "He can't hide from me forever."

**oOoOo**

"And now for the weather report." Floyd began over the communicator. "Radar scans show a flock of angry Red Claws coming in from the north. Expect heavy showers and short bursts of violence."

"Right." Jason muttered in reply. He was waiting inside the Iguan's cockpit, the Zoid pressed as flat against a wall as possible. Its single hand clutched a large spear fashioned form a steel girder.

A beep told him that there was another Zoid approaching around the corner. His basic plan was to mug the enemy Zoid by impaling it with the spear and then finishing it off with his gun. From its speed and heading, he knew it wasn't a friendly; by the plan, they'd be nowhere near here.

Waiting until the last possible moment, the Iguan stepped out, lunging with its spear. The blow struck the opponent, a Brox, in the side. The spear slammed into one of its cannons, smashing straight through the weapon but stopping short of damaging the Zoid's body.

_Crap, _he thought as the Brox staggered to one side then swung around, spraying shots from its chest mounted beam cannon. The Iguan took several shots to its chest and arms before he ducked it to one side, then returned fire with the quad cannon. The shot went just high of the Brox's body, instead blasting into a wall just behind it.

Behind the Brox, a Twinhorn opened fire with its back beam cannons. The shots missed Jason, but were enough to send him scurrying for cover. He didn't want to take on two enemies at once, especially not when he knew that there were at least two more out there. He fired a few shots from the Iguan's tail gun, more to keep them down then to knock them out as he ran.

"Heads up!" He called out over the communicator as the Iguan ducked inside a ruined building. "I have engaged a Twinhorn and a Brox and am falling back towards the city center."

"Righty-o" Floyd called back. "I'll let everyone know about this little fix."

"Whatever." He muttered. Glancing around, he tried to see if he could see any sign of the other two Zoids. While he was rather well hidden from them, they were similarly hidden form him. Instead, he remained calm, listening for them.

There was a sound of crunching pavement, as if something was moving outside. _That's most likely going to be one of them_, he figured. He patiently waited and listened, hoping for any sign of them.

**oOoOo**

"What do you reckon, Franz?" The Brox pilot asked as his Zoid waited outside the derelict factory. The Zoid's head looked around, scanning the area for any signs of the enemy. "Think he's in there?"

"Could be. But I've got a good way to find out." Franz replied. The Twinhorn advanced towards the factory, stopping next to a row of broken windows. "You might wanna stand back. This one's gonna get messy."

The Twinhorn's trunk twisted around so its end was pointing in towards the window, while the Brox cautiously backed off. The Twinhorn loosed a stream of flame from the end of its trunk, directing it through the open windows to the interior of the building itself. "This ought to flush 'im out." Franz began, sneering. "Either that or cook him real good." The Twinhorn swung its trunk from side to side, sweeping the flames across the inside of the factory.

**oOoOo**

Jason saw the first of the flames come billowing into the factory, bursting into the room next to the one he was hiding in. Realising what was about to happen, he opened up the Iguan's throttle, leaping out of the building just before the pillar of flame swept into the room. He fired the Iguan's boosters, the small Zoid leaping into the air, then landing in a crouch behind another wall.

He swung around, sighting the Brox around one corner of the factory's wall. Seeing an opportunity, he opened fire again with the quad cannon. Two of the shots struck the Brox in the chest, sending it staggering back, before it could reply. Not wanting to hang around to give it the chance he opened up the Iguan's throttle, sprinting away from the two enemy Zoids.

The pair of them opened fire, spraying shots past him and tearing up the already devastated landscape even more. Jason fired a few random shots back with his tail guns, but was more interested in running then anything else.

The Iguan leaped over another wall, then crouched down in a large crater, once again backing itself up to a wall. _Okay, there's two of them, and one of them likes to set fire to things. _He thought to himself. _Right. I need a new plan._

**oOoOo**

Leanne's Gunsniper scampered across the broken terrain, its long legs carrying it across the rubble-strewn streets while its pilot sought cover. She'd seen Rayvenne's attack on the enemy column and seen the way it'd made the other Zoids scatter, but at the same time she wanted to be careful in case the Molga decided to get trigger-happy again.

A burst of beam fire narrowly missed her Zoid, tearing chunks out of a nearby wall. Glancing behind her, Leanne could see an enemy Hellrunner, the beam gattling on its back smoking, perched on top of a pile of rubble. Behind it, in the distance, she could see the green Molga, its cannon at the ready.

"Ah, spit." She began. She knew that she could take the Hellrunner easily. The problem, she figured, was the Molga. If she stayed out in the open too long, it'd get the chance to blast her with that big-arse cannon; something she didn't want to run the risk of. No, what she had to do was take this fight in close.

_Yeah, that'd work_, she thought. Not only would she eliminate the chance of the Molga blasting her, but if she forced the Hellrunner to fight in close quarters in tightly packed terrain would mean that it couldn't use its speed, and would put it at a big disadvantage against the more heavily armed Gunsniper.

The Gunsniper twisted away from another burst of cannon fire from the Hellrunner, sprinting across the rubble as fast as it could go. Behind it, the Hellrunner leaped off its perch, chasing after her, its pilot confident of his ability to catch her. Its long legs ate up the distance between the two of them, rapidly closing in on Leanne.

_Come on, chase after me…_ The Gunsniper leaped off the road it had been running along, landing in a large trench that ran perpendicular to its pervious course. Opening up the throttle, Leanne sprinted away from her peruser. The Gunsniper twisted around one arm, spraying shots in the Hellrunner's direction. The enemy Zoid stopped for a moment, ducking as the beams tore into a chunk of wall right next to it.

That's what Leanne wanted. It'd have been nice if she could knocked it out of action, she thought, but slowing it down was pretty good. The Gunsniper hopped out of the trench, then sprinted through the packed streets. Behind it, the Hellrunner leaped over the trench and came after her.

_Now to get him good. _The Gunsniper swerved, ducking in between a pair of badly damaged storage tanks and heading towards a ruined refinery. Leanne had found this place while wandering around the city a few days ago. It had once been a large refinery complex, larger then any she had ever seen. Now it was a tangled mess of broken pipes, rusted supports, destroyed buildings and half-gone storage tanks. Her own Gunsniper could navigate the mess, but would have a hard time of it. But the Hellrunner, which relied on its speed, would be far worse off.

As she expected, the Hellrunner decided to follow her in. The pilot clearly hadn't thought the whole situation through, and was probably more determined to get a kill then anything else. She snuck off into a quiet corner, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Hunched over the controls, Leanne watched the Hellrunner's progress. Her Zoid's radar system was able to reduce the clutter to a degree, allowing her to get a good idea where the other Zoid was, despite the mess around them. The Helrunner's pilot, on the other hand, would have to rely on just his eyes to locate her. _Big advantage._

As she watched, the Hellrunner investigated the complex. The pilot seemed to be suddenly overly cautious, as if he realised just what he had gotten himself into. The Zoid was slowly picking its way through the rubble, looking around for any sign of her presence. Leanne's tense wait was quickly replaced with boredom and then frustration as the enemy Zoid blundered around, but never got quite close enough to her.

A sudden roar of engines distracted her. Looking up, she could see the Redler passing overhead, firing its twin beam cannons. "Hey…" She began. "She coulda spotted me…" At the same time, the Hellrunner suddenly turned, its canopy visor staring straight at her.

Not bothering to wait any longer, Leanne opened up the Gunsniper's throttle. The small Zoid leaped out of hiding, charging straight at its opponent. She thumbed the triggers, spraying shots from the twin gattling guns at it. Several shots hit the Zoid, tearing chunks form the armour on its flank.

The Hellrunner twisted around, desperately trying to escape form its larger attacker. The enemy pilot opened up his throttle, the Zoid trying to escape, Instead it stumbled, not able to get up to its full speed on the broken ground. Leanne saw her chance, and kicked out at it with the Gunsniper's hooked toe claws. There was a loud screeching of metal as the claw tore through the Hellrunner's flank.

As a desperate response, the Hellerunner swung out at her with its own foot, the kick catching her Zoid in its extended leg, momentarily throwing Leanne off balance. Before she could regain her footing, the Hellrunner leaped into action, striding away from the Gunsniper as fast as it could.

Planting both feet firmly on the ground, Leanne opened fire with both gattlings and the chest cannon. The shots tore up the ground around the enemy, Zoid, with several more hitting it in the back. Staggered, but not out of action, the Hellrunner ducked around a corner, desperately trying to escape.

_Or is he tryin' to ambush me? _She asked herself. Where he'd gone to had left precious little room to move, but would be a great place for him to catch her up close. _I'm not fallin' for my own trick. _Instead, she turned around and slowly advanced away from where she had last seen the other Zoid, planning to loop around and strike him from behind. _Lets see who oput-smarts who._

**oOoOo**

The Hammer Rock sprinted across the cracked surface of the road, leaping over anything that got in its way. Althiea had a pretty good idea where Leanne had gotten too, and realised that she would need some help to deal with both enemy Zoids at once.

The Zoid clambered up a pile of rubble, its pilot looking around for any sign of the enemy. Looking carefully, she could make out a pair of shapes moving in amongst the rubble, one of them blue, the other red and silver. As she watched, the blue one ducked into a trench, seeking cover.

_So there's the Hellrunner, _she thought. _So what about the…_

The thunderous roar of a cannon answered her question for her, as a building just behind her Zoid exploded into a ball of flames. The shock of the blast shook the hammer Rock, shifting it on the pile of unstable debris. Fighting with the controls, she managed to keep the Zoid upright as it scampered down the slope.

Looking around, she could see her attacker; a green Molga lurked nearby, a large silver shot cannon mounted on its back. The enemy Zoid lowered its gun, training it on its new target. She decided not to give him a chance. The Hammer Rock ducked just as the cannon fired again, the shot sailing past her and vanishing off into another wrecked building.

Seeing an opportunity, she urged the Zoid forwards. The Hammer Rock knuckled its way across the broken concourse, beating a path towards the Molga. The enemy pilot realised what she was up to, and opened fire with the quartet of cannons mounted around the Molga's head. Several shots struck the Hammer Rock, while she weaved around the rest.

She replied with the Hammer Rock's twin shoulder cannons, the two shots scoring armour off the Molga's flanks. Realising his situation, the Molga pilot tried to back himself up, desperate to avoid the Hammer Rock's attacks. It didn't work, the Hammer Rock closing in, then swinging at the Molga with its heavy knuckles.

The first strike connected with a satisfying thump, leaving a rather large dent in the Molga's dome without doing any serious damage to the Zoid. The second one had more success; the Hammer Rock's heavy knuckles smashed into the Molga's Shot Cannon, bending the end of the cannon out of shape and leaving it clearly useless.

Before she could celebrate her victory, the Molga's pilot retaliated the only way he could think to. The Zoid shot forwards, ramming itself into the Hammer Rock's chest. The impact staggered both the pilot and her Zoid, sending it reeling backwards. Taking advantage of its opponent's momentary weakness, the Molga swung around, slicing at the Hammer Rocks' leg with the laser cutter hidden under its tail. The cutter scored a beam across the armour, but didn't seem to do too much else.

Althiea bought the Zoid upright, then lunged at the Molga again. The enemy Zoid suddenly burst into action, speeding off, leaving the Hammer Rocks' fist to smash into the ground. Not wanting to let it escape, she opened fire again with the shoulder guns. The shots burned away the armour on the Molga's flank, but didn't seem to do much else.

"Althiea here." She began over the mike. "Their artillery support is out of action."

"Gravy!" Floyd called back. "But I suggest you keep an eye open, Ali. There should be a crazed Redler coming by your place about… now!" As if on cue, there was a roar as the Redler passed straight over her, chasing after Rayvenne's Sinker.

Althea swung around, chasing after the enemy Zoid. They had a chance to take out of one of the top enemy pilots. She wasn't about to loose it.

**oOoOo**

Jason's Iguan waited in an old, debris-choked canal, lurking just by one of the few intact bridges going over it. He'd spotted the Brox and Twinhorn heading in his direction, and had figured out a plan to, at the very least, even the odds a bit.

Glancing up, he could see the Brox advancing towards the bridge with the Twinhorn behind it. _I've got one shot at this_, he thought. _Better make it good. _The Brox advanced onto the bridge, slowly approaching. Jason listened to the sound of its footfalls, figuring where it was. _Now!_

The Iguan leaped up and twisted around, shoving the quad cannon into the Brox's underside before firing. The force of the blasts rocked the Brox on its feet, while the shots them selves tore through its flank, ripping apart the armour and blowing off the damaged cannon. Unfortunately, it didn't finish it off as he had hoped.

The Twinhorn barged past the Brox, angling its trunk don over the edge of the canal. Jason opened up the throttle, the Iguan leaping out of the way just as the Twinhorn unleashed another burst of flames from its trunk. As the Iguan ran, Jason fired back at the other two Zoids.

To his surprise, the pair of them turned tail and ran. This confused Jason to say the least. He had been expecting them to try to give chase or, at the very least, keep shooting at him. Maybe he'd damaged the Brox more then he thought. But that wouldn't explain why the Twinhorn was also backing off.

The Iguan leaped up the bank of the canal, landing in amongst several destroyed buildings. Jason wasted no time in setting off after the two other Zoids. He could see a chance to take out a couple of Red Claws, one that he wasn't going to pass up.

Stepping out of a side-street, he sighted the pair of them. Before he could open fire, the Brox started shooting with its remaining rear cannon, the shots narrowly missing the Iguan. Jason ducked back as the Twinhorn added fire from its own top turret to the Brox's, pinning him down.

Jason ducked the Iguan ducked behind cover, waiting for an opportunity to strike or a break in their fire. After what seemed like a short opportunity, they stopped. He cautiously peered the Iguan's head around the corner, looking around for his opponents. They weren't there, rather, they were further down the street and still moving as fast as the terrain would let them.

He was about to chase after them, when a pair of shapes passed more or less straight over the Iguan's head. Glancing up, he could see that it was Rayvenne's Sinker, desperately trying to avoid fire form the Redler. He squeezed off a couple of shots from the head-mounted gun, but they went well wide of the mark.

"Jason, are you there?" Althiea asked over the communicator. "What's your status?"

"The Brox and Twinhorn appear to be withdrawing." He stated. "And the Redler just passed straight over me."

"I know." She replied. "We've badly damaged two of them, so I think the rest want to get out of here. We just need to deal with the Redler."

"Sounds fair to me." He said. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes. Home in on my signal and I'll tell you."

**oOoOo**

Rayvenne had been quietly waiting, her Zoid hidden inside a largely intact warehouse while the Redler searched for her. It had been surprisingly easy to throw it off and go into hiding, dashing into a bolthole while it flew around blindly looking for her. The enemy pilot really didn't seme to know what she was doing, she thought. They hadn't anticipated her suddenly ducking down to street level and hiding out down there, something the Sinker was surprisingly good at.

Even though there was little chance of the Redler's pilot seeing her in person, she'd gone 'in character' as the Mystery Sinker Pilot. It added a certain degree of fun to what she was doing, she figured. Nobody knew who she was, and that was the way she liked it.

Besides, if they did capture the enemy pilot, the look on her face would be priceless when Rayvenne revealed who she really was. _That girl must have had no clue whatsoever,_ she figured. _She's in for a shock then._

She heard the sounds of the Redler's engines as it passed over her position. This looked like too good an opportunity for her to pass up, she figured. Listening carefully through the Sinker's audio pickups, she tried to figure the Redler's position. As she waited, it got quieter as the Zoid flew away from her position.

_Perfect._

The Sinker flew out the door of the warehouse, climbing towards the Redler from behind. Before the other Zoid could react, she squeezed the trigger, sending twin streams of beam fire from the twin underwing gattlings at the enemy Zoid. Shots tore into the Redler's flanks, tearing into its armour.

The Redler shrieked then rolled as its pilot tried to roll out of the way of the other Zoids's fire. Desperate to escape, the Redler's pilot dived towards the ruined city below. _Nuh-uh, that's my trick. _Rayvenne thought to herself, smiling behind her bandanna. _I'm not letting you get away from me this time._

She dived after the Redler, opening fire again. This time only a few shots hit the other Zoid before it suddenly peeled away and began climbing again. Realising that she couldn't match the other Zoid's climb, she dived towards ground level. _The difference is that I can totally do this with my Zoid. Yours can't._

She dived in between a pair of twisted towers, weaving in between them as she went. The Redler dived after her, opening fire on the smaller Zoid. Ravenne swerved, allowing the surrounding landscape to absorb the shots before accelerating away from the Redler.

The other Zoid sped up, increasing its speed to close with her. She knew that the Redler was a lot faster then her, and could accelerate and climb a lot better. She also knew that, at low speeds and low altitudes, she could completely out manoeuvre it. It was a fact that she decided to exploit.

As another pair of shots went past her, she banked the Sinker on a very sharp right turn, ducking into another street as she went. The shots exploded behind her, while the Redler climbed and banked around on a much wider, slower arc to follow her. Not giving the other pilot a chance to act, she cut around another corner, meaning that the other pilot would have to turn again in order to catch her.

At that point, she realised her mistake. Ahead of her loomed a mess of metal that had, at one stage, been a refinery of sorts. Unfortunately for her, it was now a large obstacle that she was about to fly straight into. She pulled back on the stick, climbing over the factory…and straight into the Redler's line of fire. The Zoid sped up, closing in on her as it opened fire again.

She twisted the Sinker to the right, managing to barely avoid the enemy fire. A shot came a lot closer to the side of her cockpit then she would have liked. The Sinker skimmed along above the city, desperately trying to avoid its pursuer.

A blip on her radar caught her attention. Looking down, she could see Jason's Iguan chasing after a pair of enemy Zoids. One of the enemies must have spotted her, as his Zoid opened up with a back-mounted AA Cannon. She jinked to one side, evading the trail of fire. Glancing behind her, she could see Jason opening up with one of his beam cannons on the Redler, but without much success. At least it bought her some time.

Not worrying about him for the moment, she sped towards the outer edge of the city. There were a few buildings that were a little more intact that she could use for cover, and she planned to take advantage of the situation. She couldn't tell if the enemy pilot had gotten better, or if they were just having a very lucky day. _At least it's not that crazy Pteras, _she thought.

The Sinker ducked down, speeding along a wide boulevard towards the outer edge of the city, eating up the distance. She recognised this as being the entrance that the Claws had first come in through, and also where Ali and Lea had staged their little ambush. _Pity that neither of them are around here now_, she thought. _I could use some help._

As if to prove her wrong, her Zoid's sensors picked up a single ground-based Zoid dead ahead of her. Checking the sensor profile, she could see that it was Ali's Hammer Rock. Before she could say anything, however, the Redler opened fire again, both shots coming far too close for comfort.

"Rayvenne!" Ali called out over the communicator. "Need any help?"

"You could…" She began in her normal voice, then coughed, and switched to her rough 'male' voice. "You could say that."

"Right." Althiea replied. "I have an idea. This is what we're going to do…"

**oOoOo**

Gwen snarled as her shots narrowly missed the enemy Sinker. _That pilot_, she figured, _has to be quite incredibly lucky. There's no other explanation for it. _For such a small and unthreatening Zoid, the Sinker had proven itself to be a surprising headache. The enemy pilot had adopted a rather irritating habit of vanishing into the ruins and hiding from her, then popping out when she least expected it.

_No more, _she thought. _This time I'll get him good… _She fired again, just as the Sinker went into a sudden climb. Before she knew what was going on, the Zoid had executed a half loop and was coming back, heading straight towards her.

The Sinker opened fire with both its wing-mounted cannons. Desperate to avoid any more damage, Gwen swerved to one side, letting the Sinker pass straight by her. "Damn you to hell!" She called out. "I'm going to damn well kill you!"

The Redler looped around, diving at the Sinker. _He isn't making any effort to hide himself now_, she thought. _Now I have him… _She smiled as she closed in, ready for the kill.

Before she could fire, her Zoids warning sensors began beeping in alarm. Glancing over the controls, she tried to figure what was happening. There. A pair of blips were closing on her from behind with considerable speed. _Missiles! _For an instant she tried to figure where they had come from, and then realised that she had more pressing concerns.

She pushed the Redler's throttle all the way open, turning and climbing to try to get as far away as possible from the two perusers. To her annoyance, she could see that they were still closing on her. In desperation, she twisted the controls, the Redler diving towards the city below.

Grunting against the g-pull, she pulled the tightest turn possible, trying to pull inside the missiles and throw them off. The first missile sailed past her, slamming into a derelict building. The second one, however, stayed on course, closing in on her. She desperately searched around for an option. There had to be some way to escape.

Abruptly, the missile vanished form her scope with a laud blast that she could hear from in the cockpit. Looking around, she could see a ball of fire and debris behind her, presumably where the missile had been. For a moment she wondered what had happened. Then she saw another Zoid behind hers; a black Pteras with a radar dome on top of it.

"Withdraw your troops now." Levisha stated, flatly over their communicator. "I will cover your retreat."

Gwen wanted to say something to her, but the words died in her throat. She knew when she was beaten.

**oOoOo**

Althiea watched as the two missiles she launched tracked the Redler. The pilot seemed to be doing everything in their power to avoid them; something that she had to give them credit for. At the same time, however, she'd taken precautions against them avoiding both missiles. Leanne, Rayvenne and Jason were standing by to being them down if needed, and she still had a pair of missiles in reserve.

What she hadn't expected was the sudden arrival of the Pteras. The other Zoid had come out of seemingly nowhere and managed to shoot her missile out of the sky; not an easy task at the best of times. And if her radar systems were any indicator, the Pteras had managed to locate her.

The Pteras swung around, heading back towards the three of them. The small Zoid dived on them, then peeled away, four plumes of smoke trailing from its underside. A beeping on her sensors told her exactly what had happened.

"Missiles!" she called out across the comms cannel. "Scatter!"

Their three Zoids scurried for cover as the enemy missiles approached. Althiea drove the Hammer Rock forwards, the small Zoid leaping into a crater, trying to put a pile of debris between it and the missile.

There was a loud _whumph_ as the missile slammed into the pile right behind her, showering her Zoid with debris, but leaving it largely unharmed. Waiting a moment, she stood the Zoid up, and glanced around. The only sign there was of the enemy Zoids was a pair of dots vanishing into the distance.

"Everyone okay?" She called out over the comms channel.

"I'll live, yeah." Jason muttered.

"Nothin' much hurt here, 'cept fer my pride." Leanne admitted.

_Thanks for that, _she thought to herself, and smiled. "Well, they may have escaped, but there's always a chance that there may be some stragglers. Let's take a look." She wasn't disappointed that the Redler had gotten away. It was never their intention to bring it down. They had, however, achieved their main objective; they had survived.

**oOoOo**

After bailing out of his downed Zoid, Brazza had managed to find Ferrengo in the rubble. The pair of them had figured that their best option was to keep low and make sure that they didn't get stepped on, and hope that Gwen would remember to recover them once she was done. Fortunately for the pair of them, the battle had pretty quickly moved away from the area where they were, leaving them pretty safe from harm.

Their shelter in the rubble was abruptly interrupted by the sound of Zooid falls, signalling that something was approaching and fast. Looking up from his hiding spot in the rubble, Brazza could see a Zoid approaching, recognising it instantly as Bob's Hellrunner. He waved to the Zoid, trying to attract the pilot's attention.

Despite that, the Zoid sprinted straight past him, its pilot either not noticing him or not wanting to stop to pick him up. As it passed, Brazza noted all the Damage the Zoid had suffered on its flank, and realised why it was moving with such speed… it was running away.

He suddenly started waving his arms more frantically. The last thing he wanted was to be left behind in this ruined city in the middle of nowhere. As he watched and signalled, the Molga crawled past him, not even bothering to stop. In the distance, he could see the Brox also slipping past.

He was about to give up hope, when he saw Franz's Twinhorn approaching. The Zoid was about to pass them by, when it stopped. It turned to face them, and marched towards them.

He grabbed Ferrengo and dragged him out of cover. "Thanks for that." He burbled as the pair of them approached the Twinhorn. "We thought you were going to leave us-"

"New orders." Franz began. "Nobody gets left behind." The Twinhorn raised its trunk, then swivelled it towards the pair of them. "One way or another."

Brazza wanted to do something or to say something. Instead, all he could do was stare at the nozzle at the end of the Zoid's trunk, the nozzle that was pointed straight at him. Before anything could happen, however, there was a loud explosion that pelted the pair of them, and the Twinhorn with debris.

Looking around, he could see the Iguan, its quad cannon smoking. Franz had apparently also seen it, and had decided that he didn't want to hang around. The Twinhorn turned and broke into a run, leaving the pair of them behind.

He couldn't decide if this was a bad thing or not.

**oOoOo**

Sturm had spent most of his day going over inventories of the Red Claw's personnel, weapons and Zoids. For a desert bandit group, the record were very well organised and complete. He put that down to Levisha's influence on their operations. She seemed to be determined to rum the group as closely to a professional army as possible.

He had been looking over the salvage they'd gained form the attack on the Zygra expeditionary force. Even allowing for the few losses that they'd taken during the attack, he could see that they'd done very well for themselves. He'd had a few ideas for how to use some of the captured equipment, specifically the Bigasaur and Mammoth, and wanted to present them to Jenice.

He approached her office and knocked on the door. Jenice had replied, telling him to enter. When he stepped in, he was somewhat surprised. Leveisha and Gwen were standing before the commander, Gwen looking rather apprehensive and guilty.

"Please, Paladin Trogdor, come in." Jenice began. "If you want to wait here, I won't be too long." She indicated next to her desk. Without replying, he walked over to stand next to her seat. Jenice smiled to him for a moment, then turned back to the two before her.

"Now, if I am to understand this, you took out six Zoids to follow up a wild hunch." Jenice began. "You then led them into a textbook ambush, one that should have been obvious to you. This left two of them wrecked and three more damaged, not to mention your own Redler."

"Yes, commander." Gwen replied, a guilty tone in her voice.

"And can I ask why you went gallivanting off into this operation without my approval?" She asked.

"Commander, I am partially to blame for Gwen's actions." Levisha spoke up. "I mentioned that one of my contacts had indicated that Glass and his associates may have been in the area, and that, if she was on patrol, she should keep an eye out for them. I didn't expect her to run off and launch an operation to catch him, but, at the same time, I should have run the information by you first." She paused. "I wish to apologise for my oversight, commander."

Sturm shot her a glance. _That doesn't sound right, _he thought. _It sounds like Levisha is covering for her, almost trying to excuse her actions. Why would she do that? _It seemed to be at odds with the ruthless, driven woman he'd seen so far.

"I understand." Jenice began, then stood. "In future, Levisha, make sure that all information goes past me first. I don't want any more miscommunications like this one."

"Yes, Commander." Levisha replied.

"Gwen, you acted without my approval. But, your statement and Levisha's information indicates that you were acting to further the Claw's own objectives, and not out of self interest."

"I'm sorry, commander. It won't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't." She finished. "For now, Gwen, you are to aid Bart in repairing the damage to your Zoids caused by the actions. Dismissed."

The pair of them quietly left the office, Sturm watching them as they went. _What's she up to? _He wondered. Levisha had some plan here, something else that was going on. He considered that she was acting in the interests of the Red Claw as a whole, but that didn't seem right. _So why is she doing this?_

**oOoOo**

Gwen waitied until they were both outside the office before speaking. "Um…" She began, nervously. "Thank you for that, uh, Levisha. I. Uh. would have-"

She was cut off by Levisha grabbing her and slamming her into the wall. Before Gwen could do anything, Levisha had rammed her forearm up against Gwen's throat, all but choking her. "Understand this." Levisha hissed. "I rescued your troops, not you. I only chose to save you in there because you are still useful to this organisation, despite your own best efforts."

Her red eyes narrowed as she glared at the smaller woman. "From now on, I suggest you do exactly what I say, and follow my orders to the letter. I also suggest that you dismantle that little secret society of yours."

Gwen's eyes went wide with fear. _How did she know about that?_

"Remember this. Paladin Trogdor is invaluable to the future of this organisation." She continued. "You aren't." She released some of the pressure on Gwen's throat. "Understood?"

She nodded and squeaked out a weak "yes."

"Good. Now I want you to go and think about what I have said and done today." Levisha finished, then stepped back. "You owe me, Gwen. Never forget that."

Gwen nodded then scurried off. As she left, Levisha watched and smiled to herself. _They are all so easy to manipulate._

**oOoOo**

Despite what they had been through, the team's Zoids were in remarkably good condition. The damage they had all suffered appeared to be largely superficial armour damage, which was easily repaired. Floyd had leapt into action as soon as they were convinced that the area was clear, beginning work almost immediately. He'd insisted that he could do this alone; more to the point, he'd stated that Althiea needed some rest after the battle.

He'd decided to start with the downed Guysack and Tarantulon, figuring that the pair of them could be, at the very least, stripped down for parts. He had added that it was very kind of Althiea and Leanne to destroy them in such away that it concentrated most of the damage in one spot and left the bulk of the Zoid easily salvageable.

Jason, on the other hand, had volunteered to sweep the area, looking for any signs that the enemy had looped back or were trying another run at them. Leanne had given him an evil glare, but everyone else had seemed to think that it was a good idea.

"Hey there." Rayvenne began, approaching Althiea while she was boiling some water for coffee. Looking up, Althiea could see that she hadn't yet changed out of her costume, rather just removing the bandanna and helmet. To anyone who knew Rayvenne, it was an amusing sight.

"Oh, hi there, Rayvenne." Althiea replied. "Something up?"

"Eh…" Rayvenne began, and shrugged. "I Just wanted to say thank you for trying to help me out earlier against that Redler. You had a good plan there."

"It still didn't work." Althiea replied.

"It worked enough." She said, shaking her head. "It got that damned Redler off my arse and got us a shot at it, which is good enough for me." She smiled. "'sides, you couldn't have predicted that crazy Pteras woulda shown up. I'm beginning to really hate that thing."

Althiea smiled. "I think I know how you feel."

Rayvenne sat down next to her, stretching her legs out. "I see Jase has run off again, out being all broody and loner-ish." She commented, and smirked. "You know what I think though? I think he likes me. He just has to keep up his tough guy act, you know?"

"uh…" Althiea muttered. She'd never really considered the possibility. "I wouldn't know, really." In truth, she had no real experience with such matters, and was no good at reading relationships.

"Its okay. I'll beat it out of him at some point." Rayvenne replied. "Is that coffee? I could use some about now, no matter how foul it may be."

"How's about we start thinkin' about what we're doin' next instead." Leanne interrupted as she approached. "We were tryin' to find their base, remember."

"Yeah, yeah." Rayvenne replied. "Well, we're no closer, really."

"I'm not too sure." Althiea spoke up. "Those guys both came from and withdrew to the north. The Pteras, even though it joined them later, did the same. From this, I'd say that their base is defiantly north of us, and possibly not too far away."

"You reckon?" Leanne asked.

"Positive."

"Well that's all well and good." Rayvenne added. "But 'north of here' is awfully general. There's still a lotta places that they could be."

"I think I can help with that." Jason's voice boomed out over his Zoid's address system. Looking around, the three of them could see his Iguan approaching the camp. Marching in front of it were a pair of men; both of them were clad in tattered flightsuits, and both had neurohelmets on their heads.

"Are those-" She began.

"The pilots from the Guysack and Tarantulon, yes." Jason replied. I found them trying to escape, and beat off one of their buddies before he could pick them up. They seemed to be very willing to cooperate with me."

"Well then…" Ryavenne began with a grin. "I think that these two may be of considerable use to us."

"You wanted to know where their base was, huh?" Leanne began. "Well, I think that we may have a way of findin' out."

Althiea nodded as she considered the possibilities. These two pilots could give them the information thy needed to locate the red claw and shut them down for good. "Right." She began. "So tell us what you know."


	19. Divided Front

The central headquaters of the Zygra army was always visibly guarded, and always had soldiers and Zoids visibly protecting it. The role was normally ceremonial, a reminder to the people of the empire of the strength of their military, the same strength that had allowed it to maintain peace for the last fifty years.

However, of late, the role of the guards had become more important. The rise of the Red Claw represented a very real threat to the safety of the empire. The numbers of guards had visibly increased, both as a symbol to the people as well as a counter against any possible attack. However, with the recent defeat of the Zygra Expeditionary Force, there were questions being raised as to the army's effectiveness.

Regardless, the guard remained, their presence now more needed then ever before. Those outside were ever vigilant to any signs of attack or infiltration.

A lone figure headed towards the front of the base, having apparently walked from Gayos itself. He was wrapped in a cloak that covered his head and most of his body. He was walking slowly, heading straight towards the main gate.

The soldiers on guard were surprised by his appearance; they didn't expect anyone to just try to walk into the base. Certainly it didn't seem like he was trying to get inside. If he was, he wouldn't have just walked straight at them.

"Freeze!" One of the guards called out as he approached the man, his rifle outstretched. "Put your hands in the air and don't move!"

The lone figure paused, then raised his hands. As his cloak lifted, the soldiers could see a battered red and white flight suit underneath it. "I don't man you any harm." The man began.

"Who are you?" The soldier shouted. "Identify yourself!"

"I'm here to help you." He replied, a smile on his beared face. "I have information that will help you defeat the Red Claw."

**oOoOo**

**Divided Front**

**oOoOo**

Jason had been thinking about the way things had turned out following the last battle. The attack by the Red Claw forces on their group had cost them; their Zoids had been damaged, they'd expended a lot of ammo and now thy needed yet more repairs. Their supply situation was becoming perilous; Floyd had spent almost all their reserves in repairing them from the battle against the two mystery attackers, and now they wouldn't have anything else to spare.

On the other hand, they'd gained a considerable advantage, one that made it all worth it. Two Red Claw pilots had been abandoned and captured by them. It was the first time they'd managed to get any prisoners from the Claw, and it was an advantage they were determined to press.

He turned to the two prisoners. The pair of them were bound and propped up against a chunk of wall. Leanne and Rayvenne were looming over them, the latter in her "Sinker Pilot" guise. The two pilots were both scruffy and unkempt, and were wearing rather tattered and worn flightsuits. _The sort of people who were pretty typical of the claw, _he thought. _I should know._

"Y'all recognise these two?" Leanne drawled. Rayvenne wasn't speaking.

"No." He admitted, shaking his head. He hadn't seen that much of the Red Claw before he left, so he couldn't tell if those two had already been there, or had joined later.

"Damn. I was hopin' we might have a lead there."

"No such luck." Jason replied as he got his pistol out. It was a Drakonian 12mm, a rather bulky, grotesquely overpowered pistol. He liked it less for its stopping power, however, as for its intimidation factor. "So, you two care to start talking? We want to know where the claw are."

"No way, man!" One of the pilots shouted back. "I ain't gonna squeal on them!"

"Are you nuts?" The other one shot back at him. "In case you didn't notice, they left us for dead and, when they saw we were still alive, decided to torch us instead!"

"Yeah, but if we squeal on the boss, she'll kill us!" The other one replied. "She'll rip our throats out, man!"

_Jenice? _Jason asked himself. _No, Levisha. _Jenice commanded respect. Levisha inspired fear. She was probably one of the chief reasons why the claw's soldiers were so loyal, especially for such rabble.

"Yeah, well I'd rather risk getting my throat torn out then knowing I was gonna get torched!" The second one shot back. "Think about it, man! They didn't want us back! They were gonna kill us!"

"Yeah, well I'd rather be torched then squeal on my mates!"

The second pilot turned back to Jason. "Okay man. You got yourself a deal. "Whatever it is you want to know, I'll tell ya. I'm through with the Claw."

_True colours show through, _Jason thought. "Okay, punk. What have you got for us?"

"My names Devin Brazza." He began. "I'm just a rookie; I don't know too much. I'd only been with the claw for a little bit, and this was only my second real battle. I mean, I'd been on raids, but none where people shot back, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah." Jason snapped. "So what can you tell us?"

"You know there's lots more of us." He began. "I mean, you know that you guys are outnumbered."

"We're aware of that." Leanne replied.

"What we want to know is where the hell they are." Jason continued, gun in hand.

"Okay… there's a base north of here." Brazza continued. "its-"

"Don't tell them that!" The other pilot snapped. "You do and we'll both be dead!"

"An' you'll be dead if you don't shut up!" Leanne snapped. She also had a pistol out and, while it wasn't as intimidating as Jason's, it was still a threat. The captive swallowed nervously then nodded. "Yeah, like that."

"So where is this base?" Jason asked.

"There's an area of mesas to the north, say north east of here. That's where it is." He began. "The base is built into one of them." He explained. "You can kinda see it in the distance; there are several large windows semi-recessed into the top of one of 'em. That'll be the one you want."

"Its built into it?" Leanne asked.

"Yeah, it was constructed inside the mesa."

"Sounds pretty big." Leanne commented. "Wonder how she built it. I doubt she has the resources for buildin' somehtin' like that."

"I dunno." He shook his head. "I… I think that she didn't build it herself, but more of found it. Like it belonged to someone else beforehand, and she just moved in afterwards. Otr maybe it was abandoned or something."

"Could be. So what about defences or security systems?" Jason asked. "What's Jenice got around there to keep people out?"

"I don't know, man. Honest." Brazza replied. "Jenice doesn't let us know anything more then we need to know. I think there's concealed weapons or something." He seemed to be rather nervous and apprehensive.

"But you couldn't say for sure."

"Heck no." He admitted. "Look, you gotta believe me, mate. I'm telling you everything I know!

Jason squinted at him. "You had better be."

"Look, I ain't lying to you!" He continued "They were ready to off me to stop me from talking. I know I can't go back to them now, so I've got nothing to gain from holding back on ya. Honest!"

"What do you two think?" Jason asked.

"I believe him." Leanne admitted. "Guy sounds desperate enough. I reckon he's tellin' the truth."

"And you?" He asked, turning to Rayvenne. She just nodded, remaining 'in character'. "Right." He turned back to the captives. "Mate, you've gotten lucky. We believe you."

He let out a very loud sigh of relief. "Thank you. Thank you, thank you, sir."

"Of course, the question remains… what should we do with you now?"

"Ah…" he nervously began.

**oOoOo**

"Well, what do we have?" Nathan winters began as he walked down the dull concrete corridor.

"He claims that he was a red claw pilot." An officer began, passing him a document. "And he also claims that he has enough information to allow us to destroy them."

"An interesting claim." Nathan replied as he took the folder. "But then, we haven't had any captives or defectors or anything from them so far. This is our first big lead."

"That was my thought. " The officer explained. "He's stated that he wants to talk to a Paladin."

"That's understandable." Nathan commented. Despite the incredible stain caused by Sturm, the Paladins still had a reputation for honesty and upholding the laws of the empire. Presumably he wanted to speak to Nathan because he thought he would get fair treatment. Nathan didn't mind. He was interested to know what information the man possessed.

He stepped into an interview room; Dezalg was watching the man through a one-way mirror, while a pair of MPs were guarding him. The man himself was rather uninteresting looking; he had long black hair that was worn loose and rather unkempt, and a scruffy beard. He was wearing a tattered pilots suit; he could recognise it as a rather simple design that was rather commonly used by outlaws.

"I didn't expect to see you here." Nathan began.

"I had nothing better to do with my time." Dezalg replied. "And this is an interesting development."

"So what do we have?"

"Very little." The officer replied. "He's refused to give his name or any other information until he sees a Paladin. We can only assume he's telling the truth, as he does have a Red Claw patch on his uniform."

"True." Nathan replied. "So was he armed?"

"He had a pistol." The man replied, but he surrendered it to our soldiers when he was captured. He didn't try to resist arrest. He was carrying a Hydra Needlegun; I thought that alone would be enough to garner some interest."

"Indeed." Winters finished. "Shall we?"

"Certainly, sir." The officer replied. The pair of them stepped into the room, standing before the prisoner. With a nod, Winters dismissed the two MPs before try sat.

"I'm paladin Nathan Winters." He began. "This is captain Antonio Medichi of the Zygra intelligence services. He's here just as a witness." He indicated towards the other officer. "You said you wanted to speak to a Paladin."

"I did." The man replied. "As I said, I have information on the Red Claw that you could use, information that could help you defeat them."

"I see." Winters continued. "So, what do you want?"

"I want protection." He replied. "Not prison. You'll need me if you're going to defeat them."

"Certainly, mister…" Nathan trailed off. _Give me your name. Show me we can trust you._

"Peloquin." The man replied. "Jake Peloquin."

"Thank you." He replied. "Now mister Peloquin, we need to know how you can help us before I can arrange anything. But I will ensure that everything is done to help you."

"Certainly." Jake replied. "What do you want?"

"You were a Zoid pilot in the Red Claw, correct?"

"Correct." He replied. "I was with them until a month ago. I was abandoned and left for dead after a failed operation." He glared at Winters. "You must understand, they betrayed me. They set me up and left me to die."

_All good reasons for wanting to help us. _He glanced at the intel officer, who nodded. "And your role?"

"I was an advance scout, assigned to special operations." Peloquin replied. "I had been tasked with several assignments for the Claw's leader. It was on the last of these that one of her lower-ranked officers decided to use me as bait."

"Her?"

"You don't know?" Peloquin replied, genuinely surprised. "The leader of the Red Claw is a woman."

"We didn't know." Winters stated. "All we knew is that they piloted some sort of Liger."

"The Trinity Liger, yeah. That's her." He continued. "She's the leader of the claw and their founder."

"What can you tell us about them?" He asked. "And what of the Trinity Liger?"

"Her name is Jenice." He stated. "She claims that she was a former Zygra knight, but I don't know if that's true or not."

He turned to the intel officer. "That would explain why she rescued Trogdor. They served together…"

"I'll track down the other members of their squad, see what else they can give us." He replied.

Nathan nodded, then turned back to Jake. "She is a former Knight, yes. However, she was discharged from the service." He paused for a moment. "So what are her aims? Why has she formed the Claw?"

"She wants to overthrow the Empire." Jake replied. "And as crazy as it sounds, I think she could do it."

"She'd certainly have the motivation." Antonio added as an aside.

Nathan nodded. "So how is the building her army? Where does she get her Zoids from?"

"She recruits from the poor, the disenfranchised, the dropouts, the criminals, the desperate…" Jake trailed off. "She promises them wealth and power. She gives people a chance to use weapons and pilot Zoids, giving them the sort of power that they wouldn't normally have in the empire. And that's enough motivation to make them want to serve her."

"Her Zoids come from a variety of sources. She recruits a lot from bandits and marauders, and has been known to kill people and take their Zoids. She likes to collect from supply caches or the like. And there's also a lot of reconditioned wrecks; she's a skilled tech herself and has at least one other capable engineer working for her full time."

"Likewise, her soldiers are equipped with a catch all of firearms. She's managed to get them reasonably organised into something resembling regular units, however."

"So where is she?" Nathan asked. "Where's her base of operations?"

"That I can't tell you." Jake admitted. "I heard that her Freedom base was destroyed, but I know she has at least two others. However, very few people knew about them. She keeps them a secret in order to make sure that thy won't be discovered before she needs them."

A soldier stepped into the room, passing Nathan a document. He saluted, then left. Nathan looked over it. It was Jake Peloquin's record, the photo alone enough to confirm that this man was the same as the man sitting before him. His history was largely uninteresting; he was a former racing car driver of only mediocre ability; he'd been arrested for dangerous driving and thrown off the team after an accident. Not much to go on, but at the same time, there was very little reason not to trust him.

"So if you don't know where her base is, then how can we destroy her?" Nathan asked.

"Because I know what she wants." Jake began. "And I know her weaknesses. She has this one obsession that you can use against her."

"Which is?" Nathan continued.

"Hydra." He stated. "She seems to be fascinated by Hydra artefacts, their Zoids, their weapons… you name it, if it's Hydra-related, she wants it." He grinned. "She's had me and others scouring the wastelands looking for some of their caches, so she can pull out whatever's in there."

"Do you have any idea why?" Nathan asked.

"Who knows?" Jake replied, dismissively. "Hydra did a good job of ruining the world. Maybe she wants to learn from 'em"

**oOoOo**

Despite being outnumbered, the team had taken surprisingly little damage from the Red Claw attack. Their plan had worked out well, allowing them to knock out the enemy force without taking too much damage in return. However, there was still repair work to be done. If they were going to take on the Red Claw, then it was in their best interests to have their Zoids in as good condition as possible.

While the others had seen to the prisoners, Floyd and Althiea had begun work on getting their machines back into shape. While the work was light, it still needed to be done. And if the pilots provided useful information, then any work done would become vital very quickly.

"Floyd, can I ask you something?" Althiea began as she went over damage to the Gunsniper's flank.

"Certainly." Floyd replied. "As long as it's not about anything naughty."

Ignoring his last comment, she continued. "Jencie seems to be very interested in you in particular. As far as I can tell, that last attack was all about them trying to get to you. And when we met you, they were on your tail as well."

"Well, I do have a certain appeal." Floyd commented. "But please, do go on."

"I was wondering…" She began. "Why is it that she wants you?"

"A very good question." He began. "And while, I could provide any number of silly answers, I must admit that the reason is more serious." He leaned on a large chunk of concrete. "Okay, Ali. What are we doing right now?"

"Repairing Zoids."

"Correct." He grinned. "Now you're good with repairing Zoids, aren't you?"

She blushed. "I… I'd like to think so. But you're a lot better then me."

"Exactly." He replied. "And that gives me a very, very marketable skill."

"She wants you for your skills and knowledge." Althiea commented. "She knows that you're good, so she want you to work for her to keep her army running."

"Got it in one."

"A force that big, would require a lot of maintenance to keep it going." She continued. "I don't know what kind of tech support they have at the moment, but, if I figure it right, you'd greatly add to their technical resources."

"That's right." He replied. "A man like me is a very precious commodity to someone like her. In the old days, a random desert warlord would have had at least one skilled technician behind them. Of course, things being what they are today, and with the theoretically tighter controls on Zoid technology, there's a lot less highly-skilled technicians going around. And, as a result, she just can't pluck some average Joe or random deserter from the Auroran Republic off the street and hope that they know their arse from their elbows. Oh no. You need to hunt someone down, someone who you know has the skills that you want."

"Someone like you in other words." She finished.

"Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but yes." Floyd admitted. "She knows I'm good, so thus she wants me."

"I see." She finished. "So by keeping you out of her hands, we're proving to be a severe hindrance to her."

"See? I am that good."

"Hmm…" Althiea considered this. "Now there's something else that's bothering me. Floyd." She continued. "She seemed to have a very particular interest in me. She sat me down in front of her Liger, and was expecting me to do something… but I have no idea what."

"Yes, you said." Floyd replied. "It's a fascinating development."

"The question is… why?" She asked. "What did she hope to gain from me? What did she want me to do?"

"Some days, the mind of a wastelands warlord is a difficult thing to fathom. Especially when they are, apparently, the last of their kind."

"I know but…" She still was rather uncertain about this. "When I was with that liger. There was… there was like a presence in my head. Something that I couldn't put my finger on." She considered this. "And again around that Darkhorn." She didn't want to mention the voice she had heard inside the Blackstar city. It still frightened her.

"Hmmm…" He considered this. "No idea."

"Huh?"

"I can't think what it is." He admitted. "Maybe you were somehow hearing the voice of the Zoid. Maybe there's just voices in your head. I really couldn't say."

"Huh?" She blinked.

"Its an interesting phenomenon." He admitted. "One that I will have to research further."

"Oh…" She was disappointed that Floyd didn't have an answer to her question. Whether that was because of the fact that he seemingly knew everything, or the fact that she was hoping for an answer was the more disappointing she couldn't tell.

"But don't worry, Ali." He replied. "I'm sure that, somewhere, out there in this crazy-mixed up word of ours, we will find a sensible and reasonable explanation." He shrugged. "I mean, everything has one. We just need to find it."

"Probably." She replied, not too sure herself. "Floyd, you said the Trinity Liger didn't exist. I know we discussed the possibility of its existence before… but I'd like to know how you know about it. You didn't seem that surprised to see it."

"Well, the Trinity Liger was something of a pop culture icon in the pre-war era. " He explained. "Comics, movies, video games… yeah, it was popular. Of course, everyone thought it was just a made up Zoid. Well, save for a few mailbox heads who insisted it was real and you could just go down to the shop and buy one."

"So…" Althiea considered this. "It's fictional… but somebody made one?"

"That would be the case." He replied.

"So, assuming that this Zoid is the equivalent of its fictional counterpart, then what would it be capable of?"

"Let's see…" Floyd contemplated this. "Maximum speed is about 315 kph, and it's pretty agile. Its got a pair of mid-sized beam cannons, four strike laser claws, bite fangs and surprisingly thick armour for a pointy kitty."

"So… pretty much beyond the capabilities of the Zoids we have here." She observed.

"Well, yes." Floyd admitted. "About the closes we can manage to a match would be if Leanne could plug it with her sniper rifle."

"And compared to the Empire's Zoids, it has a considerable advantage."

"Well, compared to most Whiteheads, yes." Floyd continued. "Against a Mammoth, it'd be a question of pilot quality. The Mammoth's helluva slow, but it'd have its Supercannons. One hit from those and POW! No more so-called legendary Zoid." He grinned. "Of course, the secret is to hit it first."

"Hey guys!" Leanne called out, cutting off Althiea before she could say anything in reply. "How are you going?"

"Pretty good." Althiea called back. "We're almost done."

"Cool beans. Come on down spoon. We got good news for y'."

**oOoOo**

"Well?" Nathan asked as he stepped out of the room.

"Interesting." Dezalg replied. "I think that his information is genuine, even if his motives are suspect. He's angry and he wants revenge on the Claw, and we're the best people to do that. It gives him a reason to be honest with us."

"You don't think it could be some sort of bluff or attempt at misinformation?"

"I doubt it." Dezlag shook his head. "There are too many risks involved to make it worth that. Especially in naming their leader."

Nathan nodded. "Yes, that was a surprise. I hadn't expected that a former Zygra knight would be leading them."

"Hadn't expected it, or had hoped against it?"

"Probably both." He admitted. "But the weight of the evidence favours it. The fact that she chose to take Sturm is one of the key arguments, but there are numerous other cases for it being the truth."

"Indeed." Dezalg commented. "Of course, it means that the claw possesses a dangerous amount of knowledge of our operations, organisation, troops, tactics, equipment… you name it."

"It would go some way to explaining some of their success so far." Nathan added.

"Very true." Dezalg added. "But the idea that they are twice as large as we'd thought…"

"I'd expected that, actually. Especially after what happened to the expeditionary forces." He admitted. "Of course, this makes taking them on in a direct confrontation very risky. We could simply throw the entire army at them, but it's not really a viable option."

"If we had some way to lure out their command element." Dezalg continued. "Did you know Jenice?"

"Not very well." Nathan shook his head. "My main contact with her was during her court martial. But what Peloquin said has given me an idea."

"Do tell."

"He said that Jenice had a fascination with Hydra Artefacts." Nathan began. "And he said she has sent out people to scour the Empire for Hydra stashes."

"Do you think we could have a lead here?"

"It's a possibility."

"Hmm…" Dezlag considered this. "Come with me, Nathan, I have an idea."

The pair of them walked to his office, which was in a different building in the base complex. Unlike the offices of the other Paladins, it was rather small and discrete, and surprisingly cluttered. Nathan had never been here before, and found it odd that his commanding officer would use such a small office.

Dezalg pulled out a map and several photos. "A construction team recently uncovered a new Hydra Cache near Lyra." He began. "There are archaeologists currently trying to unearth it. They have no idea what's in it, but it looks big. As a result, the location of this site is completely classified."

"You want to use it as bait, correct?"

Dezlag nodded. "The idea being that such a site would be of great interest to someone who is after Hydra artefacts." He explained. "They would see a site like this as being too good to pass up."

"Except we'd be there waiting for them." Nathan commented. "So when they hit the site, we ambush them. It's a big risk."

"But it's the best Idea we've had so far." Dezalg replied. "If we could lure their command elements in, then we could take them out. The information from Peloquin suggests that their command structure is very centralised, and the leaders hold all the power."

"So if we eliminate their leadership, then the rest of the organisation should fall apart." Nathan commented. "It's a good idea. But how can we ensure that their leader will be there? I doubt that Jenice has gotten this far by exposing herself to unnecessary risks."

"If he is to be believed, she is the only pilot of the Trinity Liger." Dezalg observed. "And the Trinity Liger shows up rather often in their attacks. My suspicion is that she has a rather 'hands on' approach to leadership, preferring to lead from the front and set an example. And, as a former knight who was dishonourably discharged, then she may be carrying a grudge against the empire." He looked up at Nathan. "By leading the attacks, it allows her to gain her own personal vengeance."

"Very true." Nathan nodded. "And a site like this would be an irresistible prize for her. She'd have the dual gains of attacking an Imperial force as well as claiming whatever was in the cache as her own."

"Additionally, taking out the Trinity Liger would serve several other purposes." Dezalg picked out a couple of blurry photos of the Zoid from various encounters. "It's their single most powerful weapon, and, as such, eliminating it will substantially reduce the threat that the Red Claw represents. Most everything else they have can be handled by our regular forces."

"And if we can capture its body, then we would be able to discover its point of origin." Nathan finished. "That would, in turn, put us on the road to finding out if there's something else behind the Red Claw."

"You're still concerned by that Liger." Dezalg noted.

"It bothers me." He replied. "We haven't seen a new Zoid in what, nearly fifty years? And then, all of a sudden, this new Zoid appears. Only it's not new; it's the living incarnation of some legendary Zoid." He shrugged. "It's strange; the Trinity Liger remains elusive for so long, and then it suddenly shows up now, and in the hands of a dangerous terrorist group no less."

"Interesting, isn't it?" Dezalg commented. "These are indeed interesting times we live in." He stood, gathering the photos and maps of the dig site. "Come on. We have to convince the army's command that this plan is viable."

"After the last operation, I think they'd be willing to go with anything." Nathan gravely commented. "These are interesting times. But they seem to also border on the desperate."

**oOoOo**

"Hokay, boys. What've we got here?" Floyd began, adopting an exaggerated drawl as he approached the others. Jason had laid out a large map of the area on a piece of rubble, and he, Leanne and Rayvenne were looking over it. Althiea could see the two prisoners nearby, both bound and looking like they were trying to avoid each other.

"The big news is that we've got some idea of where the Rec Claw's base is." Jason began. "One of the enemy pilots proved to be very talkative."

"Groovy." Floyd began. "So what's the happs?"

"He said that the base was somewhere in a mesa desert, north-northwest of here." He began.

"Hmmm…" Floyd looked over the map. "What do you think?"

"Well, there's a mesa area here." Althiea noted, indicating to an area on the map. "And it is in the right direction. So that's a good start."

"An' he said it was inside a mesa." Leanne added. Rayvenne, still in her Sinker pilot guise, just nodded in agreement.

"Hmmm…" Althiea looked over the map. "So it'd have to be a rather large one then."

"The guy didn't know what defences they had." Jason continued. "So I'm going to figure that its more then we can comfortably handle."

"Still, we have a chance to stop the Red Claw." Althiea began. "We could strike them in their own home, and take them out. Sooner or later, they'll figure out that these two may have talked."

"So we need to strike quickly." Jason commented. "Problem is, we don't have near the strength we need to take on the whole Claw, let alone flush them out of what is doubtless a well-fortified base."

"So what in the heck do we do?" Leanne asked.

"Simple." Floyd replied. "We go commando." Behind her mask, Rayvenne sniggered, which Floyd replied to with a cheesy grin. "We don't flush them out. Instead, we go in after them."

"Huh?" Althiea asked. "You mean we're going in there?"

"Are you nuts?" Jason began.

"I've often been called that. But I think its relative." Floyd replied.

"We can't go in there!" Jason continued. "We don't have any idea of what's in there or how many troops they have or what security systems they possess. For all we know, we could be walking into a well-armed deathtrap."

"And you got any better ideas?" Leanne asked. "I mean, I know it sounds kinda nuts, but at the same time it's the best damn idea any of us have got to get rid of the Claw. And I for one thing we should go fer it while we have the chance."

"I'll admit that it sounds risky." Althiea added. "But at the same time, we have to consider our options. We know we can't take the Claw on head-on. Their troops out-number ours considerably. And they have the advantage of that Trinity Liger, which could probably take us all down on its own. I simply can't see any other way we'd do this."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting one thing." Jason replied, then pointed at Floyd. "Jenice is after you. I think that it's a bit too much of a risk to just let you walk in through the front door like that."

"Don't worry about it." Floyd replied. "I'm a big boy. I can handle myself."

"Fine." Jason finished. "We go with your plan. But I want you to know that I'm going under protest."

"That's fair." Floyd grinned.

"But you're still forgetting one thing." Jason added. "We still need to find the place. We've got a rough idea of its location, but nothing exact. How the hell do we do that?"

**oOoOo**

Heinrich Jaeger waited by his Sandspeeder for Levisha to arrive. It was rather early in the morning, far more then usual for their regular meetings. But at the same time he knew that she would be very interested to hear what she had to say.

On schedule, the Pteras swooped down from the sky, landing next to him. Levisha leaped out of the cockpit, landing with an almost unnatural grace next to him before standing.

"Sorry to get you out here so early." He began. "But you'll probably want to hear what I have to say."

"Not a problem." She replied. "I had to bend things a little, say I was going out for a systems calibration run… it seemed to work. Jenice gives me a lot of leeway."

"You won't be missed?" He asked.

"Paladin Trogdor may find my absence a little… unexpected. But I'm sure he'll be fine."

Jaeger knew exactly what she meant. In past, he'd been more then just a contact for her, and Trogdor suited the type of man she found appealing. "Good. You're probably going to find this out sooner or later, but I thought you'd want an insider report before one of your 'legitimate' contacts got you the cover story."

"Is the Empire planning another big action against us?" She asked.

"Sort of." He replied. "They're going to leak out news that they've discovered a Hydra Cache near Lyra. The idea is that the news of such a cache would be irresistible to Jenice, and she'd come running for it."

"And the cache is a fake, and will actually be a well-prepared trap." Levisha finished.

"Correct on one account." He replied. "It is a trap, but the cache is real."

"Interesting." Her eyes narrowed. "Did they anticipate our getting insider information? Or maybe they thought that we wouldn't fall for it if it was genuine."

"Sort of." Jaeger explained. "The story is that a Red Claw pilot has been captured by the empire and is feeding them insider information. I can't confirm this, but it's a possibility."

"I don't know where a pilot would have come from, but it's worth looking into." She considered this for a moment. "But the idea of an intact Hydra Cache is too good a one to pass up. They have thought it through."

"More then just that." He explained. "The cache is within the area that was controlled by a Hydra unit lead by a man called Sauje. Now while he boasted a very large force, it was all conventional Zoids. Still, he did have a large number of machines that were… unusual. Many of them were unaccounted for after the war."

"So you think that this could be one of his caches?"

"I'd be worth investigating." He offered. "If so, you could find some very interesting pieces in there."

"True. And the chance to offer another resounding defeat to the Zygra army would advance our cause." She nodded, then smiled. "Yes, I can see the advantages already."

"Good. Truth being told, there may be items in there that would be of interest to us as well." Jaeger explained. "But I'm sure that, whatever it is, it will be beneficial."

"Indeed. I'll keep my eyes open for the 'real' info." She finished. "But thank you for that." She clambered back into the Pteras, which then left.

_I knew you would be interested, _Jaeger thought. _You are a most excellent agent, 73. Keep up your good work, for all of us. _He climbed back onto the Sandspeeder and donned his helmet. After quickly checking all the systems, he headed out of the box canyon and into the early morning sun. _Things are going according to plan. The time will soon… eh?_

The small radar display Sandspeeda's control panel beeped to indicate the presence of another machine nearby. While it was small, it was far larger then his own machine... which could have made it just about any Zoid. _No need to panic. Just remain casual._ Hopefully, the Zoid wouldn't spot his own machine; it was relatively small and inconspicuous, and was often small enough to fall off the simple sensors carried by most smaller Zoids.

As if to prove him wrong, the icon on the screen suddenly lit up, indicating that it was searching with an active radar system. The data indicated that it was a 'modern' search radar, which in reality meant that it could have been developed at any point in the last 150 years. Watching the scope, however, he could see that the Zoid was heading towards him.

_Not good, _he thought. Whether it was a Red Claw scout, a stray Empire unit or a random bandit, none of the options were good for him. The Sandspeeder didn't stand a chance against it; while he had a machine gun, it wouldn't do much good against the Zoid. He had no desire to be captured but, on the other hand, he couldn't risk exposing himself by calling Levisha for help.

So instead he decided to run. There were other options he could employ, but for now he wanted to avoid using them. He opened the Sandspeeder's throttle, trying to put as much distance between himself and the other Zoid. The Sandspeeder pulled away, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it. _So far, so good._

Unfortunately, the Zoid had definitely seen him and was now interested in him. As he watched, the blip not only stayed on the screen, but actually got closer. It was defiantly onto him, and was also after him. Glancing back over his shoulder, he noticed the shape of the Zoid behind him. It was bipedal, with a long tail straight out behind it. Figuring that it had a modern radar, that meant it was almost certainly a Gunsniper.

_The Claw don't have one, _he thought. _But that group does. And the odds of there being two of a rare Zoid around here? No. Not favourable. _He'd managed to run across one of that group who had piqued his interest. Ironically, it was one of the ones that weren't important to his plans. _First plan is to escape. Second plan is to terminate it if the first becomes impossible._

He swerved the Sandspeeder in and out of several rocky outcroppings, hoping to buy some time for himself. If he was lucky, he could use the terrain to hide himself from the Gunsniper and escape. If not…

"Jaeger to Feurfuchs." He began. He knew that there was a monitor watching the area, and they were standing by in case there were complications… like this one. "I am being pursued by a single Gunsniper. Will attempt to disengage. Stand by to terminate pursuer if incapable."

"Affirmative."

He didn't want to use the option. A dead Zoid and pilot would raise a lot of questions, but it'd still be less then if he was captured. No chance. The Sandspeeder weaved around several more rocks, while behind him, the Gunsniper bounded around the rocks. It was staying close to him, but not getting closer for now.

"Hey!" The female pilot called out. "Hold it right there!"

An accent coloued her voice; he recognised it from one of the pilots in that team. That was enough for him. He made a mental note to add to their inventory that the short redhead piloted the sniper. It would be useful, if he got out of here.

"I said hold it, kay?" She shouted again. The Gunsniper raised one of its wrists, and opened fire with its beam Vulcan. The shots sprayed the area around him, deliberately aimed to miss him but at least intimidate. Good. That gave him a chance.

Up ahead, he saw something. There was a cave in the wall of a cliff face; large enough to admit the Sandspeeder, but nowhere near enough for the Gunsniper. Perfect. He gunned the throttle for all it was worth. The speeder sped out ahead of the enemy Zoid, managing to get a few more meters on it.

The Gunsinper also sped up, making up the ground on him and then some. He could hear its footfalls behind it, and feel the earth shaking as it ran. "Fuerfuchs to Jaeger. Terminate the target?"

"Negative!" He replied. "Am about to disengage! Remain on standby!"

Only a little longer… The cave was almost there. He could hear the whine of the Sandspeeder's engine as it pushed itself to the limit; everything redlining. The Gunsniper drew ever closer as the cave also approached, his progress becoming a race between the two of them.

_There! _The Sandspeeder shot into the cave, disappearing inside. Looking ahead, he could see that it was actually a tunnel, leading through to another valley. _Perfect_. Behind him, the Gunsniper skidded to a halt, waiting outside the cave. "Jaeger to Fuerfuchs!" He called into the communicator. "Disengage, repeat, disengage!"

He let the Sandspeeder's engine wind down as he continued, letting it rest. He was safe, for now.

**oOoOo**

Above the cave, a red form watched the Gunsniper as is stood outside the cave. The Zoid looked around, then hissed and vanished. Confident that the target was no longer a threat, the red Zoid's form shimmered and then vanished.

**oOoOo**

"Dangit." Leanne began as her Gunsniper walked way from the cave. Whoever that guy was, the way he reacted was rather suspicious and she wanted to know why. But he'd escaped, which annoyed her. "Hey guys." She began. "The target escaped."

"Not a problem, Lee." Rayvenne replied. "I think we got ourselves a lead on their location."

"Huh?" Leanne commented. "Where in the heck did you find that?"

"A little birdy told me." She replied, happily.

Rayvenne sat back in the cockpit of her Sinker. The Zoid was quietly sitting on top of a mesa, most of its systems powered down and its sensors on passive mode. As she watched and smiled, a black Pteras passed overhead. The Zoid swooped down, heading towards a mesa. At the same time, the side of the Mesa opened up, revealing a small bay.

"Yeah, I think I've got 'em."


	20. Outsiders

Discovery of the location of the Red Claw's base has only gotten the team half way to getting inside it. There was still the problem of finding a way to get in. So far, all they had the location of was its front entrance, which probably wasn't the best way to access it, certainly not if they wanted to remain undetected.

Instead, the team had spent the last few days cautiously exploring the area, looking for any other way in. Rather then using their Zoids, they'd had to explore on foot, in order to make sure that they weren't detected. This had slowed things down considerably, especially with the flow of traffic to and from the Red Claw's base. Floyd had stated that an observer would have been able to deduce its location from watching the number of Zoids in the area. Of course, since it was in a very remote and uninhabited region, there probably weren't any observers around.

Finally, late on their third day of searching, they'd found something. There was what appeared to be an emergency exit concealed in the side of a different mesa near the main one. The exit itself was partially covered by debris and the door had been jammed in place, indicating that it was no longer in use and may have been completely forgotten by the base's current inhabitants.

"And so, like Desmond went unto Zemalya, we shall enter the Red Claw's base!" Floyd confidently announced. The five of them had gathered around the door, and four of them replied to him with blank looks. "Oh never mind."

"So what's the plan?" Jason asked. "We barge in, guns blazing and take them all out?"

"No." Althiea replied. "There's going to be way too many of them for us to take them all on at once. Instead, we're going to start by gathering information on them. We still know very little about the Red Claw and their true strengths. This will allow us to learn more about them. Then, once we have a fair assessment of them, we can figure out just how we're going to deal with them."

"Fine then." Jason replied, clearly disappointed.

"Now Rayvenne, I have a special mission for you." Floyd began as he turned to her. "One that will be vital to the success of this operation."

"What is it?" She asked. "Do you need me to use my considerable talents to pry information form people?" She added, coyly.

"Nope." Floyd replied. "Because your Zoid is the smallest of ours, yet the most mobile, I want you to lurk out here." He grinned. "I've hidden our Zoids, but I need you to keep an eye on them and also the outside of the base. Let us know if anything happens."

"Awww..." She replied dejectedly. "Sounds boring."

"It's a vital part of the operation." He replied, then added as an aside. "Besides, you probably don't want to be crawling around inside all those dank, filthy cramped vents, do you?"

"Well, no..." She admitted.

"See? All good then." Floyd grinned. "Now stand back all. I'm about to employ a sophisticated lockpicking tool to allow us to access this facility." He reached into his coat, and pulled out a crowbar.

"Y'all really think this will work?" Leanne asked Althiea as she watched Floyd work.

"I really hope so." Althiea replied. "I really do."

oOoOo

**The Outsiders**

oOoOo

One of the stranger things that Sturm had found about his and Levisha's relationship was how personal she kept it. Save fir that first time outside Jenice's office, she'd never shown any signs of affection for him, or even any indicators of their relationship in public. She kept things very cool, very businesslike and very level; not remote but at the same time, she would never go beyond anything purely professional. It was only when they were together his quarters that she completely changed attitude, becoming a quite different person.

The pair of them had been summoned to Jenice's office, walking together from one of the common areas. She'd made no effort at small talk or anything else; in fact, they'd only glanced at each other. He's also found that he didn't mind it, he figured as they approached the office. There was no reason to complicate matters and possibly cause tensions within the Claw.

"Reporting as ordered, commander." He began as the pair of them entered her office.

"Come here, both of you." Jenice replied from behind her desk. "There's something important that I need to discuss with you."

The pair of them approached the desk which ad a map spread out on it. Sturm recognised it as being not too far north of here. _What's going on, _he wondered. He could see that the map included the town of Lyra, a reasonable sized town that was rather important to the region.

"Go on." Levisha began, cutting off his thoughts.

"I've received some rather intelligence regarding the Empire." Jenice continued. "They've discovered a Hydra Cache near Lyra. More to the point, its a rather large one that appears to be still intact."

"An intact Hydra Cache?" Levisha asked. "Fascinating."

"I've heard of that site." Sturm observed, looking over the map. "It's been under excavation for some time now. I find it interesting that all of a sudden we'd find more about it."

"It could be that they'd just unearthed something new." Levisha commented. "Or it could be a trap."

"That's what I had considered." Jencie nodded. "It's a very tempting target, a reported Hydra Cache. The idea of what could be within would be very tempting to some."

"Actually, I think it may be legitimate." Sturm continued. "I know that they were looking for one there. During the war, the area was controlled by one of the more powerful Hydra warlords, a man called Sauje. He boasted a rather large force of exotic Zoids, a large number of which were unaccounted for after the war." Levisha seemed to smile to herself when he said that.

"So you think that there really could be something down there?" Jencie asked.

"Definitely." He stated. "I saw some of the earlier reports on the site. If they are correct, then this would be the largest Hydra Cache uncovered as yet. And there's reason to think that it'd be still intact. I doubt that they've managed to excavate enough to clean it out."

"So if it is a trap, then its one with a very tempting bait." Jenice continued. "So then, What can we do about it? It's too good to pass up."

Sturm and Levisha examined the map. "After the debacle with that expeditionary force, I imagine that this operation is being directly controlled by the Zygra Paladins." Sturm commented. "Specifically, I can imagine that Nathan Winters would have been behind this. He's good, but I know how he thinks."

"So what kind of forces do you think he'd deploy?"

Sturm poured over the map. "Probably a mix of conventional knights and Paladins. Definitely air support, probably basing it at the site rather then relying on it coming from elsewhere. There's only two Paladins who prefer airborne Zoids, and I'd imagine that Winters would ensure that they're both assigned to the site. I'd also expect him to have a cannon-equipped Bigasaur or two attached to his force."

"So we'd be looking at a large force, mainly made up of expert pilots." Jencie commented. "An interesting challenge. How do you propose we get past them?"

"It'd be a challenge, certainly." Sturm commented. "But the rewards would be considerable. Not only would we have the material gains of whatever's in there, but we'd also gain another victory over a large imperial force. Once again, we would elevate the morale of our troops while striking a severe blow to the Empire's record."

"That may be true." Jenice continued. "But how can we do it?"

"I have an idea." Levisha replied. "These are Imperial Paladins we're dealing with. They have certain obligations and duties to fulfil." She tapped the map, her finger coming down on Lyra. "I think that we can use that against them." She smiled, a dangerous, predatory smile as she continued to tap the desk.

oOoOo

After forcing the door open, it had become clear just how abandoned this passageway actually was. The door had less yielded under Floyd's attack as it had simply collapsed off its hinges, falling inwards. Peering inside, the group could see that the hallway was unlit; the lights above were either long since burnt out or no longer connected to any power source.

The hallway was only wide enough to allow them to proceed in single file. Jason had insisted on leading, claiming that he was the best qualified of them. Floyd had commented that if Jason wanted to charge headlong into danger, well, he was fine with that.

Their progress down the hall had been painfully slow. At several points, they'd found that the ceiling had partially collapsed, clogging the hall with debris. Floyd had seemingly come prepared, having bought a variety of tools with him to shove aside anything that got in their way. However, he wasn't prepared for what thy found at the end of the corridor.

The roof had completely collapsed, blocking the passageway off. Looking at it, the place had filled up with rock, none of which looked like the sort of stuff that could be easily shifted. "Great." Jason muttered. "A dead end. Wonderful." He snarled as he looked around. "Well, anyone got any bright ideas. We can't go forwards from here."

"I've got one." Althiea offered. "There's a crushed air vent just a little way back. The pipe itself that went over the corridor is a wreck, but there's a vent in each wall. We could try those."

"Well that sounds like a superlative suggestion." Floyd offered. "Sure as heck as it beats shifting aside a mountain load of rocks."

"So what are we gonna do? Just crawl on in there?" Leanne asked.

"But of course!" Floyd replied. "We split up into two teams, each going in a separate direction. That way we can cover more ground and do more damage."

"Fine then." Jason replied. "Leanne, you're with me."

"Hey!" Leanne snapped.

"Excellent choice." Floyd replied. "Althiea, you will come with me."

"Hey!" Leanne repeated.

"So here's the big question." Jason began. "What the hell are we meant to be looking for anyway?"

"Why, anything." Floyd replied as he sized up the vent. "Basically, anything that looks even vaguely important warrants further investigation. And for god's sakes, man, document everything you see. Anything you find could be the key to taking out the Claw."

"Yeah, yeah." Jason muttered. "I know, I know." He turned around, clambering into the vent. "Everything is vital."

"And no senseless random violence!" Floyd continued. "That's the last thing we need right now!"

"Yes Floyd." he muttered as he clambered into the vent, and vanished.

"And look both ways before crossing the street!" he called out.

"Uh, see y'all later." Leanne added. "An' good luck too."

"Thanks for that." Althiea replied.

Leanne nodded, then turned back and climbed into the shaft, following after Jason. Floyd watched her go before speaking up. "Ready to go, Ali?" He asked with a grin.

"I suppose." She was still rather nervous about the whole idea. Still, it needed to be done. "Do you have any idea what we're getting into?"

"None at all." Floyd finished. "And that's what makes it so fun."

oOoOo

When she'd been assigned to train Sabrina Delgado, Thorne had assumed that it was some form of twisted punishment for some crime she had committed. She suspected that it was due to the accident of her birth; someone like her was probably not worthy for frontline service after all and better for training duties.

Shed planned to work through her aggression on Delgado herself. It was obvious that she was not a "true" Blackstar, even less then Thorne was. This meant that her performance would be significantly subpar by Blackstar standards, and she had her doubts that it would be any good by "normal" standards. The idea was to brutalise the girl, coming down on her hard for her performance and any mistakes she made. While Thorne knew that this girl would probably not be allowed to fail the program, Thorne would make sure that any success would be limited.

Instead, Sabrina had surprised her.

The girl had turned out to be surprisingly adept in the earliest stages of the training program. She'd quickly picked up the basics of Zoid manoeuvring and operations, and had learned to master the simple controls with ease. This had piqued her curiosity, and made her wonder what else the girl was capable of. Rather then crushing her, Thorne had decided on a new plan. She was going to observe her and see just what she was capable of.

What it turned out she was capable of was surprising Thorne even more.

Moving onto the basics of Zoid weaponry, Delgado had proved to be a very capable marksman. While she lacked experience, she was rather good at making shots and hitting targets on a firing range. While her performance had started off average, as she got the hang of the weapons and gained more and more practice, she'd begun to rapidly improve. For an unaugmented baseline human, she was very good. With experience, she'd be terrifying.

Thorne had taken some tome out from training to probe into the girl's background. She knew that Delgado was previously a Reactor Technician, an occupation that didn't lend itself to any degree of combat training. The other thought that had then occurred was that she may have had a mixed background; while she didn't look the part of a Blackstar, it was still be a possibility. And that's where things had gotten very interesting.

Her research had turned up something very odd. Delgado's records were locked and classified at a secrecy level well above her own access. The earliest records of her existence came when form when she was twelve and entered into training for her allocated role. Before that, she seemed simply not to exist. A little more probing had turned up several 'Delgados' in the city, none of whom had any connection to the girl.

This alone had been enough to change Thorne's attitude completely. Rather then crushing the girl, she wanted to help her along every step of the way, simply to see what she could do. As a result, she'd begun underwriting the training curriculum, altering the program to allow for a new training regime of her own design.

"Good morning, captain." Delgado nervously began as Throne walked into the small classroom they had been using. The girl was decked out in a cadets uniform, specifically one for someone several years younger then herself. _She would never be able to pass for a true Blackstar,_ Thorne thought. _But at least she is determined to act the part. _Compared to Thorne's revealing black synth-leathers, they couldn't have been more plain. but then, compared to Thorne, Delgado was rather plain looking. _Except for those eyes._

Throne stood at the front of the room, placing a small noteputer on the desk. "I've been impressed by your performance so far, Delgado." She began. "So today we're going to be stepping up a notch. We're going to move to a full combat simulation."

"Um, Captain?" Delgado nervously replied. "Are you sure about that? I mean, I'm still working on gunnery training."

"Think of this as a test." She replied, cooly. "We want to see how you can combine all that you've learned thus far, and then apply it to a practical situation." She handed Delgado the noteputer. "You'll find the information on today's program in there."

Delgado studied the screen. "A... a mock assault?" She asked.

"Yes." Thorne replied. "You will be facing computer controlled simulated opponents in a realistic scenario. I will be there to assist you, but I expect you to perform to your best. Do not rely on me."

"I won't." She replied. "Um, I mean, I will do my best, Captain."

The pair of them headed to the simulator pods. Each one of them was a fully-enclosed independent unit, capable of simulating any of the Zoids in the Blackstars' arsenal. Although old, the pods were considered to be the best simulators on the planet. Thorne had booked them time in two of them for the day's main lesson.

She confidently strode towards one of the duty techs and handed him a noteputer. "These are the details for today's run." She began. "I will use pod zero-nine, my trainee will use ten. Load up my Zoid data into my pod, and a standard DPZ-10 into the other one."

"Yes captain." He began, then scrolled through the data. "Um, captain, the enemy forces-"

"Just input them." She stated. "Exactly as I have specified."

"Y-yes captain." He replied and scurried off.

She turned back to the briefing room where Delgado was waiting. "Okay, Cadet, here's the plan for today's simulation run." She activated a wall display, showing a map of the battle area. "We will deploy here at Nav Alpha. Our objectives are simple; we will penetrate the enemy fortifications at Nav Beta and eliminate any opposition. The enemy do outnumber us, but we have a distinct advantage in Zoid quality. Additionally, they do not have any air support." She turned back to Delgado. "Any questions?"

"What forces do we have?"

"Just you and myself."

"Are you sure that's enough?" She asked, apprehensively.

"Definitely."

The pair of them stepped into the sim pods, sealing them shut as they powered on. The various displays and monitors activated, followed by the main screen booting up and loading the simulated battlefield. The area around the two Zoids resolved as a relatively open plain of green grasslands. In the distance was their primary objective; a white wall. Behind it several white pyramidal structures could be seen; Thorne knew that they weren't a part of the mission area, but they added to the atmosphere.

Looking around, she could see Delgado's Zoid simulated just behind hers. She was piloting a regular Darkhorn, while Thorne's pod had been set up with the data from her own customised unit. "Are you ready to go, adet?"

"Yes, Commander."

"Good. Follow me. Enaged targets at will."

"Yes, commander."

Thorne's Darkhorn broke into a run, Delgado's right behind it. Almost immediately, the radars 'beeped' to indicate contact with hostile targets; a mixed force of Zoids. Thorne dropped her sights onto their lead, a spear-carrying Garius, lining it up for a shot with her Hyperbeam Cannon. Before she could fire, however, a shot from Delgado's cannon neatly decapitated the Zoid. _She made a shot at this rage with that kind of accuracy. Very impressive._

A Hydocker in the enemy force opened fire, a simulated missile flying away from its back and heading towards her own Zoid. Thorn's beam gattling cannon opened fire, blasting the weapon out of the sky before dropping onto the enemy Zoid. The bolts hammered into the simulated Zoid, ripping it apart. Behind her, Delgado added her own fire, more shots tearing into an Elephantus and blowing it apart.

The pair of them charged towards the enemy Zoid squad, still firing. The enemy squad broke and fled, but not before they each had taken down another member of it. Checking her own status, Thorne could see that wile her Zoid had suffered a few hits, nothing had done anything more then marring the simulated armour. "How are you doing?"

"Ah..." Delgado began, haltingly. "I've got some nicks on my armour, but that's it, Commander."

"Good. We'll proceed towards the wall. The enemy may have fixed emplacements; suppress them and then advance."

"Affirmitive, Commander."

The two of them charged towards the wall, watching out for any signs of movement. Sure enough, several weapons emplacements activated, targeting the two Zoids. Thorne opened fire with the Hyperbeam cannon, blasting a missile launcher apart. "Take out those turrets!" She called out as a pair of shots narrowly missed her Zoid.

"Su-sure thing." Deglado replied. Her Darkhorn opened up, raking fire from its cannons across the walls. The shots tore up a pair of turrets, tearing them apart before they could react.

_Not bad, _she thought. _Now let's see how she handles some real opposition._

While Delgado was attacking the turrets, a blue Godos popped up on the wall. Opening fire from cover, the Zoid's beam cannon scored armour form the Darkhorn's flank. "I'm hit!" She called out.

"Keep going! Don't let a scratch slow you down!" Thorne yelled back. Delgado's Darkhorn turned to face the Godos, opening fire again. The Enemy Zoid crouched behind the wall, the shots passing over it harmlessly. Delgado retaliated, using the Linear Launcher to blast away a portion of the wall, sending the Godos sprawling.

The enemy Zoid regained its footing, instead remaining hidden behind the wall and firing from cover. Around it, several more Zoids joined it, using the ruins of the wall or the other defences to their favour. "Keep going!" Thorne called out. "Crush them and move on to the objectives!"

She smiled to herself, thinking about what she was drilling into young Delgado. Sooner or later, someone would notice the opposition forces that she was using. Then things would get really amusing.

oOoOo

The vent swung open with an ear-piercing shriek. It hung in place for a moment, then fell to the floor with a loud clattering noise. For a moment after that, there was nothing but silence before someone spoke. "oops." Floyd muttered.

"What's happening?" Althiea hissed from behind him.

"Nothing. Just a small accident, that's all." He replied, nervously. "Let's go." He turned around, then lowered himself out of the vent. Hanging in the air for the moment, he dropped to the ground with a surprising lack of sound. Althiea waited in the vent, hoping that nothing had happened. The room seemed pretty dark, but that didn't mean a thing. Finally, Floyd spoke up. "Okay, Ali, it's safe. You can come down now.

A minute later, the pair of them were both looking around the room, the crumpled form of the vent's cover behind them. The room itself was dark, but its features were partially visible. Althiea could see that they were in a very large room, probably some sort of hanger. There were... shapes in the room. They didn't seem to be Zoids as such, but more of random collections of parts and components. "What is this place?" She asked.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Floyd replied. He shone a torch around the room, highlighting various objects. The first thing Althiea noticed was a row of glass display cabinets. Curious as to what was in them, she nervously approached.

"What's this?" She asked, examining a suit of black body armour that was mounted inside one of them. The design was far more compact and streamlined the suits currently used by the Zygra empire or, for that matter, the Blackstars.

"Hydra Shock armour." Floyd replied. "It's apparently based on an older suit still."

She glanced over at the next case, which had a black cloak hanging on a pole. Another one contained a small, spider-like robot, while next to it was another one, which had the battered head of a gold-skinned humanoid robot. "Is that..." She began.

"A Mindrider?" Floyd replied. "Yes it is. Well, was, I'd say. It had probably been dead for centuries before it had its head stuffed in a case."

"And that's a suit of Zygra armour." She observed on another one.

"Not quite." Floyd replied. "That's a very early suit used by the Draken army during the Unification War. Shows you how far we've come."

She passed another case which contained a helmet sporting a large red sensor rather then any form of visor or eyeslit, instead heading deeper into the room. The first thing she sighted was a massive blue shield, a single large claw extending from it. "That's..." She began, studying it. "One of those shields from a Genobreaker, right?" The Breaker was a near-legendary Zoid; none of its kind had been seen for fifty years. Althiea had only ever seen them in books, and certainly had never expected to find part of one. "But it's only got a single claw, which is in the wrong place."

"Aha!" Floyd beamed. "That's what this place is. I should have figured..." He examined the claw. "Notice the logo on the side of the shield."

Althiea studied it, recognising the three-headed serpent crest of Hydra. "This was from a Hydra Zoid?"

"Most likely." Floyd rpelied. "I believe its name was Geno Scissors." He walked further into the room, shining his torch on various things. "Look at this, Ali."

She examined the artefacts Floyd was illuminating. Most of them looked to be parts of Zoids, usually battered, broken or torn wreckage. While she could see buts of limbs or bodies, she was hard pressed to identify what most of them were from. Many were wrecked beyond recognition, while others were simply too alien to identify what they had been a part of.

"What's this one?" She asked. She'd stopped before a Zoid head, a pale-blue, stub-nosed tyrannosaur type. It sported red eyes, teal accents and a small fin in the top. She figured it to be smaller then the head that would have belonged on the Geno Scissors. The head itself was largely intact, but it looked like it had been ripped free from the body at the base of the neck. "Its features look like some sort of cross between Genosauruer and Berserk Fury, but there's clearly no cockpit inside.

"Aaaaaaah." Floyd commented. "That is the last mortal remnants of the fearsome Geno Hydra. A very rare Zoid at the best of days... nasty beast too. Very good design, just at completely the wrong time."

She studied it. The Zoid was clearly dead, the head little more then spare parts. Still, there was something puzzling about it, something almost alien, yet strangely familiar to her. There was a feeling about it, one that seemed familiar. "This thing..." She began. Even though it's dead, I feel something about it. It's like... it's like the Trinity Liger, I think."

"Fascinating." Floyd commented. "I want you to take a look at these, then." He lead her over to a row of tubes that contained what she recognised as Zoid cores. They appeared to be dead, and had been like that for some time. "What do you think?"

She'd never seen Zoid cores removed from a Zoid's body before; in fact, she'd never seen a live core before now. She still could recognise them from the illustrations she'd seen, but had no idea what they were meant to be. "Interesting..." She began. "I wonder if one of those belongs to that Zoid?"

"Do you... sense anything?"

"I think so." She replied, staring at one of the cores. "It's... its bizarre. They're dead, yet there's something about them."

"Well they're likely cores from Geno Types." Floyd offered. "They're pretty powerful beasts." He looked around. "Well, all this is fascinating, but it doesn't achieve us anything. We now know that Jenice has a waykewl collection of Hydra junk, but that doesn't help us any."

"So what do you suggest?" She asked.

"Hummmmmm..." Floyd looked around the room. "Weeeell, there's a door or two, but I'm not too sure if that's a good idea. Alternatively, we could try crawling through a different vent and see what happens and where we come out." He grinned. "Your choice."

"I guess it's the vent then." Altheia replied.

"All righty then! Its time for another Dungeon Crawl!" He strode off, looking around the room. Finding a suitable vent, he clambered up to it and opened it up. "You coming, Ali?"

"Uh, sure." she replied, turning away from the inert cores. Floyd clambered into the vent then helped Althiea up. The two of them left the room, sealing the vent behind them.

In its glass tube, the Geno Hydra core pulsed for an instant, then went silent.

oOoOo

Jason and Leanne crawled through the narrow vent, trying their best to keep quiet under very trying circumstances. The vents were only barely big enough to let them through, which had made going hard. They had been going through the vents for some time now; whim they had no exact idea how long, Jason figured it to be something like a short eternity.

So far, they hadn't found much. Most of the vents so far had led into disused or abandoned rooms. As near as Jason could tell, there was a huge section of this base that simply was not being used by its current inhabitants. The most likely reason that he could think of was that they simply didn't have enough manpower to justify opening up the rest of the base. It was a relief, as it meant that the Red Claw couldn't be too big overall. It was also a worry, as it meant that they could easily expand their ranks without too much work.

_We have to prevent that from ever happening._

Shafts of lite came in form a vent up ahead. To his figuring, it meant that there was something coming up that was not abandoned. _Good. About time we found something. _Approaching the vent, he peered through it, hoping to get a better idea of what was going on.

"What in the heck is it?" Leanne asked him.

"Shh..." He replied as he looked around. Spread out below him was a massive Zoid bay, which he figured (or hoped) had to be the Claw's main facility. As far as he could see, there were Zoids lined up in the bay. More to the point he could see that thy were being prepared for operations... all of them. "What the hell's going on?" He asked himself.

"You tell me. I can't see a damned thing." Leanne hissed.

"Its a Zoid bay." He replied. "Something big's happening in there."

"Well let me see!" Jason moved forwards, allowing Leanne to get a better look at what was going on in there. "Ah heck!" She began. "Damn it, that's a lot of Zoids."

"Yeah. But thy seem to be readying them all for action." He muttered. "We need to find out more."

"So how in the heck do we do that?" She asked.

"Simple. We get closer to them."

"Wha?" She asked, but Jason was already heading off, crawling along the corridor. "Hey, wait up!" She began, shuffling after him. 'What in the heck do you think you're doing, leaving me behind like that?"

"We need to find a storeroom." Jason replied. "There probably should be one around here..."

Some time later, about twenty minutes by his figuring, they found what they were after. It looked to be a supplies room, specifically one for clothing. The pair of them dropped into the room, quietly searching the room for anything useful.

"Hey, I got somethin'." Leanne began as she opened a cardboard box. "Check it out. Its their uniforms."

Jason peered over her shoulder at the box. Sure enough, it was packed full of the Claw's standardised desert fatigue uniforms. He suspected that they had come from a sweatshop in Freedom, and were made by people who didn't care where their products were going as long as they got paid for it. From his own experience, Jason knew that they were ill-fitting, uncomfortable and sometimes itched in bad places. He also knew tat they were just what he was after.

"Right." He began. "That's perfect. Now we need helmets, boots, belts..." He checked around the room, going through their contents. One shelf of badly-made boots, check. A row of rather dubious helmets, check. And a box of belts. "Great."

"So what's the plan? We go in there in disguise?"

"Yep." Jason replied.

"Don't they kinda recognise you from the last time?"

"Here's the beauty of it." Jason answered as he opened up another box. "Jenice's men are largely criminals. As a result, a bandanna has become a part of their uniform." He handed her a row of black cloth. "Which also means that we can walk around without anyone recognising us."

"Sounds good to me, I guess." She seemed to be a little reluctant for some reason. "So if you'll hand me a suit and pick one for yourself, we can get going."

"Now hold on a minute there, mister." She snapped back. "You git back in that vent, y'hear!"

"What?" Hew asked. "What did I do?"

"I ain't gonna let you perv on me while I get dressed."

Jason was about to argue back, saying they didn't have the time to waste, he wasn't going to look and she didn't have that much to look at anyway, but a look at the expression on her face told him not to bother. Instead, he crawled into a vent and sulked for a few minutes.

"Okay, y'all can come on out now." Leanne finally spoke up. As he climbed out, he could see that she had finished getting changed. The uniform was clearly a bit to big for her and, as a result, was rather baggy. He figured that this made her even more convincing in the part, given the fit the average Red Claw soldier had.

"Right heres the plan." He began. "You go outside and watch the door while I get dressed. Then we'll both take a look around."

"Sure." She muttered, stepping outside.

A few minutes later, Jason joined her, also in uniform. He knew that the suit itched and was hindering his movement, but he also knew that he'd have to grin and bear it. _It'd all be worth it in the end,_ he thought. _Just remember, you're trying to stop the Red Claw. This is just a part of it. _"Ready?" He asked Leanne, his voice muffled by the bandanna. _How does Rayvenne wear one all the time?_

"Yep." Leanne replied. "Lets go then."

The pair of them cautiously walked towards the hanger, trying their best to act casual and bland in. Almost immediately, Jason realised that of all the people in the group he could have asked to try this, Leanne had to be the worst choice. He could hear her muttering quietly next to him. _Even Rayvenne would be better at this_, he figured. _She's used to wearing a disguise and playing a part. Leanne's going to get us both killed, I swear it._

"Quiet." He hissed, and elbowed her. She muttered something, but didn't say anything else.

The pair of them stepped into the main Zoid hanger, and immediately stopped. Jason would have refused to admit it, but this was the biggest assembly of Zoids that he'd ever seen in his life. And while he'd already seen the bay from the roof, it looked far more impressive from down here, with the massive mechanical beasts towering over him. They dwarfed the pilots and technicians working on them, making them seem insignificant.

Almost as impressive was the size of the bay itself. While the force was large, the bay had been built to hold a lot more Zoids, and could fit ones far larger then those here. He tried to figure what kind of force they could keep here; certainly as far as he figured, the Claw were using only a small fraction of the base's available facilities. _And this is just one bay. How many more are there in here?_

"You two!" Someone shouted at them. "Stop standing there staring like slack-jawed yokels! Go find your squad!"

The pair of them scurried off further into the hanger, loosing themselves in amongst the mass of people present. Pulling Leanne aside for a second, the pair of them ducked into a corner to discuss things.

"What in the heck is goin' on?" She asked. "There's a helluva lot of Zoids here and they seem to be gettin' them all ready for something. I don't like it."

"Me neither." He replied. "So here's what we're going to do. We're going to split up and mingle with the crowd and try to find out what's going on."

"Right."

"Good. We'll meed back here in, say, ten minutes. That should be enough time for one lap of the bay."

"Sure thing."

"And be careful. Try not to say anything, in case they find you out."

"Yeah, I know." She snapped as she left. "Stop treating me like some kinda kid."

Shaking his head, Jason headed out into the bay, looking for anything particularly out of the ordinary. That Zoid of Jenice's, for example. He wanted to see if he could get a closer look and find out more about it. He would have gladly admitted that he didn't know much about Zoid mechanics, but he figured that any more info could help.

Glancing around, he could see a pair of large Zoids in the distance. They towered above the others on the hanger floor, allowing him to recognise them as a Mammoth and a Bigasaur. _Where did those come from? _He asked himself. _And how did the Claw get them? _Approaching the two Zoids, he could see that the Mammoth had several extra weapons pods, while the Bigasaur sported a pair of Supercannons on its back.

A disgustingly overweight technician was working on the Mammoth's leg, when a woman approached him. Recognising her as Jencie, he quietly slipped back, hiding behind the leg of another Zoid. "What's wrong with this Zoid, Bart?" Jencie began, a harsh tone in her voice. "And why have you moved the Cannons across?"

"Well, the problem is that you tore the Mammoth up real good." He replied. Looking up at it, he could see that the Zoid's flank was badly torn up while one of its legs stripped bare of armour and had a visibly damaged structure. "And we haven't got enough parts to get it fully operational."

"Can't you get it functional?" She hissed.

"Oh sure." He replied with a swagger in his voice. "If you don't mind it limping along at half speed and slowing us up even more. And with the Supercannons on top, that back leg could snap at any time."

"You said you had a lot of experience with Mammoths."

"Experience, yes. Mammoth parts? No." He indicated to the Bigasaur. "At least the Bigarse up there was mostly intact... well, save for clearin' out the mess that was in the cockpit.

"Damn it." Jenice muttered. "Fine we'll use the Bigasaur then. I wanted both."

"Don't panic, J." He replied, casually. "If this little haul goes off, you won't need to worry about some crappy old Mammoth."

_Haul? What's he talking about? _Jason asked himself. The Claw had to be planning some sort of major operation. But against what? An Imperial Force? Some new found source of supplies?

As he watched, Jenice walked straight past him, either not noticing him or not caring. Wondering what was up, he followed her, but was briefly distracted by a sudden high-pitched squeal. Glancing behind him, he could see the technician leering at a startled looking blonde pilot. _Idiot._

Glancing around, he sighted Jencie again and headed off after her. _I'm not letting her get away htis time. _Even though they were just gathering information, he knew an opportunity when he saw one. He quietly reached for the knife he had concealed under his belt, just looking for an opportunity to use it...

"Hold it right there, trooper!" A female voice right behind him called out. He stopped in his tracks, hand near the knife. Had he been spotted? Had someone recognised him? Had Leanne been caught. "Now turn around."

He cautiously turned, only to find himself looking into a pair of narrow red eyes. _Levisha. Crap. _He considered his options, then remembered what he was doing. "Sir?" He nervously asked.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"I was, uh... looking for my squad." He began, reluctantly. "I got lost in the shuffle. So many people and Zoids, y'know."

"Right." She sneered. "You, go to the commander's office. There's a few tactical maps that we will need. Get them and then bring them back to me."

"Yes sir!" He snapped off a quick salute, then scurried off, eager to leave Levisha behind. While he was pretty sure that she hadn't recognised him, he wasn't going to risk hanging around to find out. Instead, he scurried off to his corner.

"What kept ya?" Leanne asked. She was waiting there for him, an angry look on her face.

_She's never going to trust me, is she? _He asked himself. "I was gathering information." He replied, matter of factly. "I was out trying to find out what they were up to."

"I know what they're up to." Leanne replied. "They're planning an attack on some sorta big supply facility."

"Yeah, but I can get us more information." He countered. "One of their officers just sent me to collect some tactical maps. We can use them to figure out what they're up to."

Leanne eyed him warily. "So where are these maps?" She asked.

"In the Commander's office." He replied.

"And where in the heck is that?"

"Well..." Actually, he had no idea. "Follow me." He left the bay, Leanne scurrying alongside him. The pair of them went out into a hallway; like much of the base, it consisted of dull grey concrete decorated with pipes and vents. The escape they'd found wasn't too much different from the rest of the base in its overall appearance, Jason figured. "Here's how." He stopped by a bank of elevators. "We check the floor guide."

Leanne wearily looked at him. 'Yer joking, right?"

"I know what I'm doing, Leanne." He snapped back. "Look, the commander's office is on the second from top floor. We can go up there, get the maps and then get out of here." He pressed a button to call a lift. "Its simple."

"Right. I just don't believe ya."

"Trust me, Leanne." He replied as the lift arrived. "I've got everything under control." The doors opened and he stepped inside. "Coming?"

"Right." She muttered. The pair of them got into the lifts, allowing the door to close.

"We'll be in and out in a minute." He stated, confidently, then pressed the button for the floor. Nothing happened. He pressed it again, no response. "The hell?"

"Security card, dumbarse." Leanne snapped. "We ain't goin' nowhere."

"Fine." He muttered, then pressed the 'open' button. "We'll do what we always do. We'll take the vents."

oOoOo

"Something up, Levisha?" Sturm asked as he approached her. She was standing in the middle of the hanger, apparently glaring at nothing. "We're ready to go, and Jenice wants to move out as soon as possible."

"Hold on." She snapped back. "I need to get the tac maps from Jenice's office."

"I've already uploaded all the tac information to our Zoids." He replied. "I figured that we might as well have it all to start with, and I wanted to study it in more detail while prepping my Zoid."

She looked at him, genuinely surprised by his efficiency. "Thank you." She stated, an almost pleasant tone in her voice. "That was exceptional thinking there, Trogdor. No wonder you became a Paladin."

Sturm was amazed. She seemed to be being genuinely nice in public. "I just was thinking ahead, trying to be as efficient as possible. I saw no reason not to send the info to our Zoids ahead of time."

She nodded, and then walked past, whispering in his ear as she went. "And you know that its the way you think that makes you so deliciously attractive, Trogodr. Maybe tonight we can celebrate our victory."

He turned to look at her. "You're surprisingly forward today."

"I'm revelling in the misery of others." She casually replied back. "I just sent some poor drone off on a now pointless errand. By the time he gets back, we'll be gone."

Trogdor smiled as he watched her walk off. To his surprise, he saw a definite sway in her hips, one that he had never seen before on her. _What is she up to? _He asked himself. _And why is it that I don't mind?_

oOoOo

After their inspection of the 'museum', Floyd had suggested to Althiea that the pair of them ascend towards the upper levels. He explained to her that the best way to get to know the Red Claw would be through intelligence on their leaders and other commanders.

"Besides, if this is indeed a Hydra Base, as I suspect that it is, then we know that all their officers will be living on an upper floor." He explained. "Hydra had a very strict structure to it, despite its rather hodgepodge nature. The higher-level supreme overlords, grand wizards and illuminatus would loom over the lower castes from on high, an image perpetuated in their living arrangements. The upper classes would always dwell above the drones in the upper stories of their bases... assuming that they were above ground. Why? Because it gave them a measure of superiority. And why else do you join an international conspiracy other then that feeling?"

"Well I wouldn't know." Althiea replied as they continued to crawl through the ventilation system. "I've never been a member of one."

"Yes... all the great conspiracies of our time did kind of come to a screeching halt." He continued. "Still, they left behind some very nice architecture and a distinct social order that we can now exploit to our advantage."

"How so?"

"Because it's a fair bet that the Claw will use the old structure of the base for their own needs. Thus the facilities best suited to officers and commanders will be on the upper floors, and thus we know were to go to access said facilities." He stoped in the middle of the tunnel. "AHA!"

"Something up?" Althiea asked.

"Vertical shaft." He replied. "I suspect that this one goes all the way up to the top of the base." He explained. "As such, its our way up there. Observe." Floyd reached into his coat, grabbling some sort of weapon or device out of it.

"What's that?" He asked.

"That, my friend, is a Scarecrow Number 28 Maghook that I Have modified to a degree." He explained. "I improved its already impressive range and grip, allowing it to shoot further, wind faster and support a greater weight, even against a vertical climb like this. It's a natty little device, used by certain UZN special forces units way back when. They simply don't make them any more, sadly."

"Maghook?" She asked. "As in... a magnetic grappling tool?"

"Got it on one." Floyd replied as he rolled over onto his back. "And here I go!"

The Maghook fired, sending its head shooting up the shaft. For a moment, it was silent save for the sound of the cord unspooling. Finally, there was a muffled thump as the hook stopped at the top of the shaft, fixing itself in place. Floyd stood, then tugged several times on the hook, finally lifting his feet off the ground. "Looks stable enough to me, Ali!" He confidently called out. Hanging on for a moment, he shimmied up the shaft a little. "Come on up!"

She crawled over, then rolled over onto her back. Giving the rope a couple of tugs, she followed Floyd up. Bracing her feet on one wall and her back on the other, she slowly followed him. It wasn't easy going; she had never done anything like this before. On the other hand, she found that she was quickly getting the hang of it.

"Where'd you get this thing from, Floyd?"

"Elementary, Boy Wonder." He replied. "I found it in a rummage sale, took it home, reconditioned it a bit... whoever had used it before me had gotten a very good life out of it, I suspect using it for many, many things it wasn't meant to be used for. Still, I think I'm not doing too badly with it."

"I see..." She trailed off.

They reached the top of the shaft, crawling into a vent. Floyd retrieved the hook, spooling it back up and stuffing it into his coat again before crawling off. He again took the lead, peering into various rooms along the way. "No..." He muttered. "No, no... not that one..."

"What's up?" She asked.

"I'm looking for a room, something that will contain a lot of interesting information." He replied. "And this looks like a likely target!" He loudly exclaimed as he pushed open a hatch. There was a brief squeak as the vent swung off its supports, but didn't fall to the floor. Instead, it hung loose, not moving.

He cautiously stuck his head out, looking around. "Well, we're safe. Nobody in here…"

Althiea figured that if there was anyone in the room, they would have heard the vent opening anyway, making stealth irrelevant. She waited quietly until Floyd had exited before following him. Gracefully dropping down to the floor, she took in her surroundings.

They were in a bedroom; not small by any means but at the same time, not too large either. What struck her was how simple it was; there were no decorations, no pictures, nothing that indicated anything about the occupant. Whoever they were, she figured, they seemed to lead a very basic life. _Or they went to great lengths to conceal who they were._

"So, what do you think?" Floyd asked.

"I can't see much here." She admitted. "I can tell that someone lives here; the bed has been used. But at the same time, I can't see much here that could tell us anything either about its occupant or the Red Claw as a whole."

"Interesting initial observations." He replied. "Still, we shall investigate it further. He turned, and then paused. "I shall start with the wardrobe." He strode over to it, sliding the cupboard door open. The first thing that caught his and Althiea's eyes was a deep purple dress with a black trim. "Aha!" He began. "I have discovered one thing. This room's occupant is a woman. At least, I hope they are."

Althiea couldn't help but giggle a bit at the 'revelation'. "So what now?"

"Well…" he turned around. "I would ask one thing of you. Could you please probe anywhere that may contain garments? No offence, but I think that it would not be seeming of me to pry through a women's garments, even if they are the property of a dangerous terrorist." He stepped aside.

"You're so polite." She casually replied as she began going through the cupboard. Next to the dress was a red and black pilot's suit; the immediately recognised it as belonging to the red-eyed woman who had seemed to be Jenice's second in command.

"But of course." Floyd began as he searched through a desk. "Dear Mrs Glass did not raise me to be some sort of misbegotten pervert who goes rifling through strange women's unmentionables. Dear no."

"I think that this room belongs to Jenice's second." Althiea commented as she continued looking through the cupboard. "I recognise the clothes. Can I ask why you picked this room?"

"Simple." He replied. "This room had the least in the way of furnishings, decorations or other features. Thus it was immediately the most interesting."

"A very peculiar way to look at it." She replied as she checked further inside the cupboard. "But interesting logic. Hold on…"

"Something up?"

"There's something down here." She replied. "Its… it's a rifle. She's hidden an assault rifle in her cupboard."

"How very peculiar." Floyd commented. "Not immediately useful, but worth thinking about."

She closed the cupboard, having no real desire to go through the woman's firearms. As far as she could tell, the rifle wasn't the only one present. Still… she moved on to a set of draws, opening the top one. "Should I check through her clothes?"

"Definitely." Floyd replied as she stuck his hand under the mattress. "Anything, and I mean anything, could be hidden in there."

"Okay…" She didn't feel comfortable going through the woman's underwear, but at the same time, she understood the need. Defeating the Red Claw was certainly more important then her own embarrassment…. Even if this woman's tastes in underwear did seem to run along the same lines as Rayvenne's. "Um, nothing in here."

"Good, move on." Floyd replied. "Come on, I know you're under the mattress. Just come on out and admit it… stupid secret information…"

"Can I ask why we're searching her personal effects?" Althiea asked. "What could we gain from this? I don't get it."

"Simple." Floyd stated. "What she hides from the rest of the Red Claw will tell us more about the Claw then what she lets them know about."

"I see… hang on." She felt something underneath a shirt. Reaching inside the drawer, she fished out a flat black rectangular object. It was made of hard plastic, and clearly was meant to be opened. "Take a look at this."

Flood took the object form her and opened it up. Looking at it, she could see that it was a computer, but one far more advanced and compact then any she'd seen before. "Interesting… very interesting."

"It's a computer, right?"

"Yes it is." He replied. "However, I don't recognise the design." He looked it over. "This is very unusual. The design is rather advanced, certainly ahead of those bricks that pass for portables in the UZN or Empire… Its also from a completely different school of thought to the limited use noteputers that the Blackstars seem to love. And yet it is completely devoid of markings, labels, brand names or anything."

"So… you have no idea where it comes from?"

"Well…" Floyd replied. "I have one way to find out." He put the computer on the desk, and turned it on. Almost immediately, the computer came up to a password screen. "Pre-boot password? You are a clever one."

"What do we do?" She asked.

"Well, I'm going to assume that this is some form of espionage model. And at the same time, I'm going to assume that it's designed to interface with other, more common models. Therefore…" he popped open a panel on its side. "Aha! Interface ports! I knew it!"

He grinned at Althiea and then reached into one of his pockets. After rummaging around, he pulled out a small noteputer that had a mess of different cables hanging off it. Looking at it, Althiea could see that the device seemed to have been stuck together form a collection of mismatched parts. "Say hello to my little friend." He sneered.

"What…" She began. "What is that?"

"This is my universal multiple system intrusion and decryption unit." He explained. "I call it the Multitool. Or was that something else…" He paused. "At any rate, it will allow me to interface with any computer system, bypass its security and let me pluck it dry."

"Any computer?" She asked, dubiously.

"I'm yet to meet one it didn't like." He grinned. "Okay multitool, do your thing!" He plugged the device into the computer, then pressed a few buttons on its side. "Show mw what you've got, baby."

Althiea peered up at the screen as it ran through blocks of thousands of characters in rapid succession. She couldn't begin to keep track of what it was doing. "What's it doing?"

"Simple. It's bypassing the target's security and digging into its operating system. It should give me complete access to the computer at any second… ahah!"

The blizzard of characters on the screen cleared, revealing a singe message in red text, "Failed."

"Failed?" Floyd asked it, all but shouting at the unit. "What do you mean, failed?" He punched a few buttons. "Okay mister, time for a diagnostic, I think." The screen blinked then changed displays. "The hell?"

"What's up?"

"It says it cannot recognise the computer's system. It's telling me that it is a completely new, hitherto unseen system." He explained. "One unlike any other on this planet."

"Which means?" She asked.

"Which means-" Floyd began, but was cut off by a knock on the door. "Which means we're in trouble, young lady!" He slammed the computer shut, then handed it back to her. "Quick! Put this back where you found it!"

"Uh… sure." She shoved the computer into the drawer under the shirt, then closed it. Floyd clambered up into the vent, then offered her his hand. Grabbing it, she swung up, scrambling inside and then closing the vent behind her.

The pair of them waited in nervous silence inside the duct, desperately listening outside. "So what do we do now?" She finally hissed.

"We try to find the commanders office." He replied. "Things suddenly got a lot more interesting."

oOoOo

"This is stupid." Leanne muttered as Jason knocked on a door. "There's nobody here. Just give it up."

"Fine." He muttered. "Right. There's nobody here and we have no ID cards. How do you propose we get into the boss's office?"

"Why not go for the goddam vents again?" She asked. "It's been the story of our lives so far."

"Fine then." He muttered. "Damn it, I was thinking that these things would work."

"Well they didn't okay? Y'all missed the one important thing, mailbox head." Leanne snapped, then whacked him on the back for good measure. "Y'all forgot the damned cards."

"Look." He muttered as he opened up a vent. "They didn't have ID cards in the last base that I was in. How was I to know that this place would have a goddam swipe card for every goddamn door?"

"Cause it's a fricking Hydra base and they were a bunch for fricking crazed maniacs. Of course they're fricking parnoaid."

"Fine." He crawled inside, then moved in to let her follow him up. "You coming or are you going to stand there and swear at me all day?"

"I'm comin." She muttered. "Don't know why I bother listenin' to you anyway."

The pair of them crawled through the vents for several minutes in relative silence. Jason was quietly thanking whoever he could think of that Leanne seemed to have decided to remain quiet for the moment. The last thing he wanted was for her to give away their presence by swearing at him some more. Despite that, there was still a certain tension between them; he could tell the she was angry with him.

_That's so damned typical. I do all the work and she snaps at me. _He muttered. _Why did I have to get dumped with her?_

A short eternity later, he stopped by a vent. Looking inside, he could see that they were overlooking a large rectangular room. There were several displays on one wall, a huge bank of windows on the end behind a large desk. Most intriguingly, there was a large Red Claw Logo on the floor. "Now there's a powerful statement for you." He began.

"The hell?"

"Never mind. Let's go."

The pair of them dropped down into the room. Jason immediately headed towards the desk; he'd seen something from the vent earlier and wanted to know what it was. Muttering something to Leanne about keeping an eye on the door, he advanced over to the desk, looking down at what was spread across them.

_Maps. _He poured over them, trying to find anything familiar. _This is what Levisha had sent us up here for. Presumably, the target of their op is here somewhere. _"Hey Leanne." He began. "You know a place called Lyra?"

She walked over next to him, peering over his shoulders. "Lyra… Lyra…" She began. "Yeah, I know it. It's a decent sized whack, nothing' to exciting, really."

"So what do you think?" He asked. "Why are they after it?"

"Terrorising it?" She asked. "Ransom, maybe?"

"No, that wouldn't justify the force downstairs." He replied. "Look… they've got survey maps, geological maps, all sorts of stuff. But what in Lyra is worth that kind of force? There's nothing here that would indicate what sort of-"

"Sssh!" Leanne began. Jason paused, hearing a rattling noise. "What is it?" She hissed.

"Sounds like… something's moving." He replied. He glanced around the room, looking for a way out. All he could see was the vent they came in through, and it was at the other end of the room. "Crap!" He called out. "Where do we go?"

"Behind the desk!" Leanne called back. Seeing no other alternative, he ducked behind the desk, Leanne joining him. The pair of them pulled out their pistols; he noted that Leanne was using a gun that, while smaller then his own, still packed a rather hefty punch.

The rattling stopped, followed by the door sliding open, then closing. The pair of them waited silently, hearing the sound of footfalls approaching across the room. "The Red Claw logo on the floor is a nice touch." A voice began.

"How'd you do that? Is it another function of the Multitool?" A female voice replied.

"Damn right it is." The first one finished. They stopped, not too far from the desk. "Well, what have we here? Looks like some maps and… hello…"

Jason looked up to see a face looming over him… one with glasses, a beard, a lot of hair and a huge grin. "Hello there!" It began.

"Floyd?" He asked.

"What are you two doing here?" Leanne began.

"We could ask the same of you." Althiea replied. "Especially with the Red Claw uniforms."

The pair of them stood up, looking nervously at their team-mates. "We were infiltrating." Leanne began. "Intelligence gathering. That sorta stuff."

"The same." Floyd replied. "And it looks like we all ended up in the same place. Funny that."

"So what have you got here?" Althiea asked.

"Maps." Jason explained. "Someone, Jencie I'm guessing, seems to be interested in the Lyra area."

"Lyra, huh?" Floyd asked.

"That ain't all." Leanne added. "They're plannin' to mobilise what has to be their entire Zoid force. I have no idea why, but we think that these maps are the key to it."

"Lyra, huh?" Floyd began as he studied the maps. "Large force… hmmm…" He paused. "Holy Fudnuts. They found it."

"Found what?" Althiea asked.

"Yes, that would explain it all. The fascination with Hydra objects, deploying the whole army, Lyra… sweet Jeebus Flutie."

"Floyd, what have they found?"

"A Hydra cache." He replied. "Possibly the biggest one yet-"

A beeping sound from inside his coat pocket cut him off. Reaching in, he pulled out a communicator, similar to the one that Blackstar pilot she'd seen in Freedom wore. "Glass here. Whassup?"

"It's Rayvenne." The voice on the other end of the line began.

"Yo, Rayvenne. What's the sitch?"

"You said for me to call if anything happens, right?"

"Yep." He replied. "So what's wrong?"

"We have a problem." She nervously explained. "A very, very big problem."

oOoOo

Looking down from the top of the mesa where her Sinker was parked, Rayvenne watched the procession of Zoids as they poured out from the Red Claw's base. The Trinity Liger stood out at the head of the precession, but it wasn't the only big Zoid around. A Gustav followed after it, its two flatbed trailers hauling a Bigasaur. Behind it were a pair of Tanks, each hauling a Cannon Tortoise on a trailer. Another four tanks followed, each towing a troop transport.

Behind them was a stream of Zoids; none near the size of the Liger, but impressive by the dint of their sheer numbers. She figured there to be thirty all up, a far larger amount then she'd previously figured the Red Claw possessed. The roar of engines caught her attention for a moment as a trio of Zoids; a Redler and a Pteras, as well as a third one she didn't recognise passed overhead.

Down below, the Red Claw's army marched across the desert. This was a new experience for them; they had never marched in these numbers, nor had they ever gone to do what they were today. Today they attacked the Empire head on. Today, they took their fight to the enemy force. Today, they would break the resolve of the Imperial Paladins, their greatest threat.

Jencie had ordered special modifications to a number of the Zoids, just for this day. Behind its supercannons, the Bigasaur mounted a large pole carrying a banner that openly displayed the insignia of the Red Claw. A Twinhorn sported a similar, albeit smaller banner on its back, while another one flew from the top of a Trantulon's back. One Garius had a single large banner mounted in its back; in total it had to be half the Zoid's size. Others sported other mountings, but the effect was the same.

It was an important psychological ploy, one that Sturm had suggested. _Let your enemies know who you are. That way, they will know who defeated them._

From the cockpit of the Trinity Liger, Jenice watched the desert stretch out in front of her. The entire coloum was moving rather slowly simply to allow the entire group to stay together so that none of the Zoids would fall behind, Her own Zoid felt like it was standing still, given how slow it was going. Of course, she knew that this was just a temporary measure. She activated a comms channel. "Bravo Talon, disengage from main column and proceed to objectives. You have your orders."

"Yes, commander."

The two Tanks towing the Cannon Tortoises turned away from the formation, heading off on a tangent to the main group. Several other Zoids disengaged and followed them; two Hellrunners, a Tarantulon, a Serpent and several others. Above them, the Redler banked and peeled away from the others, following a course above the breakaway group. Freed from the slower group, the second group of Red Claw Zoids sped up, accelerating away across the desert.

_And on this day, the Empire will know defeat._

oOoOo

Nathan winters waited patiently outside the back of the Mobile Headquarters unit, surveying the work that his men had done on the site. They'd done an excellent job of concealing his forces within the dig site. Their Zoids were well hidden and well dig in, ready to attack at a moment's notice. Even his mobile headquarters had been disguised as a surveyor's trailer. _Perfect. Now all we need is for the Claw to come to us._

He had figured that they would take the bait. Their forces would fall upon the site, expecting a group of miners or archaeologists. Instead, they would find a well equipped Zygra force, ready to take them on and defeat them.

_And we must defeat tem, for the sake of the Empire._

"Excuse me, sir." A voice began behind him. Turning around, he could see a comms officer approaching. "Message for you."

"Go on."

"Eagle eye reports that the Bad Wolf has left his lair."

_So the Claw are on their way. _"Very good. Tell all units to stand by."

"Yes sir." The officer saluted, and then returned to the van.

He looked out over the site one more time. "And when they come, we will be ready for them. We will stop them, no matter the cost."


	21. Trinity

Within the empire, Lyra wasn't that big a city. At the same time, It was a lot bigger then the average town, especially ones in the Eastern Expanses on the far side of the Bookend range. A peaceful and prosperous town, good planning had kept it away from a lot of the issues that had stricken other communities in the area. Certainly, they knew that thy would never have any problems with a lot of the bandits that were said to attack towns in the area, and had even been bold enough to go over to the other side of the mountains.

The town's leaders knew that the town simply was too big to attack. The town was big enough to warrant a standing force of Imperial Knights, which meant that any attack would have to be a large one, and also would be very costly for the attackers. Certainly it would be more then any rewards could bring.

When Paladin Minters had requested the use of the town's garrison for a special operation aimed at eliminating a local bandit group, the town's leaders had been happy to agree with him. They assumed that the town would be safe, and that the enemy wouldn't know that their troops were gone. And even if they did know, it wouldn't matter; the bandits would be dealing with the Paladin and his operation.

So it came as a complete surprise to the locals when a pair of shells struck the town's central square, blasting it apart. In an instant, dozens were killed or injured, and the safety and security of Lyra was irrevocably shattered.

A squadron of Zoids rolled into the town, no force present to oppose them. People hid indoors, afraid of what might happen if they retaliated. The mis-matched collection of machines headed straight into the devastated central square, while another flying Zoid circled overhead. Sharp-eyed observers quickly figured that there was at least one other Zoid nearby, equipped for long range artillery bombardment.

"People of Lyra!" The voice of their apparent leader, who piloted a Serpent, boomed out. "We are the Red Claw. This town is under our control! Cooperate with us and you will not be hurt. Resist us, and the consequences will be harsh."

On cue, another pair of shells slammed into the town, a reasonable distance from the square. Flames and smoke billowed up from their impacts, while the few people not sheltering ran for cover.

Not everyone was hiding. Inside the town hall, a communications technician, on orders form the mayor, sent out a distress signal. The town's leaders didn't care any more for some special operation. They needed support, and wanted it now.

oOoOo

**Trinity**

oOoOo

Nathan winters waited patiently in the cockpit of his Godos, which was concealed within the dig site. They had gotten the 'Bad Wolf' code three hours ago, which meant that the enemy force should reach the site any minute. When they did, his forces would execute a carefully planned operation that would see the end of the Red Claw.

Or at least, that's what he hoped would happen. He would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn't nervous about what was about to happen. He knew that his plan was incredibly risky. The Red Claw's forces still could be bigger then they had planned for. Certainly, there was no clear indication of how much salvage they had taken from Wrigthfield's failed attack and how much of that they had made operational.

He knew that they were well coordinated, and he figured that they would have some suspicion of a trap. His plan had been to assume that, and work from there. He couldn't predict exactly what the enemy could do, but, at the least, he could try to account for the likely eventualities.

His biggest worry, however, was the Trinity Liger. He knew that it was superior to anything that his force fielded. At the same time, there was still so much about it that was unknown - including its full capabilities. All they had top go o was pure guesswork and speculation, and he knew that those were never enough. All he could hope for was that his plan would work, and that the enemy Liger would be taken out beofre it came to single combat.

_Too many variables, _he thought. _No, don't allow yourself to be distracted. Concentrate. The safety of the Empire is riding on your back._

A beep interrupted his thoughts, indicating an incoming message. "Winters here." He began. "What is it?"

"We just received a distress signal from Lyra." Hawkins, his new squire began.

"What's going on?" He asked. He maintained his professional edge, trying to remain calm.

"Two artillery Zoids began shelling the city." Hawkins began. "Then a group of Zoids occupied the town. They say that there's at least half a dozen in the town, plus the artillery and another Zoid overhead."

"Any idea who they are?" He already knew, but he wanted confirmation.

"The attackers said they were from the Red Claw." Hawkins replied.

_Of course it is, _he thought. Only the Claw would have the strength and audacity to try something like this. He could only wonder why they were suddenly attacking Lyra. _Were they after the town itself or something in it? _He asked himself. _Or is this some distraction to divert our attention? _In either case, he knew that he couldn't leave them to the mercy of the Red Claw's attackers.

"Thank you for that." He replied. "We need to protect the people of Lyra from this attack. Tell Zheng to take Third Squad to defend the town. Also tell Hassan to provide air cover for him." _That's a third of our ground forces and half our air support. Its a risk, but we need to protect Lyra._

"Yes, sir." He nervously replied. "And the rest of the force?"

"We will remain here for the moment." He replied. "There is the possibility that this is a diversion to weaken our forces on-site. Tell Zheng use whatever force necessary to defeat the attackers, but to keep an eye on their numbers. If he detects any additional forces, then he is to contact me immediately."

"Yes sir." Hawkins replied, then closed the connection.

Around the site, the ground seemed to shift and move as numerous Zoids emerged from their concealed positions. A Pteras took to the air, a pair of Pegasolus behind it, while a group of Zoids set out on foot, leaving the site. Each one of them moved with practiced caution, making sure not to disrupt the camouflage over the other concealed Zoids or give away their positions. As they moved out, field engineers quickly covered over the now abandoned concealed spaces, making sure that there was no sign of their ever having been there.

The force set out from the excavation site, heading west towards Lyra. Back on the site, all remained quiet as the Zygra forces watched them depart. _Good luck to all of you, _Nathan thought. _Defend our people and our land. And hopefully, we will be able to do the same._

oOoOo

The main body of the Red Claw force was still well to the south of the site, still slowly approaching. The group were moving at a virtual crawl compared to what some of their Zoids were capable of, but it was needed in order to keep the formation together and prevent anyone from being left behind. Save for the diversionary force sent to Lyra, every operational Zoid in the Red Claw's arsenal was in the collum, with Jenice's red Trinty Liger in the lead.

She surveyed the collum from the cockpit of her Zoid, looking over the group as it marched through the desert. She knew that they represented a powerful force within the empire, second only to the imperial army in strength and capability. She aslo knew that even this force would pale in comparison to what would be hidden within the Hydra Cache. With what was inside there, the Red Claw would become a truly invincible force. The Zygra Empire would be unable to stand against them, and would quickly fall to her forces. And then, there would be others...

But that was for the future. For now, she needed to actually capture the site. She knew that attacking it with such force, to go into what was obviously a trap was a great risk, but she also knew that the benefits would far outweigh it. Fortunately, she had det plans in motion to ensure her victory.

A beeping noice informed her of an incoming transmission. _That should be the signal I'm waiting for, _she thought. She had an observer watching the site, making sure that everything went to plan. She flicked a switch, opening the channel. "Jenice here."

"This is Drake." The voice on the other end replied. "The enemy have responded to your opening move. Threy have sent three flyers and a substantial ground force towards Lyra."

_Just as Sturm said they would, _she thought. "Very good. And the others?"

"I estimate that they have still got two thirds of their force on site." He replied. "I have been able to locate most of them, but some are remaining elusive. Also, they have a pair of cannon-equipped Bigasaurs prepped for fire support. Fortunately, I've been able to draw a bead on them."

_Again, just as Sturm predicted. _"Good. Your primary objective will be to eliminate them when we begin our attack. Then provide support for our units once we engage."

"Yes commander." He replied, then closed the connection.

Jenice sat back in the Liger's command couch and smiled to herself. Everything was going exactly as she had planned it.

oOoOo

Further south of the Red Claw, a smaller group of Zoids moved across the landscape. They were travelling a lot faster then the larger force, kicking up a large cloud of dust and debris as they went. A single Gustav was at the centre of the formation, surrounded by a trio of smaller Zoids while a Sinker rested on one of its trailers.

It had taken the group over an hour to make their way out of the Red Claw's headquarters, and recover their Zoids. No sooner were they done, then they were under way, trying to catch the enemy force. The Claw had a substantial lead on them, but they were doing everything in their power to make up for lost time. Floyd had decreed that they would not send Rayvenne's Sinker ahead of their force; it would give away their presence, and make her a target for the two flying Zoids and numerous AA emplacements the convoy likely sported.

Instead, they had been following the Red Claw's trail. A large group of Zoids like theirs left a very clear and visible path in their wake, one that was rather easy to follow. Certainly the Red Claw didn't seem to be making any effort to conceal their presence or their heading.

"Hey guys." Leanne began, her Gunsniper in the lead of their formation. "There's something happening up ahead."

Floyd bought his Gustav to a halt, the other Zoids stopping alongside it. "What's up, Leanne?" He began. "Have you found something? Maybe a vital clue to our foes and their intentions?"

"I'm not too sure." She replied. "Their path's split off into two sperate groups. Check it out." The Gunsniper indicated to a branch in the tracks; one path going straight to the north, the second branching off and going to the north-west. The second trail consisted of a lot less Zoids then the first, both in types and actual numbers. "What do you think, guys?" She asked.

"Let me see..." Floyd began as the Gustav rolled over to the trail. He opened the canopy and looked over them. "Let's see... looks like a Serpent, a Hellrunner or two and a pair of either Guysacks or some from of Gargantula-derivative, as well as what I would hazard is a pair of tank Zoids." He looked them over. "Fascinating. They've split off form the main body of the force... but why? Its too early for some sort of flanking action, unless they're taking a very wide arc..."

"Lyra." Althiea suddenly spoke up. "They're going to the town of Lyra."

"But why?" Leanne asked.

"They're going to draw off the Zygra forces from the ambush." Jason answered. "They're going to force the site's defenders to split their force and weaken them."

"Yes, I see." Floyd replied. "I should have predicted something like this."

"So why don't we go after 'em?" Leanne asked.

"Yeah, I could easily catch them."

"But the rest of us couldn't." Althiea explained. "If those are Gargantulas, then they're going to be well ahead of us, and definitely going too fast for us to catch. And if you went ahead of us, Rayvenne, you'd be outnumbered and facing a lot of enemy fire on your own."

"Well... yeah." She admitted.

"However, the main body of the Claw are going a lot slower." She continued. "Even though they've got a huge lead on us, we may yet be able to catch them, which is more then we will be able to do with the other group. And with the Zygra forces split, they're going ot need all the help we can get."

"We could slam into the Claw from behind." Jason began. "Get them between us and the Zygra army... we might even be able to take them out."

"That sounds like the proverbial plan to me." Floyd replied. "Right, guys, there's no time to waste. Let's get moseying on after them varmits."

"Right." Althiea replied. _We have to stop them, she thought. This is no longer aobut me or my home. This is about everyone now._

oOoOo

Gwen watched the town from above, her Redler making lazy circles over its centre. Below, the Zoids of her diversionary force were parked in the centre of the town, looming over everything else around them. The crews of the Zoids had been casually waiting around, playing the part of an occupying force for the benefit of the local populace and the Zygra army. A few stray weapons shots had convinced the local populace to start handing over valuables and other possessions, which further added to the illusion.

_It was going off perfectly,_ she thought to herself. After the little incident with her unauthorised attack, she had figured that Levisha and Jenice wanted to be rid of her. However, the fact that she had been assigned to such an important role only indicated how valuable she really was to the Red Claw. _And I am valuable. Nobody else could have fulfilled this operation. Nobody._

"Hey Gwen." Harry McNeil's voice came over the communicator, interrupting her train of thought. "News flash for yas."

"What is it?" She hissed.

"Radar's picked up a trio of incoming airborne blips." He explained. "I think that the Zygras are finally paying attention to what we're doing."

"So they took the bait, huh?" She grinned. "Good. Stand by, their ground troops are probably on the way."

"Sure thing." He replied. "We're ready to let fly as soon as we spot 'em."

"Good." She finished. She closed the link, then opened one up to the ground forces. "Baktyari, the enemy have taken the bait. You know the plan, so do it."

"Yes boss!" The Serpent's pilot sapped back.

Gwen closed the link before he could add anything else. She figured that Baktyari had only gotten the job of leading the ground forces because he had the fastest Zoid. He was little more then a common thug in her opinion, and certainly not anyhting near her calber of pilot. Still, she was a valuable asset, especially now.

Her own radar beeped to indicate the approach of a trio of Zoids; she figured that there would be a Paladin in a Pteras, and a pair of Pegasolus backing them, like Sturm had said. She also knew what their plan was; let them get a single pass over the city to take a look at her force, then attack them. The key to this plan, she had been told, was to be as visible and conspicuous as possible.

As she expected, the trio of Zoids passed over the centre of the town. At the same time, she fired her boosters, the Redler climbing away from the enemy Zoids faster then any of them could keep up with. She climbed away, then looped over and dived at the enemy Zoids. As she dived, she opened fire with the twin booster cannons on the enemy Zoid. The beam cannons punctured the Pegasolus' wings and body, tearing it apart in mid air. The other two broke and scattered, as she had expected.

The Redler levelled out, its pilot scanning the area for a moment. In the distance, she could see a collum of approaching ground-based Zoids, which she figured to be the Zygra forces. Opening up a channel, she contacted the other members of her forces. "Everyone, the enemy ground troops are approaching!" She called out. "Harry, I want AAA support! Malcolm, shell their forces. Baktiyari, hit and run as we planned."

The Redler climbed way as the remaining two Zoids came after it. She opened up the boosters, accelerating away from the pair for them. At the same time, the two Cannon tortoises opened fire with their weapons. Harry's Zoid spat energy beams into the air from its dual AA cannons, while Malcolm's began lobbing shells at the oncoming Zygra ground forces. The two Zoids broke off her tail, climbing away from the ground fire.

On the ground, Baktiyari's force suddenly leaped into action, the Zoids accelerating out of the town and heading towards the enemy forces. The Zoids opened fire at extreme range, sending brilliant energy beams lancing at the enemy forces. Just as quickly, they broke and turned away, fleeing from the enemy Zoids. The pan was to execute fast charges and withdrawals to tie up the Zygra forces, occupying their attention.

Weaving through another volley of fire, she turned around opening up on the Pteras. The enemy pilot rolled pout of the way, then replied with their own cannon. Gwen easily climbed out of its path, then turned around for another pass on the enemy Zoid. "Go on." She sneered. "Admit it, I'm good... and we've got you bastards right where we want you."

oOoOo

Drake watched the dig sight through the Snipe Master's various sensory systems, keeping an eye on what was going on below. While the site initially appeared to be little more then an agrological dig (albeit a large one), the Snipe Master's various sensors told him otherwise. Through his scopes, he could see the various enemy Zoids hidden inside the camp, al concealed and ready for action.

He'd arrived here well in advance of the main body of the Red Claw, and had taken up a forward observation position, overlooking the site. His Snipe Master's design meant that it was easily able to hide itself and conceal itself from the enemy force. He doubted that the primitive sensors carried by the Zygra Zoids would even have a chance of detecting his Zoid, which meant that he could wait here all day.

He'd already gotten the locations of the two Bigasaurs that were meant to be the heavy punch of the Zygra force; he figured that he could take them both out with ease. In doing so, he would eliminate any chance the Zygra force had of victory... and he was the key to it all.

_And you said I'd never amount to anything, mum. _He thought to himself. He'd only had the Snipe Master for a bit over a year, but he couldn't imagine life without it. He liked the feeling of power that came with it; not only from the fact that he was piloting a huge war machine, but the way he could reach out and strike someone without them ever seeing him. The sheer terror it inspired was a thrill enough for him.

He and Gwen had found their Zoids in a shelter; Gwen had demanded that she have the Redler. He hadn't argued; she claimed that the Redler was more powerful Zoid. He knew that she was wrong; the Redler's power was all conventional in nature. The psychological damage the Snipe Master could do far exceeded whatever the Redler could manage.

The communicator beeped, interrupting his train of thought. "Drake here." He quietly began.

"This is Jenice. Gwen's force has engaged the enemy and have them occupied. Stand by for go order."

"Affirmative." He replied, grinning to himself as he drew a bead on the Bigasaur. "I'm ready whenever you are."

oOoOo

For Nathan Winters, everything seemed to happen at once.

He had been monitoring the situation in Lyra with content updates from Hawkins, keeping abreast of the situation as best as he could. As far as he could tell, the enemy force were concentrating on hit and run attacks, aiming to tie up his force rather then destroy them. He would have ordered them back, but he knew that they couldn't leave the town undefended. Reinforcements were en-route, but it would be a while before they arrived.

Mid-Report, a radar tech had interrupted Hawkins to report that they'd detected the Red Claw's main force approaching the site. As he suspected, the Claw had split their forces, sending some to Lyra to tie up the defenders and weaken his forces here. However, he still felt confident that they could deal with the enemy force. He'd ordred his man to get ready, and for the Bigasaurs to commence bombardment.

And then one of the Bigasaurs had gone offline. The Zoid had been knocked out of action by a single shot before its crew could act. He immediately suspected a Sniper was at work; before he could do anything about it, the second Zoid was also disabled, knocked out of action before it could commence its assault.

Then the Red Claw had attacked.

The Trinity Liger lead the assault, being the first one to charge into the pit, as if its pilot didn't care for their own safety. Above it, a Pteras and an Evoflyer had swooped down, opening fire on his supposedly concealed positions. Behind the liger, more Zoids appeared, charging into the pit, lead by a quartet of Tank Zoids.

"All forces, attack!"

His Godos surged out of the pit, its spear and shield at the ready. He lead the charge, his men running at the enemy troops as they approached. Behind him, a trio of Zoids took to the air, heading after the enemy airborne Zoids, moving to knock them out of the sky. And then, in an instant, the well-organised and well-planned ambush degenerated into chaos.

A pair of blasts ripped through the pit, sending and debris flying and shockwaves rippling through the rock. Behind him, Nathan could see that several Zoids had been literally blasted into pieces by the enemy assault. He knew that the enemy force had a pair of Cannon Tortoises, but Intel said that they were currently in Lyra. _Those weren't Cannon Tortoise Shells... _he thought. _They've got a Supercannon-equipped Zoid!_

"All units!" He called out. "The enemy has artillery support! Close in and engage at point-blank range!" He knew that closing in was dangerous. But, at the same time, it meant that the Red Claw would not be able to bombard his troops without risking hitting their own.

He charged forwards, heading for the Red Claw's lines. A Znakes reared up at him, its twin head cannons spitting fire at him. Ducking out of the way, he lunged forwards at the Zoid with his spear, impaling the Zoid through its neck. Whipping the spear around, he slammed the Znakes into the ground, then pulled the spear out form it.

Suspecting it was out of action, but not waiting around to find out for certain, he charged towards the body of the enemy force. He was after one Zoid in particular, one that was the centre of their force. He knew that to take on the Trinity Liger would be suicidal. At the same time, he knew that he had to stop it, no matter the cost. If they could destroy the Trinity Liger and its pilot, then the Red Claw would collapse.

A pair of blasts rocked his Zoid as a Geruder charged down the slope at him. The Godos stepped out of the way of the charging Zoid, then retaliated with its own weapons. The Beam Cannons hit the enemy Zoid in the flank, causing it to trip and slide down the slope. Sensing a chance, he whipped around with the Zoid's foot, kicking the Geruder in the damaged flank, sending it reeling. Leaving it for the moment, he again charged into the battle.

The Godos leaped up a hill, charging towards the centre of the enemy formation. Glancing around, he could see that the Tank Zoids had disgorged their loads of infantry, which were now running loose in the site and tying up his own support forces. The Tanks themselves had disconnected their support trailers, and were now acting in support of the Red Claw's forces.

One of the Zoids charged at him, its front mounted cannon spitting fire. Nathan managed to sidestep the attack, then lunged at the Zoid with his spear. The spear stuck fast into one of its forward axles, then snapped in half, wedging into its drive train. The Tank flipped over, crashing to the ground.

Discarding his broken spear, Nathan grabbed a replacement from a downed Garius. After muttering a brief apology to its dead pilot, he sighted the Trinity Liger and charged towards it again, determined to take the Zoid down.

oOoOo

Levisha opened fire on the enemy Pegasolus, her cannon tracing fire over the other Zoid's body. The Enemy Zoid turned out of the way, managing to climb out of her line of fire. Climbing, the enemy Zoid left a trail of black smoke behind it as it tried to come around. Grunting as she opened up the throttle, she climbed after it, determined not to let her prey get away.

She allowed herself a brief glance at the tactical display on the centre of her Zoid's console. A quick scan showed that the battle was going more or less according to plan. The Zygra forces had rallied form the initial shock a bit earlier then she had expected, but that was marely a temporary situation that she could easily deal with. Certainly, none of them seemed to be able to stand up to Jenice's assault; a trail of broken Zoids behind the Trinity Liger proved that much.

The Pteras swung around, then opened fire on the Pegasolus. While her firepower was limited to a single light vulcan cannon compared to its three beam cannons, she knew that she could take the enemy Zoid out. It wasn't just a matter of the weapons load; she simply knew that she was a better pilot then her opponent. Seeing a chance, she squeezed off another burst of fire at the enemy Zoid.

The shots tore across the Pegasolus' damaged wing, neatly slicing through it. As the Pterasoalous tried to turn away, the wing tore in half. The smaller Zoid began to plummet, its pilot abandoning it moments later. Glanicng around, she tried to find the second Pegasolus.

A burst of flame nearby caught her attention. Glancing around, she could see an enemy Pteras disintegrate into a ball of flames and debris. A few seconds later, Sturm's Evoflyer pulled level with her own Zoid. "Doing well?" She asked.

"That was Paladin Felicia Dechevreux." He replied, flatly. "I knew her."

She glanced at him. "Regrets?" She asked.

"None." He replied. "But there is one other thing that I must do."

"An old enemy?" She asked.

"Sort of." He replied. "Can you handle things up here?"

She sighted the Pegasolus. "Easily. Go for it."

The Evo Flyer dived away from her Zoid, diving down towards the battlefield. After watching it go for a second, Levisha accelerated, heading after the Pegasolus.

oOoOo

Nathan Winters' Zoid leaped over a rubble embankment, landing in a crouch. Ahead of him, he could see his target, the dreaded Trinity Liger, the leader and symbol of the Red Claw. He figured that this was his best chance to take it out, and possibly eliminate the Red Claw as a threat. Giving his systems a quick check and steeling himself against the inevitable, he prepared to charge.

Beofre he could attack, a pair of blasts tore into the ground right in front of his Zoid. Looking up, he saw an unusual Zoid passing overhead, circling around him, appearing to be half Dinosaur and half bird. The Godos' systems identified it as an Evoflyer, a rare, shape-shifting Zoid. While he'd never seen an Evo Flyer before, he was know of its performance and capabilities. He'd heard that they had one from Okarao; he'd also heard that it had torn her Zoid apart single-handedly.

The Evo Flyer swooped down, its wings reconfiguring into legs as it dived. The Zoid landed in a run, heading straight for his Zoid. As it closed in, the Evo Flyer opened fire with its twin back-mounted beam cannons. He twisted to one side to avoid the shots; one went wide, the other singed armour form the right arm. Regaining his footing, he opened fire on the Evoflyer with his own cannons. The smaller Zoid leaped into the air, avoiding the shots.

Swooping down, the Evo Flyer lashed out at the Godos with its taloned feet. Nathan bought up his shield, blocking the attack. The Evo flyer dug its claws in, smashing apart the shield, then lunged at him again. Discarding the wrecked shied, Nathan swung with the spear, batting away the smaller Zoid. The Evo Flyer was knocked back, but managed to land on its feet.

"Well done." Its pilot began. "You were always a very difficult opponent to deal with in practice. I'd be disappointed if you were any less on the battlefield."

Nathan paused for a moment, then looked at the enemy Zoid. "Sturm?" He asked.

"Very good." The enemy pilot replied. "It's been a long time since we last met, Nathan." The Evo Flyer shifted on its feet, hissing at the Godos.

"Why did you do it?" Nathan asked, the Godos shifting its stance, preparing itself for the next attack. "Why did you join the Red Claw?"

"I had no choice." He replied. "I had tried to change the Empire through reason and demonstrating its failings, and that had failed. You left me no option but to pursue a more direct approach."

"You are a criminal, Sturm. You and the rest of the Red Claw." He replied. "Do you think that you can justify what you've done or the lives you've taken in the name of your cause?"

"History will judge me differently." Sturm stated.

"A murderer is still a murderer, Sturm."

"History is written by the winners." He confidently replied. "And right now, the Red Claw are looking to be the winners." The Evo Flyer ran at the Godos again, opening fire with its beam cannons.

oOoOo

The Trinity Liger roared as it leaped, pouncing on its hapless prey. The Strike Laser Claws scythed through the air, then tore through the body of the Elephantus before it. The blow neatly severed the Zoid's head, crushing its frame and killing the pilot in an instant. No sooner had the Zoid's body hit the ground then the Liger broke into a run, searching for new prey.

Jenice was loving every second of hits. While she called herself a revolutionary with a desire to change the Empire, in truth she did enjoy combat, especially when it went like this. With their two Bigasaurs out of action, the Empire's forces had nothing that could stand against her. And while several Imperial Knights had tried to face, her, they had all been effortlessly dispatched.

She grinned as she sighted another opponent, a Garius modified with a medium beam cannon on its hip. The Zoid opened fire on her, the beam actually managing to score the armour. "Well that was a bad move," she began, feeling the Liger's anger at the assault. It wasn't that the Garius had done any real damage to her that was the issue; no it was the fact that he'd had the audacity to stand up to them that was the issue.

"So..." She began as she glared at the enemy Zoid. "Now you will face the full fury of the Red Claw!" The Liger roared out as it charged at the enemy Zoid. The Garius fired back, another shot managing to mar the Trinity Liger's armour. In response, the Liger surged forewords, again swinging with the Strike Laser Claw. The Garius raised its spear and shield to block, but to no avail. The strike tore through both, shredding them.

Before the pilot could react, the Liger struck again. Swinging with the other foreleg, the Zoid cleaved through the Garius's body, snapping the Zoid in half. The Garius, clearly disabled, crashed to the ground, its legs torn free from its body. For a moment, the Liger stood over its defeated opponent, before seemingly bowing down. The Zoid's jaw opened, slipping around the downed Zoid's head. Then, abruptly, they crashed shut with a sickening crunch.

The Liger released the Zoid's head, then reared up and roared, both the Zoid and its pilot ecstatic over their latest victory. Jencie could feel the Zoid's power surging through her, as well as its anger and thirst for prey. It, combined with her own desires, empowered her, making her more dangerous then before.

"Commander." A voice over the communicator interrupted her, momentarily bringing her back to reality. Checking the communicator, she could see that it was Levisha calling.

"What is it?" She asked, an irritated tone in her voice.

"We've cleared a path to the dig site." Levisha reported. "Bart is ready to move in on your orders."

_The cache! _She thought. She had almost forgotten it in her thirst for combat. "Of course. There's nothing to worry about here."

"Yes commander." Levisha replied, then closed the link.

Jencie looked over the battlefield. While the Zygra forces were still fighting, it was clear that they were on the loosing end of matters... and that nobody could strand against her or her Zoid. Confident that Levisha and Bart could handle matters, she opened up the Liger's throttle. The red and white Zoid charged into the fray in search of new prey.

oOoOo

Closing the channel, Levisha turned her attention back to matters more immediately demanding her attention. In this case, it was the last Pegasolus, which was proving to be a rather elusive opponent. The enemy pilot was good, one of the best Zygra ones she had ever faced. He was managing to get a lot more out of his Zoid then others, and had been giving her a good run for her money.

_That ends now. _She thought as her Zoid dived on his. Lining up the shot, she squeezed the trigger. Several shots splattered across the Pegasolus' back before the Zoid banked sharply, trying to get away. Puling on the control stick, Levisha pulled inside its turn, closing in for another opportunty to strike.

Before she could open fire, however, her Zoid was hit several times from behind. Remaining calm, she suddenly rolled and reversed her turn, cutting away from her opponent's line of fire. _Who was that? _She asked herself, glancing around for any sign of her attacker. _There shouldn't be any other flying Zoids here... and Gwen's group are still tying up the others in Lyra. So who is it?_

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed her attacker. She recognised the Zoid immediately as being a Sinker; specifically, the same Sinker that had proved to be such an elusive opponent when they had clashed before. The Zoid turned to tail her, opening fire with the twin beam gattling cannons mounted under its wings. She desperately climbed way, narrowly managing to avoid its fire.

_What is it doing here? _She asked herself. Checking the Ptara's scope, she could see that there was a new group of ground-based contacts, moving in from the south. _It's them! _She realised. _How did they knew where we would be?_

The Pteras continued to climb, managing to outrun the Sinker for a moment. Before she could do anything, however, a trio of shots from the Pegasolus whizzed past her Zoid's cockpit. Realising what was going on, she rolled out of the way of the enemy Zoid, diving back down towards the level. _Two on one are not favourable odds. I need support!_

"Sturm!" She called into the communicator. "I need you in the air, now!"

"I can't" He yelled back. "I;m engaged down here!"

Glancing around, she could see that he was engaged in combat with a Godos, which she suspected was Paladin Winters' machine. Cursing to herself, she rolled away as both the Pegasolus and the Sinker opened fire again. Several shots tore into the Pteras' back and legs, rocking the Zoid in the air. Then another few struck it, tearing into the radar dome on the back.

Levisha watched as the screen dissolved into static, then checked her damage nboard. Desperately, she opened up the throttles as far as they could go, trying to climb out of the way of the other Zoids. At the same time, her left hand reached under the console for a switch, one not found on any other Pteras.

_No! _She thought to herself._ I can defeat them on my own! I do not need this!_

Withdrawing her hand, she bought the Ptreras around in a sharp turn, diving at the enemy Zoids. The arrival of a new group was an unexpected twist in her plans, something that she never enjoyed. She needed to be in control of a situation, and that was not happening right now.

oOoOo

The crew of the Red Claw's Bigasaur were far from the most capable amongst their pilots. They had been drawn from the large pool of those who didn't have permanent Zoid assignments, and had been given only the most minimal instructions. It didn't really mater that they didn't know much about the Zoid's capabilities. All they needed to do was stand back and fire off a Supercannon volley when requested.

The Bigasaur's tailgunner was the first to spot the the new Zoid coming form behind them. He called out a warning to the pilot, who replied that, whatever it was, it wasn't a part of the Claw's forces and thus was an enemy. He'd taken this in his stride, opening fire with the Bigasaur's twin tail cannons.

The shots hit the enemy Zoid, but seemed to have no effect on it as it charged towards them. Instead, they seemed to be bouncing off its armour without doing anything beyond scuffing its paint. He realised why as it closed in; the oncoming Zoid was a Gustav, which was near-immune to most of the weapons carried by the Bigasaur, save for the Supercannons.

The Gustav's pilot did something completely unexpected. Ignoring his fire, it charged straight at the Zoid. The Gustav spread past the tail, then slammed head-on into the Bigasaur's right hind leg. The leg buckled under the impact, then collapsed while the Gustav spun away, then charged headlong into the pit. The Bigasuar swayed, then keeled over, crashing down to its side as the leg collapsed underneath it.

oOoOo

"Yeeee-haw!" Floyd called out from the cockpit of his Zoid as it charged towards the pit. "Yee-haw-haw-haw!" He grinned like an idiot for a moment, then settled back to what passed for normal for him. "Okay, gang, here's the scoop. I've taken out the Bigasaur and cleared the path for you guys. Rayvenne's got their air cover all tied up, so feel free to dive on in."

"How's it looking down there?" Althiea asked.

"Pretty unhoopy, I must say." Floyd replied. "The Claw are spanking the Zygra army seventeen ways to next Tuesday afternoon."

"And the Trinity Liger?"

"In the thick of it, leaving a trail of destruction behind it."

"So what's the plan?" Jason asked. "I'm assuming that we're not just going to blindly charge in."

"And there's that Liger." Leanne added. "How in the heck are we gonna deal with that?"

"Right, cats." Floyd replied, a confident tone in his voice. "Here's the plan. Do anything, and I mean anything, to disrupt the Claw's troops. If they can get to that Bunker, then we could be hip-deep in doo-do."

"But the Liger-" Leanne interjected.

"Don't worry about it." He replied. "I've got that well in hand."

The Gustav barrelled down the slope, charging headlong into the enemy force. The Zoid caught an Evil Scorpion from behind, dending the smaller Zoid sprawling down the slope. Skidding and turning, it sideswiped a Rev Rapter, knocking it flat. Before either Zoid could respond, the Gustav revved up and then charged in, heading straight for the Trinity Liger. "You think yer so tough, doncha?" Floyd began. "Well you are yet to face the challenge of... Gustav Kombat!"

The Gustav charged in, barrelling towards the enemy Zoid at top sped, the intention being to ram it. Floyd knew it sounded crazy, but at the same time, he knew that his Zoid was their best weapon against the Trinity Liger. And he also suspected that, if Jenice knew it was him, then she would prefer not to harm him. After all, she wanted him and he knew it.

Before he could strike, however, the Gustav lurched sideways as if some massive force had struck it. The Gustav spun on its wheels, sliding across the loose rubble before coming to a halt. "Well what in tarnation was that?" Floyd called out, then looked around, searching for the source of the attack. Then he spied what it was. Just near his Zoid was a second Gustav, coloured a hideous combination of maroon and yellowish-green.

"So..." He began. "I see your Gustav-Fu is strong."

"I ain't got any idea who you are, bud." The other Gustav's driver began. "But you ain't goin' any further."

"You seek to challenge me?" He asked. "Fine. Let us do battle then." He floored the Gustav, charging straight at the enemy Zoid. "Round one... fight!"

oOoOo

Althiea's Hammer Rock barrelled down the slope in the wake of Floyd's Gustav, following the path that he'd cleared for her and the others. Privately, she was afraid of charging into this situation; the chaos and confusion of such a large scale battle was rather frightening to her. But, at the same time, she knew that the Red Claw needed to be stopped, and she had to help stop them. Standing back and doing nothing was not an option.

She sighted a pair of Red Claw Zoids on the slope, both of which were recovering from Floyd's initial charge. A battered Evil Scorpion managed to regain its feet before opening fire, the tail beam cannon narrowly missing her Zoid. Altheia replied with her own weapons, the twin beam cannon blasting into the Zoid and tearing its tail in half. Clearly annoyed by the attack, the Scorpion pilot drove his Zoid forwards, barrelling at her while firing with its twin smaller beam cannons.

At the same time, a Rev Rapter also came charging at her, the Zoid's twin scythe-like blades outstretched. Thinking fast, she scampered out of the way of the Scorpion's line of fire, then replied with the Vulcan cannon pod. The shots blasted into the Evil Scorpion's body, peppering its armour, but not doing too much else.

Abruptly another blast hit the Zoid, sending it flying. The Zoid flipped over, then crashed to the ground, twitching. She nervously looked around, wondering what had happened - and then sighting Jason's Iguan further up the slope, its quad cannon smoking.

The Iguan leaped into the air, then landed in a crouch between her and the Rev Rapter. "Go on, Altheia." Jason called out. "You're worried about Floyd. He could use your help."

"But what aobut-"

"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself." The Iguan broke into a run, firing its head-mounted cannons at the Rev Rapter. The shots hit its body, scoring armour form its side. While the Rapter was recovering, the Iguan grabbed a discarded spear and ran at it, slamming the other Zoid across its side. "Go now!"

"S-sure!" She called out. The Hammer Rock broke into a knuckling run, heading closer to the heart of the battlefield. Vaulting over another ridge, she landed down at one of the lowest levels of the pit, where she figured the main dig had been. Down here, the devastation seemed to be even worse. It looked like the Bigasaur had gotten off at least one volley, blasting into the middle of the pit. Whatever it hadn't gotten had been torn apart by something that she guessed was the Trinity Liger.

A pair of cannon shots struck the Hammer Rock in its side, sending it reeling. Recovering, Althiea looked around, sighting the source of the attack. A Red Claw Tank turned towards her, aiming to being its main cannons to bear on her Zoid. Not wanting to give it a chance, she broke into a run, trying to close in on the enemy machine.

Dropping her sights onto the enemy Zoid, she opened fire with the shoulder beam cannons. The twin beams struck the Tank, but didn't seem to do too much beyond singe the armour. _It must be too thick, _she thought. _I could use the missiles... but I need to save those. _Instead, a plan began to form in the back of her mind. The Hammer Rock barrelled towards the Tank, tanking a bounding, leaping charge that made tracking it harder. Several shots went by the Zoid, as the Tanks' driver tried to keep a lead on her.

The Hammer Rock barged into the tank with its shoulders, rocking it on its base. Before the Zoid could react, she grabbed its base with the Zoid's two hands, and lifted. The Tank shifted, then raised into the air as the Hammer Rock pushed against it. Then, the vehicle's high centre of gravity got the batter of it, the Tank tipping over and crashing onto its side. Its wheels spun in the air as the driver tried to right the vehicle, but Althiea could tell that it was out of action.

_So far, so good, _she thought. _Now to-_

For an instant, there was a voice in her mind, like someone shouting out at her. She glanced around, looking for the source of the voice. Then there was a loud explosion behind her, as a shot tore through the crippled tank's body. Glancing down at it, she could see that a heavy round had gone through it, shredding the Zoid's structure. She could also see that had she not turned, the shot would have gone straight through her Zoid.

_What was that? _She asked herself, then collected her wits. She realised what had happened; there was a sniper somewhere above her. Not wanting to give them a second chance, the Hammer Rock broke into a run, scampering away from its line of fire. At the same time, she activated the communicator. "Leanne!" She called out.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"There's a sniper, probably on the top ridge." She replied. "Its likely the same one as attacked us before."

"Gotcha!" She called out. "Thanks fer that, Ali. I'm itching for a chance to get at him again."

"Not a problem." She replied as the Hammer Rock turned. Below her, the Trinity Liger was working its way through the last of the defenders around the entrance to the pit. "I know what you mean."

oOoOo

Leanne's Gunsniper leaped up the side of the pit, its twin boosters boosting it upwards. From what Ali had told her, she had the vaguest idea of where the enemy Zoid was. It didn't matter to her; it was enough. The enemy Snipe Master had been a significant part of her life for some time now, one that she would be glad to get rid of.

The Gunsniper vaulted up to the top ridge of the pit, its pilot searching around for any sign of the enemy Snipe Master. She knew that her opponent's Zoid was rather stealthy, and would likely be able to elude her Zoid's sensors. However, she also knew that it couldn't hide in plain sight - the pilot would have to find some place to hide.

She'd considered everything that Floyd and Jason had taught her. If he was albe to shoot down at Ali, then he'd need to be near the ridge, as he'd need a steep angle. And he'd attacked Ali from behind, so...

Looking aorund, she could see a several piles of rubble from the dig site, as well as a few portable buildings. However, there were only a handful of them that were big enough to conceal another Zoid. _All I have to do is find which one he's behind, _she thought. The Gunsniper sprinted across the rubble-strewn field, searching for any sign of the other machine. Seeking a better vantage point, she fired the boosters again, the sniper landing on top of a debris pile

...only to find the Snipe Master looking up at it. The enemy Zoid hissed loudly, reflecting its pilot's likely displeasure at being found out. Her own Gunsniper hissed back, reacting faster then Leanne who was actually somewhat surprised at this turn of events. She reached for the triggers, but the other pilot was faster.

The Snipe Master fired its twin boosters, sprinting away from her at speed. The Gunsniper leaped down from its perch, firing its own boosters and running after it.

"Dangit!" Leanne caleld out as she opened fire with the two wrist Vulcans. "Come back here and fight!" Several shots pinged off the ground around the enemy Zoid, but the pilot didn't seem interested in listening to her. Instead, he concentrated on running as fast as he could. Gritting her teeth and muttering under her breath, Leanne could only chase after him.

The Snipe Master sprinted away form the battlefield, clearly intent on getting as far away from her, and anyone else, as possible. Leanne kept chasing after it, determined to bring it down. As she closed in, however, her radar warned her of something nearby, something big.

"What in the heck?" She asked, then looked up. Twisting its boosters, the Snipe master leaped into the air and vaulted over an obstacle before it - namely the downed Red Claw Bigasaur. Before she could chase it, the Bigasaur opened fire with its head and tail cannons.

"Dangit! That thing's still active!" She quickly turned the Gunsniper around, springing away from the enemy machine. Behind it, she could see that the Snipe Master leaning out and adding its booster-mounted beam cannons to the fire headed at her.

The Gunsniper quickly turned and scurried away from the battery of fire directed at it. Realising that she couldn't stand up to the enemy fire, and she had no way to get at the enemy Zoids, Leanne turned tail and ran of, swearing to herself.

"Don't y'all think you're gonna get away from me." She muttered. "One day, I'm gonna nail you fer what you've done." She figured that she could at least console herself with stopping the Zoid from sniping at her team-mates.

oOoOo

Rayvenne grunted as she pulled the Sinker into another tight turn, managing to stay on the tail of the Pteras. The pilot of the Pteras had been doing well, she had to admit. They'd lead her and the Pegasolus on a merry chase, making them work very hard in order to bring them down. But, at the same time, she figured that it was only a matter of time now.

Between the pair of them, they outnumbered the enemy Zoid, which was always a big advantage in a dogfight. Every time the Pteras tried to climb away, the Ptersolous followed it. If it tried a sharp turn, she could stay on its tail. Between the pair of them, they had things pretty much well in the bag.

Grinning behind her bandanna, she opened fire again with the Sinker's twin beam gattling cannons. A couple of hits clipped the Pteras on its legs, but the Zoid managed to veer away before it could suffer too much damage. In response, she threw the Zoid into a super-tight turn. Pulling back on the throttle, she tried to bleed of sped to improve her turn.

"Damn it…" She gasped out as she felt the pull of the G-Forces on her body. "This guy is nuts. Why… why won't he just die?"

The Pegasolus also tried to make the turn, attempting to match the performance of the other two Zoids. Its design meant that it couldn't turn so easily, resulting in the pilot needing to pull back on the throttle even more. As Rayvenne watched, the Pegasolus' nose dropped. _He's stalling! _She thought. "No! Pull up the nose! More throttle, dammit!" She shouted, vainly hoping that he would hear her.

The Ptersolous dived, the pilot clearly fighting to keep the Zoid under control. Seeing a chance, the Pteras peeled off and dived after it. As the Pegasolus slowly nosed up, the Pteras opened fire, spraying the Zygra Zoid with shots. Bursts punctured its cockpit and its body, while more tore into the wings. The Pegasolus blossomed into flames, and then simply exploded in mid-air.

"Damn you!" Rayvenne called out. Levelling out form the turn, she opened up the throttle. The Enemy pilot had left themselves momentarily vulnerable as they climbed out, and that gave her a chance. She dived at the Ptaras, opening fire again with the twin gattlings.

The Pteras pilot saw her coming, but it was too late. Shots tore through the Zoid's body and tail, while others shredded the wings. The right wing disintegrated under the force of the fire, the Pteras slowly falling away and to one side. Its canopy blew off, the pilot's ejection seat flying out from the Zoid.

"Gotcha, sucker." She began, breaking character and calling out in her normal voice. "Yeah! Who's the big man now, huh?" She asked, watching as the Pteras' body plummeted to the ground.

oOoOo

Sturm eyed Nathan's Godos, wondering what its next move would be. The enemy Zoid was scarred and battered, but was still standing, much to his surprise. Winters was proving to be a far more capable combatant then even he'd expected. He'd been far better at fighting an advanced Zoid like his own then he had counted on, especially given the quality of machine that he was using.

Sturm checked his status indicator. While his Evoflyer had taken only minimal damage thus far, the Godos should have taken enough to knock it out of action. Yet it was still standing. _How is he doing it, _Sturm asked himself. _Could it be that I have underestimated him and the rest of the Empire?_

Then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Something was falling form the sky, something black and grey… his mind raced over the possibilities and reached a singe sudden conclusion. _Levisha's Pteras! _She'd been shot down, he realised. But… how?

He realised that he had to act, and now. His duel with Nathan would have to wait; he had more important matters to deal with. The Evolflyer ran towards the Godos, then suddenly shifted into its bird mode. Opening up the throttle, he climbed away from the enemy Zoid, instead heading towards the crippled Pteras. As he watched, the Zoid slammed into the ground and exploded in a brilliant fireball.

There, in the distance, he could see something. A parachute, slowly descending nearby. The Evoflyer banked towards it, then dived down. As soon as she reached the ground, he figured, she would be vulnerable. He had to act before that.

The transformed Zoid swooped down, diving towards a group of Zygra Zoids. He opened fire with the twin beam rifles, strafing the enemy force, trying to clear a landing site for her. The enemy Zoids scattered, unable to respond to his fire.

He circled protectively, waiting for the cute to come down. Then, as soon as it reached the ground, the Evo Flyer landed next to it. Glancing over to the pilot, he could see Levisha; seemingly unharmed, she was extracting herself from the parachute. Stopping abruptly, she glared over at him.

"Hurry up!" He called out as he opened the canopy. "I need to get you out of here!"

She seemed to pause for a second, as if she was considering her options. Then she sprinted over to him, clambering into the opened cockpit behind him. "Go, now." She snapped.

"What happened there?" He asked. "Are you-"

"Now!" She repeated. Seeing no reason to argue, Sturm closed the cockpit. The Evo Flyer's engines fired, the Zoid taking to the air. "Developments are not occurring as we planned." Levisha commented. "A third group has entered the battle, one that I had not accounted for in my planning."

"What does this mean?" He asked.

"Get me to Jenice." She replied. "If I am correct, then we may yet be able to salvage this situation…" She trailed off. 'Or we may be in even bigger danger then I thought."

oOoOo

The two Gustavs drove at each other at speed, each one of them kicking up huge clouds of dirt and debris as they did. Lacking any ranged weapons, or for that matter, any true melee weapons, they had only one way to do battle with each other. The Two Zoids drove at each other, colliding head on and then bouncing away from each other with a resounding clanging noise. The two Zoids spun out, then their pilots managed to regain control of them. Neither were the worse for wear.

The point of the battle was simple. Floyd was trying to get to Jenice's Zoid. Bart was trying to stop him. That's all there was to it. The result had been pretty much even so far; neither of them had made any headway against the other so far. In fact, despite multiple collisions, neither Gustav seemed to be any worse for the wear.

The two Zoids paused for a moment, each one waiting for a second, as if their pilots were sizing each other up and trying to figure out a new plan. Then, for want of a better thing to do, they ran at each other again. This time, the two Gustavs clipped each other on the sides, again spinning off, temporarily out of control.

Althiea knew that the battle was largely pointless. There wasn't enough room in the pit for either of them to get up enough momentum to do anything significant to the other; at the same time, they had nowhere to go. However, the battle had one positive side effect, she thought. The Red Claw Gustav was tied up with dealing with Floyd, which meant that there was nothing in the way to stop her from attacking the Trinity Liger directly.

The Hammer Rock squatted down behind the twisted wreckage of a wall, watching the Trinity Liger. The Zoid had just finished off the last of the Zygra Zoids around the entrance to the cache, which meant that Floyd would be next… Unless she did something about it.

The Hammer Rock squatted down, flipping forwards its quad missile launchers. She dropped her sights onto the Liger, which had its back turned. The targeting system registered a lock on the enemy machine. Altheia squeezed the trigger, the four missiles flying at the Liger's exposed rear end.

Abruptly, the enemy Zoid turned to face her; it wasn't fast enough to evade the missiles, but it did present its armoured front to them. The Zoid's head momentarily vanished in a cloud of smoke and flames as the missiles struck home. _Did I get it? _Althiea asked herself. She was hoping that she'd managed to disable the enemy Zoid with the strike. She had figured that it would work…

The smoke cleared, revealing the Trinity Liger, standing there as if nothing had happened. The shield on its side was battered and torn, but that was the limit of the damage. Otherwise the machine was unharmed… and the pilot had to know where she was now.

"How did that happen?" She asked herself. "What… what do I do now?" She literally couldn't think what to do, all she could do was look at the enemy Zoid.

The Trinity Liger turned to glare at the Hammer Rock. Then it broke into a run, heading straight for her Zoid. The Liger roared as if it was shouting straight at her.

_Now you die!_

"No!" She called out. "Keep away from me!" The Hammer Rock stood, desperately trying to get out of the path of the Zoid. In her mind, Althiea tried to think of something... anything that would work, any way to escape from the enemy Zoid. It wasn't just the Zoid's capabilities that she was afraid of. No, she was afraid of far worse. It was the feeling she felt off it; like the one she had felt before but louder, more concentrated. She could feel pure rage and hatred coming off the Zoid, and all directed at her.

She turned, desperately trying to get away. Before the Hammer Rock could move, a pair of blasts struck the Zoid in the back, sending it pitching forwards into the rubble. As she fought with the controls to bring the Zoid upright, another pair struck it, knocking it down again.

Glancing across the control panels, she could see that numerous systems were coming up as red. The Zoid was badly damaged in the assault, and she was lucky that it was still functional. However, that meant nothing if she couldn't get out of the way. "Come on!" She pleaded as she fought with the controls. "Get up! Please!"

The Hammer Rock struggled to its feet, then collapsed, rolling over onto its back. Looking up, Althiea could see the Trinity Liger coming straight for her. In desperation, she raised one of the Zoid's arms to protect its body as the Liger leaped, its claws tracing a golden arc through the air.

The Strike Laser Claw cleaved through the Hammer Rock's arm, shattering it, then continued through the torso. The small Zoid crashed to the ground, flat on its back and out of action, its body and arm a mangled mess. In desperation Althiea opened the canopy and clambered out of the Zoid. She had no idea of what she was going to do now. All she knew was that she had to get away from the Trinity Liger, as far away as possible.

She hit the ground and ran, fear filling her mind. She was nearly blind with panic, not caring where she was going, as long as it wasn't here.

oOoOo

Jenice watched as the Hammer Rock collapsed under her assault. The Liger landed behind the Zoid, then skidded around. Looking over the battlefield, Jencie could see the two Gustavs still duelling, neither pilot having apparently noticed what was going on. As she watched, she figured that there was one advantage to this sudden turn of events.

Floyd Glass was the pilot of one of those Gustavs. The man who she had been hunting for several months with no success had been literally been delivered to her. It would be an easy task to disable his Gustav and then force him to surrender to her. _Yes, _she thought. _This day has been a great success for us all over._

She steered the Liger towards the Gustav, but the machine stopped, as if it was refusing to move. "What?" She asked herself. She tried to move it again, but it again refused to move. "What is wrong with you?" She asked as she tried to move the controls. The Liger roared out in anger, as if it was resisting her efforts to control it. "Don't you dare fight me." She hissed as she glanced around, trying to find the source of the problem.

And then she saw it. A single figure, desperately running away from her, trying to scramble up the slope, away from the crippled Zoid. Glaring at it, she could see that it was a young woman, dressed in black.

"Could it be…" She began. "Is that her? Is that what's wrong?" She looked at the fleeing figure. Her mind considered the possibilities. _The Hydra Cache, Floyd Glass and that girl… today has indeed been a profitable day._

She turned to face the girl, the Liger now responding to her controls. The Zoid strode towards the girl, roaring loudly as it went. As she approached, the girl turned to face her, looking straight at the Zoid.

"Get away from me!" She called out.

"Surrender now!" Jenice called out.

"No! Just… get away!"

Jenice snarled. "Don't make me destroy you!" She began, activating the strike Laser claw system. She wanted to intimidate the woman, not kill her. To her surprise, the claws didn't activate, the liger instead standing there, seemingly immobile.

"What are out doing?" She shouted out, jabbing at the controls. "Work, you damnable machine!"

_No! _A voice called out in her head as the Liger roared. _Pain!_

"I don't care!" She yelled. "You are my machine! I gave you life! Listen to me!"

_Pain! Anger! Hatred!_

"DAMN YOU!" She smashed her fist into the console. "Listen to me, you stupid machine! You will do what I say!"

_Set me free!_

The woman glared up at the Zoid, as if she was looking straight into it. "No…" Jencie began. "You couldn't be…" She shook her head. "It's not possible!" She slammed her hand into the Liger's console. "Kill her! Destroy her! So… something! Anything!"

_SET ME FREE NOW!_

The Liger roared out loud, rearing up over the woman. The Zoid bucked, roaring now, its voice reaching every corner of the pit. Then, there was a series of loud discharges as sections of the Liger's armour fell way.

The panels on each side of the head, followed by the fins behind the head. Following them, the panels on the legs also disconnected form the body, falling to the ground, along with the shields. Soon, the rest of the liger's armour fell away, like a snakes' skin being shed; the machine standing there, its structure exposed to the world, revealing its true form.

oOoOo

"Sweet Jesus christ on a pogo stick." Floyd called out as he watched the Liger's armour peel away.

"What…" Bart asked, seemingly befuddled by what was going on. "What's happening to it?"

Floyd looked over the Zoid. Every section of its armour had fallen away, save for the red plating and green dome that covered the cockpit. Underneath it had a black structure that he recognised, one that he had expected was there all along. "It's a Liger Zero…" He began. As he scanned his eyes across it, he could see that the Zoid's body was scarred and torn, with numerous patches and other obvious field repairs underneath it. "Frell it… what has happened to that Zoid?"

"I…" Bart began. "I don't know. I really don't know."

oOoOo

Up on a ridge overlooking the pit, Heirich Jaeger examined the scene through a pair of binoculars. "Fascinating…" he began. "But.. what has caused it?" He looked over the pit, then saw the woman stranding before it. "It can't be…"

He had a fairly good idea of what had just happened. At the same time, he realised that it shouldn't have happened. What had just gone on below defied everything he knew, everything he had expected. As far as he could tell, this was completely unprecedented in the history of the Shelflands.

"This changes everything." He muttered.

oOoOo

Althiea stood in front of the Zoid, her hand outstretched at it. She had her eyes shut, trying to concentrate, to block out the terrible voice inside her head. She screwed up her eyes, trying to focus, trying to ignore the roar of the Liger as it stood over her, about to attack.

And then it was silent. The Liger continued to roar, but the voice was no longer there. She cautiously opened one eye, expecting the worst. Instead, what she saw surprised her. The Zoid was still there, but it's form had altered. It had shed its armour, instead becoming something else…

The Zoid roared and looked down at her. "Damn you!" The female pilot shouted out. "You've ruined everything! I'll destroy you myself for what you have done!" The Zoid reared back, as if it was getting ready to strike, but whether it was the pilot's commands or the Zoid itself, she couldn't tell.

"ALTHIEA!"

She looked up to the source of the cry. Jason's Iguan seemingly leaped out of the sun, diving at the denuded Zoid. The iguana landed on the back of the Liger in a couch, its right arm rammed into the exposed structure of the Liger's neck. There was a loud booming sound as the Iguan's quad-barrelled impact cannon discharged into the Zoid's neck at near point-blank range. The shots tore through the structure, the blasts tearing out through the base of the neck in a cloud of flames and debris.

The Liger collapsed to the ground, its neck little more then a mangled mess. The Zoid's head flopped down, right in front of Althiea. The Iguan rolled away, coming to its feet nearby.

She swayed on her feet, her vision dimming, then suddenly collapsed to the ground.

oOoOo

Both Bart and Floyd's Gustavs disengaged as the Liger collapsed, both pilots instead driving their Zoids towards the downed Zoid at top speed. Bart arrived their first, shoving his Zoid in between the Iguan and the downed Liger.

"Don't move!" He screamed out as he opened the cockpit. He held up a pistol in his chubby fingers, pointing it Althiea. "Don't anyone move or else, god help me, I'll shoot her!" He glanced over at the Iguan. "I mean it, man! Don't mess with me!"

The Iguan took a measured step back from the Gustav, its hand and cannon raised in the air. "Okay, I get the idea." Its pilot replied calmly. "Just don't do anything rash."

"Jenice!" He called out, turning to the wrecked Trinity Liger. "Hurry up! We gotta get out of here!"

"What?" She hissed. "We're not leaving, not now!" Her face was twisted with anger, her teeth beared in a feral snarl.

Floyd's Gustav pulled up on the other side of the Trinity Liger, next to Althiea, but not shielding her from Bart's gun. Jencie glanced at the Zoid, then over at the Iguan. The look of sheer rage and frustration on her face faded as she realised just what the situation was like. "Fine!" She snapped. She cautiously backed away, climbing into the cockpit of the Gustav.

Bart sat down, sealing the cockpit. Then, he turned the Gustav around, the Zoid speeding away form the site as fast as it could. Checking a monitor, he could see that the Iguan was chasing them. "Ah hell…" He began. "Come on, come on…"

A pair of blasts rocked the ground in front of the Iguan, sending clouds of smoke and debris flying. Glancing up, he could see the Evo Flyer passing by, pulling off a strafing run. "Maybe he's good for something after all." He muttered.

"Give me the communicator." Jenice snapped. Bart passed her a headset, which she snatched from him. "Levisha, come in. What's our status?" There was a pause, with no response. "Levisha, come in!"

"This is Levisha." She eventually replied. "My Zoid was destroyed; I'm in the Evoflyer with Sturm."

"Destroyed?" She asked. "What's going on?"

"We're collapsing." Levisha stated frankly. "The Claw's forces are falling apart. We need to withdraw now, or else we will lose everything."

"Damn it." She snapped. "Very well then." She glanced at Bart. "Open a link to all units."

"Yes, Commander." He nervously replied.

"All red Claw units, this is Jenice. Disengage and withdraw immediately." She paused. "All units are to rendevous at point SM-30. All Lyra units are to disengage."

The Gustav collected its trailers and headed up the slope, back towards the disabled Bigasaur. Across the battlefield, other Zoids broke away from their engagements, while infantry ran for the transports, trying their best not to be left behind. The Red Claw's attack had fallen apart; now it was up to them to try to see how many troops they could salvage from it.

oOoOo

For Althiea, things were a blur. She could faintly hear voices, people shouting at each other about various things, but they seemed so remote, so distant. Her vision was dark, shapes swimming around it, as if hidden from view.

"Somebody, help her!" A voice called out.

"What happened?"

"She... she was facing the Liger! It shed its armour and then... she collapsed!"

There was a feeling of movement, like she was being lifted or moved somewhere, but she couldn't say where. "She's breathing... thank gord, she's breathing..."

"This should not have happened. The Liger's armour disengaging like that... it's completely unprecedented."

"Why? What happened to that Zoid?"

The Zoid... the Liger... that seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. And then the memories struck her; a huge red Zoid looming over her; its ferocious visage snarling at her... the horrible voice inside her head filled with so much rage and malice. And then it had given one last, terrible shout and then... then it was silent.

Why her? Why had the Liger spoken to her? She couldn't understand it. She knew that it was a legendary Zoid, one that Floyd had said didn't exist. Was that why it had communicated to her? Was there something special about it, some special property that she didn't ye understand? Or was it something about her?

"Its like..." She heard a voice again. "Its impossible... such a creation... its like the sort of things that would have existed before the war. Could it be some old artefact? Or is it a new creation... surly there couldn't be any left, and not capable of that sort of work..."

"Any what?" There was a pause. "Floyd, any what?"

"But then..." He paused. "If she is one... then that would explain an awful lot...

_One what? _She wanted to cry out, yet her body seemed not to be responding. It was like she was merely observing things, like she was watching them from afar rather then being there. _What's happening? What's going on? _Her mined panicked as she tried to figure out just what was happening. Above her, the shapes began to dim, the voices getting quieter, as if they were drawing further and further away.

_No! _She wanted to call out. _Come back! What's going on! I need to know!_

Around her, the world went dark.

oOoOo

Far above the planet, hidden in a cluster of debris, a single satellite picked up a signal from the surface below, one that it had been patiently awaiting for decades. The satellite processed the signal, then beamed a message to another, larger cluster of debris in a higher orbit.

A system within the debris received the data, and began the lengthy process of reactivating numerous other systems. Slowly, power began to flow through ancient machinery that had been lying dormant, bringing it back to life.

_End of part one_


	22. Lost Worlds

The battered Gustav crawled across the desert, a Gunsniper and Iguan sprinting alongside it with a Sinker parked on the back of one of its trailers. The three of them were moving off as fast as they could, heading into the wastes to the south of Lyra.

The last few hours had been something of a blur for the pilots. They had charged into the battle at the Hydra Cache, aiming to both relieve the threatened Zygra forces and to aid them in taking out the Red Claw. Instead, the battle had become a chaotic mess, centered around one of the members of their team. Something had happened down there, something that most of their team couldn't explain.

Althiea, her Zoid destroyed, had confronted the Red Claw's Trinity Liger, the purported legendary Zoid that was the personal machine of their leader. On foot, alone, unarmed and defenseless, she should have been killed. Except she wasn't. Instead, she seemed to have temporarily taken control of the Trinity Liger, somehow forcing it to shed its armour. This had been enough of a distraction to allow Jason to take it out as she collapsed.

Floyd had picked her up, placing her on the floor of one of the control booths for the Gustav's cranes. Then, as the Red Claw's troops had begun to withdraw, Floyd had ordered them to also break off. He couldn't say why, only that thy needed to go now for her sake. The Zygra Troops hadn't stopped them from leaving, but at the same time, they hadn't helped them at all, being too busy dealing with the last remnants of the Red Claw.

So now they were heading out across the wastelands, trying to get as far away from the pit as possible. Rayvenne had suggested that they should get Althiea to a hospital or similar; Floyd had replied that it would be a bad idea without clarifying just how it would be such. Instead, he had ordered them all to get moving, giving them a course out into the desert.

Rayvenne had set up a makeshift tent over the crane's control area, sheltering Althiea from the elements. She'd done her best to make the girl comfortable, but it was hard to tell just what was going on. Rayvenne would have readily admitted that she didn't have much in the way of medical skills, but best she could tell, Althiea seemed fine. She was breathing at a regular rate, and her pulse was normal. As far as she could tell, Althiea was just sleeping.

But why?

She picked up her communicator. "Hey Floyd!" She called out. "What the heck is going on with Ali? And where the heck are we going?"

"To answerer your questions, in the opposite order, Rayvenne..." He began in an unusually serious tone. "To a place where I'll be able to help her, and I'll know when we get there."

"What in the heck do you mean by that?" Leanne asked.

"What I mean is that Althiea's condition is unusual, to say the least." He offered. "And that, if I'm right, things could be a lot worse then I expected."

oOoOo

**Lost Worlds**

oOoOo

oOoOo

The Red Claw had moved in near total silence through the desert as they fled from the excavation site. There was a feeling of despair hanging over the bandit army, one that was the polar opposite of what they had been feeling only hours before. The anticipation of the forthcoming battle and the thoughts of the great victory over the Zygra army had been replaced with a gloomy, dull feeling as they realised that thy had been beaten and nearly broken.

The loss of the Trinity Liger had proved to be the single greatest blow to the Red Claw's forces. Aside from being their single greatest weapon, it had also been a symbol of sorts. To many of the Claw's warriors, it had come to represent their superiority over the Zygra Empire, the strength that they possessed that no others could face. It had been seen to scythe its way through their enemies without taking a scratch, to cut down far larger Zoids and even defeat the supposedly invincible Zygra Paladins.

And it had been destroyed

Nobody had seen what had happened to it. All anyone knew was that Jenice had suddenly called for the retreat from the cockpit of Bart's Gustav. The few people who had seen the Trinity Liger saw it lying slumped in the bottom of the pit, its armour destroyed and its neck torn apart. Some had even said that there was an Iguan standing over it, like a beast guarding its kill. The very thought that a Zoid like that could have defeated the mighty Trinity Liger was enough to terrify the Red Claw's troops.

While the losses they had taken at the pit had been bad, the destruction of the Trinity Liger just seemed to make it that extra bit worse. Looking along the convoy, there seemed to be not a single Zoid that was undamaged, save for a few of those that had come from Lyra. There were holes all across the Red Claw's ranks; places where there should have been Zoids were instead filled with empty holes. Most telling was that of the four troop-carrying Tanks that had been to the site, only two had returned; neither of them carried a full load in their trailers.

To make matters worse, it became apparent that they were not heading straight back to their Mesa headquarters. Instead, Jencie had lead them further west, traveling across an expanse of parched, barren land, even drier and more desolate then the desert that they normally dwelled in. This was a part of the great wasteland that had once been prosperous farmland inside the Draken Empire. Now, there were no signs of life, save for the Red Claw's troops.

Jenice didn't care about the state of her men. Right now, she had more important things to worry about. In the cockpit of the Gustav, she kept one eye on the radar scope, while the other watched the map display. There had been no sign of any pursuit from the Zygra forces so far. As near as she could figure, they had mauled them to a sufficient degree that they would need to regroup before perusing her. Hopefully, by then, they would have gone to ground.

She knew that they couldn't go back to Pinnacle Base. The Empire would make the men that had been left behind talk, of that she had no doubts. She knew that her men were still little more then low-life scum, and most of them would blurt out all that they knew to save their own skins. It was one of the many reasons why she kept them in the dark about her true aims and strengths. Inside the orgnaisation, only she knew the true secret of the Red Claw, what it was that made them so dangerous.

No, that was not entirely true. She knew that Levisha had her suspicions about her true nature; her second in command was too sharp-eyed and intelligent not to have noticed it by now. She also suspected that Sturm may have some suspicions; after all, he was a key witness to the events that led to her court-martial. This made them both dangerous, she realised. Up until recently, she had no reason not to trust either of them. However, that was before the information that they had given her had seen the Claw's forces mauled and her own Zoid destroyed.

She would have to consider the circumstances behind these failures and evaluate what was to be done about them. Right now, the future of the Red Claw more then ever before was in doubt.

Jenice closely watched the map. "Bart, there is a ruined town three kilometers west of there. I want you to turn away from it, heading due south for another five kilometers."

"You sure about that?" He asked. "I thought we were heading for the town."

"No." She replied. "Just follow my orders.

"Yes, Commander." He replied. The Gustav turned off the course it had been heading, its massive trailers following behind it. The Red Claw's battered Bigasaur was slumped on its back, its damaged legs folded underneath it. As the Gustav pulled off the road, the rest of the Red Claw Convoy followed after it, the Evo Flyer and Redler flying overhead. The battered procession headed off into the desert, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that was the only sign of life for miles around.

A few minutes later, they approached a rocky gorge, a trickle of a river running through it. There was a ramp down one side of the gorge, which Jenice directed Bart to head down. The Gustav crawled down the path, and then abruptly stopped. In front of it was a pair of massive doors, recessed into the side of the cliffs. Despite their size, they were near invisible from anywhere but directly in front of them.

"What is this place?" Bart asked.

"An old Draken army shelter." She replied. "And the new home of the Red Claw." She studied the area, looking over the doors. She had found this place not too long after she had first created the Red Claw, but not told anyone of it. In many ways, it was their birthplace. Now it was her ultimate fallback, her point of last recourse. And it seemed like it was now her only option.

Something seemed amiss, however. There was something wrong, something out of place. Looking around, she tried to make out what it was, and then figured it. There was a rock by one of the doors that shouldn't have been there, a large boulder that was jutting out into the path. "Hold on." She began. Bart nodded.

She opened the canopy and stood up, the dry desert air ruffling her hair. Next to her, the Evo Flyer landed, switching to its bipedal dinosaur-like mode as it came down. She looked around, taking in the environment around the doors. "We are the Red Claw!" She abruptly called out. "Show yourselves!"

There was a minute of silence before anything happened. A pair of figures emerged from behind the rock, moving towards the Gustav. Both of them were filthy and disheveled, clad in tattered cloaks to conceal themselves. Both of them had their hands in the air, but carried rifles on their backs.

Jenice leaped out of the Gustav and approached them. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She began.

"We're travelers, honest." One of them began. "We took shelter down here when we heard you coming."

There was silence for a minute, then a gunshot rang out across the valley. The man collapsed to the ground, clutching is abdomen in pain. "Now." Jenice began, pointing the smoking pistol at the other one. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The second man collapsed to his knees, a terrified look on his face. "We're scavengers!" He began. "We found a Zoid and were hiding out here until we could find a buyer for it!" He continued. "We didn't know that this was your base, honest!"

"Fine then." She began, stepping past him and walking over to the stray rock. Up close, it was clear that it wasn't a rock, rather a form, presumably the Zoid he mentioned, concealed by a camouflage tarp. She yanked it away, letting it fall to the ground to revela the Zoid within. It was a Command Wolf, coloured metallic red, an unusual colour for the type. "Interesting..." She began. "You were planning to sell this to us, I presume?"

"If we found you then we would have." He nervously replied. "Honest."

"Hmmm..." Jencie looked up at the Zoid. "Then welcome to the Red Claw. I'm sure we can find a place for you. This machine, however..." She looked up at the Wolf. "Its no Trinity Liger, but it will do."

"Thank you, commander." He nervously gasped out. "Thank you for-"

"Enough." She stated as she observed the machine. She ran one of her hands across the Command Wolf's leg. "Yes... in very good shape, all things considered. An old, but well-kept machine, I see. Experienced and loyal too. It should serve me well."

"Excuse me, Commander." Levisha began, interrupting her train of thought.

Jenice turned around, glaring at her. Like herself, Levisha had been forced to abandon her Zoid on the battlefield, and was now without one. Unlike Jenice, she had no readily available replacement. There was also a lot of questions hanging over her head. "What is it, Levisha?" Jenice asked. "This had better be important."

"I'm concerned about Pinnacle base." She began. "I left materials there that would be detrimental to our cause if they were to fall into the hands of the enemy I suspect that you did as well." She paused. "Also, there is still a skeleton staff there, as well as a lot of supplies. It would help our cause if we could liberate these before they were captured."

Jencie glared at her. She was reluctant to trust Levisha, but at the same time, she knew that her second in command spoke the truth. "Very well then. You and Trogdor take the two flatbeds back to Pinnacle. Take whatever you can and bring it back here." She narrowed her eyes. "However, if the Empire's forces follow you, then you are on your own. Do not lead them back to this place, Levisha."

"I understand commander." She said. "I will not fail you." The woman saluted, then turned back to the Evo Flyer.

_Yes, this shall be a test. _Jencie thought as the Zoid lifted off. _Prove your loyalty to me. Either return with what we need, or do not return to me at all._

oOoOo

The morning after the battle, Nathan Winters had received a special summons from the Imperial high Command. He had been ordered to attend a special debriefing session with the Emperor himself to explain exactly what had transpired during the day. While he had already submitted his own report, apparently, it was felt that there was more information needed. As soon as he was ready, a Pteras had arrived to collect him and transport him to the capital. As he'd flown towards Gayos, he'd gone over the information at hand, reviewing the initial data available from the battle. It didn't look good.

He'd met with Dezalg, who had been ordered to attend the session with him. Apparently, it was felt that the situation was beyond the level of responsibility for the army, and now was directly in the hands of the Paladins. Nathan knew that nothing like this had ever occurred in the history of the Empire, which only gave him a greater idea of the gravity of the situation.

There had been a long, heavy silence as he delivered his report, the Emperor not speaking at all. At then end, he placed the written version on his desk. "Everything I have said is contained in here, your majesty." He concluded.

"I see." Zygra replied. "Paladin Winters, there is something I need to know."

"Yes, your majesty?"

He sat up in his chair, looking Winters directly in the eye. "Tell me, what happened? Why were we so badly defeated? Why did our forces need to be rescued by these... intruders?"

Nathan nodded. He'd given the matter a lot of thought over the last few hours. "Your Majesty, I believe that we underestimated the Red Claw's capabilities." He began. "While we had a fair idea of their force strength, we underestimated their planning and intelligence."

"How so?"

"The Claw knew that this was a trap." He explained. "More to the point, they knew exactly what we were going to do. They had managed to figure out exactly what our plan was, exactly where our forces were and exactly how we would react."

"Are you suggesting that there was an informant within our forces?" Zygra asked.

"No sir." Nathan replied. "During the battle, I clashed with a Red Claw pilot who claimed to be former paladin Sturm Trogdor. After battling them, I felt confident that he was indeed who he claimed he was."

"Neither Wrigthfield nor Okaro mentioned Trogdor's presence in the Red Claw during their reports." Zygra replied.

"No sir. It is possible that Trogdor didn't identify himself to them during the battle." He began. _Or that they omitted it to avoid taking responsibility for the issues that would arise from such an admission, _he mentally added. _I know that the consequences of my statement here will be very far reaching. _"However, he chose to let me know that he was with the Red Claw, possibly in order to make a statement."

"I see." Zygra began. "You realise the consequences of this."

"I do." Winters replied. "Trogdor will have an intimate knowledge of our procedures, our planning, the way we act, the way we think. Even with the damage we've done to the Claw's forces, they will still be effective aginst us unless we completely revise all our operations. As a weapon Trogdor is as powerful as any Zoid in their inventory."

"Regarding their losses..." Zygra continued. "The Red Claw's losses were far lighter then our own. Yet our forces had superior numbers, superior position, better preparation and were better lead."

Nathan had been dreading this moment, of all the things that he had covered in his report, "I agree with your assessment, sir." he began. "Our forces should have been able to defeat the Red Claw's attack. However, things did not go as we planned."

"The Red Claw's attack on Lyra forces us to divide our forces, substantially reducing our strength." He continued. "Then, their supercannon bombardment to the site further impacted our strength. With our own fire support Zoids eliminated, we had no way to break down their numbers before they closed in with us." He paused for a second. "However, the biggest single issue was the Trinity Liger. In my report, I noted that at least half of the Zoids destroyed by the Red Claw's forces were claimed by that single Zoid."

"One Zoid." Zygra replied. "I see."

"However, as you can see, the Trinity Liger was destroyed during the battle."

"I saw that." Zygra nodded. "Can you offer any explanation as to how it was destroyed when none of your own troops had managed to have any effect on it?"

"No sir." Nathan honestly replied. "Nobody saw it happen, presumably save for the Iguan that seemingly crippled it. All we know from examination of the wreckage is that the Zoid jettisoned its amour, which allowed the Iguan to attack its now exposed neck. This was enough to destroy the Zoid."

"Unusual." Zygra commented. "Do you know why the Zoid shed its amour like that?"

Dezalg stepped forwards and spoke up. "Technicans have begun analysing the Zoid's wreckage. So far, we've been presented with some preliminary information form their on-site inspection, but we're expecting more when the Zoid is shipped back to the Imperial Technical institute."

"And what have they found?"

"The Zoid's chassis appears to be that of a Liger Zero." Dezlag explained. "We initially believed that it was a new CAS, but the chassis appears to have been modified to a degree."

"So, is this a new Zoid?"

"No." Dezlag shook his head. "The registration numbers on the Chassis were checked against the UZN's registries. The Zoid was positively matched to one that was crippled and believed lost during the Drakken offensive during the last war. The machine itself is over fifty years old, but the armour seems to be new."

There was a heavy silence as the three of them considered the implications of what Dezlag had reported. Finally, Zugra spoke up. "And what of this group that attacked the Red Claw. Do we have any details on them?"

"Only a few." Nathan replied. "We have not been able to match them to any known bandit group, and it can be assumed that they are not attached to either the Draken or UZN armies. Nothing about their operation suggested any sort of professional mercenary force either. However, I think I have some leads."

"Go on."

"During my investigation of the Red Claw's attacks, I discovered that there was often another group involved. On several occasions, this group had either interfered with the Claw's operations, or had actively attacked them." Nathan explained. "The single most notable occurrence of this was in Freedom, where this group, along with a Blackstar, attacked the Red Claw's headquarters there. I do not believe, however, that they and the Blackstar were working together."

"A vigilante group battling the Red Claw." Zygra commented. "I see. This is a most upsetting development. The idea that an independent group could operate within the empire is distressing enough, but the thought that they are doing better then our own forces at combating this menace is... disturbing to say the least." He glanced over at Nathan. "Do you know anything about them?"

"I believe their leader is a man called Floyd Glass." He explained. "He is a former Imperial Army technician who left a few years ago. We've been after him for questioning with regards to a few matters for some time now, but he is surprisingly elusive."

"And the rest of his band?"

"Nothing definitive as yet." He admitted. "While one of their Zoids, a Hammer Rock, was disabled and abandoned after the battle, the pilot managed to escape."

"We checked the Hammer Rock's serial numbers against records as well." Dezalg added. "Its an Imperial unit that was left in a supply cache and apparently forgotten. They probably found it purely by accident."

"And you let them go?" Zygra asked.

"At the time, we didn't have much choice." Nathan admitted. "Our own forces were shattered, and we were still engaged with the remaining Red Claw Troops."

"Which you failed to catch as well."

"With respect, your majesty." Nathan replied. "We could not have prevented the Claw's escape. Doing so would have merely resulted in more casualties amongst our own forces."

"I see. And what is being done regarding them?"

Dezlag spoke up again. "We're questioning the captured pilots and infantry now." He explained. "As soon as we locate their headquarters, we will send out an expeditionary force to capture or eliminate it. We're planning to simply hit it with as much force as possible in order to end the Red Claw threat for once and for all."

"Good." Zygra nodded. "But I have to ask, Winters. How has this happened? How have our forces become so weak?"

_Sturm knew that something like this would happen all along, _he thought. _It's what he tried to warn me about. And when I ignored him, he was forced to act to demonstrate his point. And now, but joining the Red Claw, he has guaranteed that he will get his way, one way or another. _"Your majesty, the problem lies with their equipment." He began. "When we built the Zygra army, we felt that by limiting ourselves to low technology, we would in effect discourage militarism. In the aftermath of the Hydra Conflict, there would be few who would disagree. Certainly with the wid-scale disarming of the empire, there were very few threats that our army couldn't deal with. And by building simple, cheap Zoids, we were able to keep the military budget low. In this way, the empire has kept the second highest standard of living on the planet for over forty years."

"The UZN and the Draken Empire both followed similar policies. We guaranteed peace by deliberately hobbling and restricting our forces, so that no side would be able to build an army capable enough to take on their neighbors. Combined with the limiting and elimination of certain weapons and other Zoid technologies, the ability to wage war was eliminated. Any war would end up consisting of clashes of massed smaller Zoids, with very high levels of mutual losses."

"However, times changed. The number of Zoids that had seemingly slipped through the cracks grew, with our army having to face ever increasingly better armed and equipped opponents. And while most of them acted alone, it was only a matter of time before a large organisation like the Red Claw formed. However, the army remained confident that they would be able to deal with any new threats simply because they had been so successful in past. It's only now that we've begun to realise just how far our capability has fallen behind; not only are we now well behind the UZN or the Draken Empire, but we're even losing ground to the Aurorans as well. We know that the Empire is developing new Zoids and, while not increasing the size of their armies, they are improving the overall quality, phasing out weaker Zoids in favour of more powerful ones while remaining within the treaty size limits for armies."

Again there was a heavy silence. "So what would you suggest then, Paladin Winters?" Zygra finally asked.

Nathan swallowed nervously. "We need to expand the military. We need to increase not just the number of Zoids in service, but the types that we are using. We have the technology and information to begin creating better and more powerful Zoids; even if they are older designs like Arosaurers or Command Wolves they will still be a substantial improvement over what we are fielding at the moment. We also need to increase the size of the army; we need more troops in the field and more men in Zoids. I would recommend crash graduating all current Squires to fill fledged knights, and then opening up more positions. Most of the squires have enough experience as it is to be effective in the field."

_There. I've just said what you tried to, what i rejected when you suggested. I hope you're happy, Sturm._

He finished, looking at Zygra. The older man rubbed his chin for a moment as he considered what Winters had said. His suggestions few in the face of what the Zygra Empire had been doing for the last five decades. Instead of maintaining peace, Winters was suggesting that they rearm themselves and prepare for war, not only changing the army's equipment, but the very nature of their use.

Zygra stood, turning is back to the two of them as he looked out the window of his office, over the garden below. "My father never wanted an Empire." He started. "He wanted an open democracy, not a hereditary ruler. But the people demanded that he lead, and they granted him his power through their wishes. They opted for stability and reliability over freedom and the right to choose their leaders." He sighed. "There are days when I really wish that he had gotten his way."

He turned back to Winters and Dezalg. "Very well." He began. "I will introduce the motion to the senate. After the scare that the Red Claw has given them, then they will almost certainly vote in favor of it."

"Thank you, your majesty." Nathan replied.

"We may have dealt a fatal blow to the Red Claw, but there will be others." He continued. "We have won a victory today, but we must prepare for what will come tomorrow."

oOoOo

Sabrina nervously sat on the bench in the hallway, patiently waiting by Captain Thorne's front door. She'd been told to come in her best clothes, so today she'd traded in her usual plain technician's jumpsuit for the simple cadet's uniform that she had been given when she commenced training. It wasn't much, but she also figured that a military uniform would be more appropriate then the single nice dress she owned.

The door slid open, Captain Thorne stepping out. In place of her usual black and red sythleather attire, she was instead dressed in a full dress uniform; a dull grey high-collar jacket with a dull red trim over a full-length shirt with matching pants, black boots and matching gloves. It was quite a contrast to the way she usually looked; Sabrina could honestly say that she'd never seen Thorne (or any other true Blackstar) dressed like this. Usually they openly flaunted their appearance, their 'uniforms' consisting of revealing outfits, almost all in black.

Of course, today was a very special day, and she figured that they probably had to dress appropriately for the situation; after all, everyone else in the city (But not the international district, by all reports) did. This was also going to be a special time for her; she had never attended a military Foundation Day ceremony before; she had heard that they were quite different to the ones that she had attended at home.

"You're here." Thorne began. "Good."

"Yes, captain." She stammered out. "I hope everything's fine."

Thorne briefly sized her up, making a quick assessment. "You'll do." She finished. "Let's go."

The pair of them walked through the seemingly labyrinth like corridors of the central military compound, eventually coming to a large garden area. In comparison to everything else in the city which was dull and grimy, the garden was bright and open, clean and well maintained. Several paths went through it, each lined by rows of trees and flowerbeds, as well as statues of great heroes from the past of their people.

At the far end of the garden stood a large, ornate structure that stood out from the world around it. Whereas almost every building in the city was designed for function and not appearance, this one seemed to be its polar opposite. The building was rather ornate, featuring pointed spires and flying buttresses, as well as overly large arched windows. She studied the building as the pair of them approached it.

The pair of them stepped inside the building, Sabrina taking in what she was seeing. The interior was one large room, furnished only with rows of long wooden benches. The insides of the windows were decorated with depictions of events form their past; the arrival on the Dark Continent, the defeat of the three invasions of their home, the Long March and other moments. Looking over the room, she could see that all the other people present were other Blackstar warriors. She suddenly felt very self conscious, and very out of place.

Thorne lead her to a seat near the front of the room, the pair of them sitting in silence. Looking around, she could see that she was indeed the only person here who wasn't a true Blackstar, making her feel even more awkward. She had none of the traditional traits they had; tall, good-looking, long hair and, most importantly, the special green eyes. Sabrina quietly settled into the back of her seat, trying to remain unnoticed.

Instead, she looked up at the huge window at the head of the room. It depicted four different warriors, dressed in different versions of their uniform from across their history. Behind them stood the four Zoid types that had supported their people; a Darkhorn and a Deadborder, flanked by a Heldigunner and a Redler. And above them was the mythical yellow star, the place that was said to be their origin, but was now lost to time.

A lone bugle call filled the hall, the assembled warriors standing as one. She also stood, making sure that she didn't do anything too out of place. She desperately wanted this day to go well; not just because it was the first one of these ceremonies she had ever attended as a warrior in training, but because she so desperately wanted to fit in. If she was to join these people, she figured, she had to learn to be like them as much as she could.

A pair of soldiers dressed in the standard Blackstar Infantry uniforms entered the hall, carrying ceremonial dummy rifles. Besides her, these two would be the only non Blackstars in the room. A procession of soldiers dressed in elaborate dress uniforms entered the hall, many of them appearing to be older then the norm; from what she knew, these people could be anything up to a century old and had partaken in many of the great events depicted. These people were the ones that today honored; it was their sacrifices and their acts that had allowed them to survive to the present day.

_And I will do my very best to honor them and what they have done, _she quietly vowed.

oOoOo

Unlike a lot of the towns that he frequented, Henrich Jaeger had found that Middleton was surprisingly neat and prosperous. The place was well organised and well looked after, rather then the dry, decaying places that he seemed to spend so much of his life sitting around in. It was also a good way away from the Red Claw's territory, which made him figure why this place had been chosen for the meeting. The last thing he figured that his contact wanted was to risk being caught.

Following the battle of the Hydra Cache, the Empire had stepped up its efforts to locate the Red Claw. As far as he figured, from the amount of captives they had taken, it was only a matter of time before one for them talked and revealed the location of the Claw's headquarters. He knew that Jenice had a spare base that she could fall back on, however, at the same time, he knew having to leave Pinnacle in a hurry would be a severe loss to them.

_A pity, _he thought. _There was a lot of things there that I would have personally liked to inspect._

His thoughts were interrupted by Levisha slumping down in the other seat of his booth. She had taken the corner, less sitting up as she usually did but rather edging herself in, her arm loosly draped across the back of the booth. She was wearing the dress she usually favored for these sorts of meetings, but it was rather crumpled. In other words, he figured, she was not acting very much like her.

"I saw what happened at the pit." He began, deciding to get things moving. "Certainly I'm sure that things didn't go as you planned."

"Really?" She casually replied, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "That would be one way to put it."

Jaeger sighed. There was something very, very wrong with her, he noted. Still, he needed her information. "The loss of the Trinity Liger would be a blow, to say the least."

"That's the understatement of the year." Levisha replied. "Jenice is acting like she got her arm chopped off or something. She's been alternating between ranting and raving and then skulking and brooding. And she's been taking it out on the rest of us."

"Oh?"

"She's blamed me for the failure of our attack on the pit." Levisha replied. "Me, who got all the intel, planed the op, coordinated her troops, all that crap. How was I meant to know that Glass and his damn wandering maniacs were going to give us the bums steer?"

Jager winched as he heard her. Not only was she not sounding like, well, herself, he was getting the impression that she may have been more then a touch inebriated, which would not make matters any easier. Of course, he also knew that it would take a lot to get her in such a state, which was also a worry. "True." He admitted, trying to force her to focus. "Do you know yet what exactly happened to the Trinity Liger?"

"No." She admitted. "I was too busy falling form a burning Pteras." She shrugged. "But I've gotten some information. The short version is that the Liger tried to plough under your wundergirl. And then its amour fell of for no real reason... and the Iguan augured it in." She shrugged. "Unfortunately, I have a dire shortage of info I can give you."

That matched what he had seen. "You do realise what this means?"

Levisha nodded. "That girl is a menace. Not just that, she's an incredibly powerful menace."

"We must have her"

"Someone could take that the wrong way." She finished. "Still, I do agree. If she did what I suspect she did, then that will throw everything out of kilter. She alone could be the greatest single obstacle to our plans."

"Or our most powerful weapon." Jaeger replied.

"True." She nodded, suddenly sounding a lot more like her normal self. "But, of course, nobody saw what happened; well, save for Jenice herself. And since Jenice's Liger wasn't recoverable, there's very little data I can give you on what happened there." She pulled out a data disk and handed it to him. "Here's the BattleROM data from the surviving Claw Zoids. With no Pteras and no Trinity Liger, they're far from complete, but they may still be useful."

"Thank you." He replied as he took it. "Understand now that we are at a critical moment. All data is vital."

"Oh?" She leaned closer. "Do tell."

"Our observers noted a shift within the Zero Point cluster." He explained in a low voice. "Several orbital adjustments have allready occured. Something has activated up there, possibly as a response to what happened."

"Already?" Levisha sat up, a surprised look on her face. "Don't tell me, this shift occurred within hours of the events in the pit, right?"

Jaeger nodded. "We don't know exactly what it was, but it's too much to be a coincidence."

"I concur."

"If the estimates are correct, then there will be a sudden upsurge in wild Zoid activity over the next few days." He continued. "This will be to our advantage, but it will still not be enough for us to fulfill our aims."

"So what do you want of me?" Levisha asked.

"We need the Red Claw to escalate the war." He explained. "We need to step up both the pace and the intensity of your operations. The Empire is showing signs of weakness, but it is not enough."

"That's an awfully big request." She replied. "Frankly, right now the Claw is screwed." She slumped into the corner of the booth. "With Bart working his flabby oversized arse off, we've been able to make it to 60 of our Zoid strength... and of course, that's without either the Trinity Liger or my Pteras. We're direfully short of parts and supplies, having abandoned almost all of our stash with Pinnacle. And while we were able to engage in some looting, we had to leave behind more then we could salvage... and that includes the Mammoth we got." She shrugged. "The Claw can't 'escalate' the conflict. They can manage 'drag it out' at best."

Jaeger was surprised by this. While it wasn't the Red Claw's situation that had caught him unawares (Although it did seem to be worse then he had expected), rather it was Levisha's outburst that he wasn't prepared for. Clearly there was more at play then he was expecting. "I see." He replied. "This does complicate things. What is it you need?"

"Well..." She began as she held up three fingers. "Three things. First up, we need a few new Zoids, and definitely something big and intimidating to make Jenice happy." She began counting off her fingers. "Second, we need an easy victory where we can walk all over the Zygra forces and make the men feel good about themselves. Third, I need some major intelligence coup that will benefit the Claw and more importantly, make me look good to Jenice."

"Hmm..." Jaeger considered matters. "There may be a way out of this, Levisha." He looked her in the eye. "We recently unearthed a Hydra Cache, taking advantage of the chaos within the Empire to move in and claim it unnoticed. The cache, while small, did contain a few interesting items."

"What are you saying?"

"I can solve all your problems." He explained. "You will deliver intel to Jenice on this site. Then the claw will seize it, giving them access to the powerful Zoids contained within it. This will in turn allow the Red Claw to not only continue their war against the Empire, but to escalate the conflict with these new weapons. And this will, of course, be beneficial to our aims."

"Of course." She replied. "So the question is, can you arrange this?"

He nodded. "I know that command will see the benefits to the continued strength of the Red Claw. We are still not yet strong enough to act; even with these machines. However, the time that such an escalation of the conflict would grant us would be more then enough to help certain projects reach maturity."

Levisha nodded. "Very well. I will do all in my power to keep the Claw alive. Just make sure we get those Zoids."

oOoOo

Thorne knocked once on Colonel Cade's office, waiting for his reply. After a minute, there was a brief "enter" from inside. She opened the door and stepped into his office, wearing an impassive look on her face.

She'd received the summons to his office not too long after waking up. It had thrown her plans for the day for a severe loop; she had been planning to launch a large-scale simulated battle on one of the bigger virtual battlefields with Delgado to see how long she could keep going. She'd spent hours constructing the scenario in order to make sure that it was just right, that every detail was perfect.

Instead, she'd had to leave Delgado in the training center while she reported in to him. It made her curious as to what was going on. Besides being her immediate superior, Cade was also the man who had assigned her to train Delgado. it made her wonder if that was what this was about. "Reporting as ordered, colonel." She began

"Thank you, captain." Cade replied. He was dressed in his full dress uniform, a contrast to her own leathers; it was considered to be the 'fashionable' thing to do when you reached such a rank. "Do you know why I have asked you here this morning?"

"This is related to Delgado's training, correct?" Thorne replied.

"It is." He stated. "I've been reviewing your procedures thus far, as well as Delgado's performance. The results you have achieved are interesting to say the least. Delgado is performing well above what I had expected from her, Captain."

"Thank you, sir."

"However, there are certain aspects of her training that I..." he trailed off for a moment. "I have issues with, shall we say."

"Such as?" She casually asked, already knowing what it was. She had planned for this moment.

He placed a noteputer down on the desktop. "I have been reviewing the logs for your simulated battles, Captain." He began. "I've noticed a few, well, shall we call them discrepancies in your training methods."

Thorne remained impassive. "Such as?"

"The scenarios you have constructed for the simulated battles do not follow the standard curriculum." He explained. "In fact, they deviate form them to a significant degree." He looked straight up at her. "You have had her facing simulated Zygra forces, Captain. All of your scenarios have called for your units to engage Zygra forces in offensive operations, including I might add an attack on their capital. And I see that your plan for today would have had your forces engaging in a large-scale conflict with the Zygra Army." He looked up at her. "Thorne, this is unacceptable. You have been teaching her to see the Zygra forces, our allies, as enemies."

"With respect, sir." Thorne replied. "I felt the choice of opponents was suitable. If we are going to be engaging in a large-scale conflict, then we are more likely to be engaged in one with the Zygra Army then any other force. Since our intel on the Red Claw is only minimal, I felt that I could not reasonably simulate their forces for such a scenario, sir."

"That's only an excuse and you know it." He replied. "You have been training her to see the Zygra empire as enemies."

"I merely used them as an opposing force, sir." She replied. "I felt that she would learn more form such a simulated conflict then she would from he usual 'bandit hunting' missions that the sims run."

"Your conduct in her training has been unacceptable, Captain Thorne." He finished. "As a result, I have no option but to reassign Delgado to a training officer that I can rely on to follow the standard curriculum." He finished.

"I see, sir." Thorne nodded. "And myself?"

There was a pause. "High Command has been impressed by your performance in the field." He replied, a hint of anger in his voice. "After the most recent conflicts between the Empire and the Red Claw, they feel that we should be taking a more aggressive stance against them. As of tomorrow, you will be re-assigned to the field again."

"Yes Commander." She replied, a smug tone in her voice. "Is there anything else?"

"I can tell that you're loving this, Thorne." He stated. "And I also know exactly what you will do once you get back into the field."

"I only seek to serve my people, sir." She replied.

"Of course." He finished. "Very well then. Dismissed."

She saluted, then turned and left the office. Cade had been right, she figured. She had enjoyed this little session. One of her objectives in using Zygra forces as training targets was to simply annoy Colonel Cade. If he disapproved of the way that she was handling the situation, she had figured, then he would have no choice other then to reassign her. And since she had seen more action against the Claw then anyone else, then there would be only one logical role to reassign her to. Which meant that everything had worked out exactly as she had planned.

She walked over to the training center, finding Delgado waiting outside the simulator centers. "Oh, Captain." She began, standing to attention. "I went over the material you gave me, and I think I'm ready for today's exercises."

"Good work, Delgado." Thorne replied. "But you won't be needing it. Unfortunately, there has been a change in plan."

"What has happened, can i ask?"

"I've been reassigned to other duties. A different officer will take over your training." She explained. "For today, I want you to revise all the theory work we've been over and summarise for the new officer so they knew where you are up to."

"Yes, commander." She replied. "Oh, and thank you."

This caught Throne by surprise. "What for?" She asked.

"Well, for giving me a chance." She explained. "I mean, I know I'm not a real Blackstar like you are. But yet you've treated me fairly and help me make the most of the opportunity I have been given." She smiled at Thorne. "I don't know if anyone else would have given me the same opportunities or mentored me as closely as you did."

This struck Thorne; she didn't think she'd been particularly close to Delgado, nor that nice to her. _But then, I'm not a true Blackstar either, _she thought. _I just gave her the same chance that I was given. Still, there is something about her..._

"Thank you, Delgado." She finished. "I just hope that you do as well with the rest of your training."

"I'll give it my best try, Captain."

_I'm sure you will, _she thought. _Whoever, or whatever you really are._

oOoOo

The trip through the desert had been a long one, undertaken in near total silence. Over the course of several days, the members of the group had barely talked to each other. Rayvenne had spent all her time watching over Althiea, checking to see if her condition had changed. It hadn't, the young woman had instead remained asleep for the entire journey.

The column had entered a rocky valley a while back, and were slowly winding their way towards the far end of it. At the end, a sheer cliff face, they sighted a collection of ruined buildings, surrounded by a rusted fence. "We're here." Floyd announced.

"Here?" Jason asked. "What's here? All I see is a dead end."

"Here is my home." Floyd replied. "It's where I have the facilities to find out what's happened to Althiea."

"This place?" Jason snapped. "All I see is some rubble and a twisted wire fence." The Iguan stomped forwards as he spoke. "There's nothing here to-"

"Jason, stop!" Floyd shouted out. The iguan stopped dead just as a pair of rocks shifted nearby. A small turret appeared out of the ground, a small gattling cannon mounted on the back of it, pointed straight at the Iguan.

The Zoid stopped dead in its tracks, staring at the turret. "What..." Jason began.

"The heck?" Leanne asked. "Floyd, what's goin' on here?"

"As I was about to say." He replied. "This is my home. You were about to trigger the defences."

"Defences?" Leanne looked around. "In this place? Why'd you need to defend a buncha crummy old ruins?"

"Did you really think that I would live in a bunch of crummy old ruins?" Floyd asked rhetorically, a hint of his normal tone reporting. "Oh, dear no. They're just a front. Now both of you stand back while I deactivate the defences. It would not be fitting for us to arrive at my humble abode full of holes."

He opened the cockpit of the Gustav and stood up, clambering out of the Zoid. He walked over to an elderly lamp post, and flipped open a panel on one side. After punching in a few numbers, he casually strode back to the Gustav while the turret retracted. "See?" He began. "Nothing to worry about. The cannon, as well as the other systems I had installed, have been deactivated. All safe now."

He climbed back into the Gustav and closed the cockpit. "All right, people. Follow me." The Gustav slowly advanced towards the cliff face at the far end of the canyon, then stopped. "Oh, come on." He snapped. "What's wrong now?"

"You're driving straight towards the cliff." Jason pointed out

"Of course I am, my dear boy." Floyd stated. "Its a secret door that leads into my subterranean lair. Now are you coming or what?"

"Right..." He muttered, the Iguan heading out after the Gustav. The Gunsniper followed behind it, looking around as it walked. Then, abruptly, the Zoid stopped. "What's up with you, Leanne?" He asked.

"I got something on the scope." She replied. The Gunsniper hissed, its head turning to look around the ridge. "There's something nearby."

"That's odd..." Floyd commented. "There shouldn't be anything around here save for us."

"It's not the Red Claw, is it?" Jason asked. "Did htye follow us?"

"I dunno..." She commented. "It looks like one blip, and a biggish one at that."

"I've got it too." Floyd added. "It's not going to be a Claw Zoid, unless it's that Bigasaur. But there's no way it could have caught us."

"Could it be the Empire?" Jason asked.

"A single Zoid in the middle of nowhere?" He asked. "Definitely not, especially not one of their Bigasaurs. It'd have an escort."

"So then... what is it?" Leanne began. And then she saw it.

A shape loomed on the top of a ridge, overlooking the valley below and silhouetted against the sun. It was massive, far bigger then any of their Zoids. Its shape vaguely suggested the Hammer Rock, but on a far grander scale. Beofre any of them could react, the machine leaped into the air on a pair of brilliant flames from its back, then came down on the ground behind them, landing in a crouch before arising.

The Zoid was a massive, gorilla-like machine, towering over any of their own. It would have easily dwarfed the Trinity Liger, or even the Bigasuars they had encountered. Its pitted and scared armour was black, with a grey structure visible underneath it. A large pack was mounted on its back, a pair of wing-like vanes rising from it, while it sported a huge cannon on its right shoulder. The Zoid looked over them, its eyes suddenly glowing bright red as it watched them.

"What in the heck is that?" Leanne asked.

"An Iron Kong..." Floyd trailed off. "A wild Iron Kong. Such a beast shouldn't even exist any more… and yet, here it is."

"And it's got us caught between the exit and the cliff face." Jason added. "We can't get past it."

"Hold on." Floyd began. "It may not be hostile. Just don't make any sudden moves."

As if to disprove his point, the Iron Kong reared up, letting out a loud roar. Then the Zoid dropped down onto its knuckles, and ran at the group, thundering towards them at high speed. The Iguan and Gunsniper both scattered out of its way, the Gustav instead just speeding up, heading away form the Zoid. The Iron Kong seemed to ignore the smaller Zoids ofr the moment, concentrating on the Gustav.

"Floyd!" Rayvenne called out over the communicator. "I'm going to lift off and try to distract him! You get out of here with Ali!"

"Sure thing!" Floyd called back as the Gustav pulled away form the cliff face. The last thing Floyd wanted to do was expose the entrance to his home when there was a rampaging Zoid around. The Gustav skidded around, then sped away form the giant Zoid. Unfortunately, the Iron Kong seemed fixated on it, knuckling along after it and rapidly closing the distance. "Persistent blighter, isn't he?" Floyd muttered.

The Sinker lifted off from the Gustav's trailers, soaring into the air and then looping around towards the giant Zoid. The Iron Kong didn't seem to notice it at first, seemingly fixated on the Gustav, presumably as it was the largest of the Zoids present. The Sinker looped around once, passing by the Kong to seemingly no effect. "Damn it!" Rayvenne snarled. "Pay attention to me, already!"

The Iguan and Gunsniper both ran towards the Zoid, closing in on it form the flanks. "He's still going after the Gustav!" Jason called out. "Right, we'll need to force him to pay attention to us then!" He opened fire with the Iguan's twin head-mounted cannons, the shots scorching the armour, but seemingly having no effect on the Zoid.

"We must all be crazy." Leanne commented as she squeezed the trigger. The Gunsnipers twin wrist vulcans spat fire, peppering the Kong's flanks with shots. That seemed to work a little better then Jason's efforts; the Zoid suddenly stopped, the thrusters on its back firing in order to spin it round. The massive Zoid turned to face the Gunsniper, then charged towards it at high speed.

"Dangit!" Leanne called out as she turned around, the Gunsniper now on the run from the larger Zoid. "Hey Floyd! e's ofllowin' me now! Can't ya do anyhtin' about it like turn on yer defences again?"

"That would not be a good idea, Leanne!" He called back. "The control system hasn't been programmed to recongise your Zoids as yet. It's just as likely to open fire on you as it is on the Kong!"

"Dangit!" She called out as she fired the Gunsniper's boosters, the small Zoid leaping out of the way of the Kong as it swung at her. "So how in the heck are we meant to stop this thing?"

"We'll think of something!" Jason called out. "We usually do!" The Iguan ran past the Iron Kong, firing its quad cannon into the Zoid's side. The hits seemed to have some effect, the Zoid visibly shaking under the impact. Grunting, the Kong turned around to face the Iguan. "Ah hell!" He yelled out as it took off after him. Firing his own boosters, he leaped away form the huge Zoid, landing on a ridge halfway up the cliff.

In response, the Iron Kong did something unexpected. It opened fire with the massive hyperbeam launcher on its right shoulder, the shot vaporizing the rock ridge under the Iguan. Jason's Zoid crashed to the ground, landing flat on its front. "Jase!" Rayvenne called out. "You okay?"

"Fine." He muttered. "I just didn't think its wepaons would be operational."

"Well, the good news is that its big back missiles are clearly gone." Floyd called out. "No idea about the shoulder missiles though. Of course, with the Hyperbeam Launcher and the beam cannon still functional, that's not so much of a bonus."

"So what do we do about it?" Leanne asked as the Kong turned towards her Zoid again. It opened fire with the wrist cannon, sending shots at her Zoid. The Gunsniper scurried away, looking for cover in amongst the rubble. "Sure as heck we ain't gonna be able to stop it!"

"Hang on a sec..." Rayvenne called out. The Sinker dived towards the Iron Kong, opening fire with the dual beam gattling cannons. The shots bounced off the Zoid's armour to seemingly no effect. As she pulled away, the Iron Kong opened fire again with the wrist guns, the shots narrowly passing the Sinker. "Holy crap!" Rayvenne called out as she fired the boosters, climbing away as fast as she could. Before the Sinker could escape, however, one of the shots clipped the starboard booster.

The Sinker suddenly swerved in flight, smoke billowing out form its damaged thruster. "Damn it!" Rayvenne called out. "I'm loosing control here... I'm gonna have to put her down!" The Sinker came around, slowly heading away from the battlefield. Instead, it dived into the valley, before coming down, skidding along on its belly until it skidded to a halt.

"What do we do now?" Leanne asked.

"Only thing we can do." Jason commented. "We keep trying." The Iguan ran at the giant Zoid again, sprinting around to its side before opening fire again. The shots bounced off the Iron Kong's armour, but seemed to get its attention again. The Zoid turned to him, swinging around with one of its massive fists. The Iguan managed to duck out of the way, then fired its boosters, leaping away from the Zoid.

The Iron Kong fired its own boosters, swinging around to chase the Iguan. It swung again with its fist, the side clipping the Iguan and sending it sprawling. The smaller Zoid crashed to the ground, slamming down on its back.

Before the Kong could strike again, Leanne ran towards it, opening fire with the wrist gattlings again. The shots scored and marred the armour, but didn't do too much else to the Zoid. It retaliated, opening fire again with the Hyperbeam cannon. The shot narrowly missed the Gunsnipoer, but the blast was enough to send the Zoid reeling. The Gunsniper crashed to the ground on its side, the side of the canopy slamming into a ruined wall.

"Leanne!" Floyd called out. "Leanne, are you okay?" There was no reply. "Ah hell..." He was torn; he had a choice between helping his downed teammates, or protecting the incapacitated woman that was still on his Zoid's back. For once in his life, Floyd had no idea of what to do.

In the end, the Iron Kong made the choice for him. The Zoid leaped at his Gustav, swinging at it with its massive fists. Seeing no other option, Floyd floored the accelerator, speeding away from the other Zoid. The Iron Kong lumbered after it at quite frightening speed, closing the distance between the two of them rather quickly. Rather then striking again, it opened fire with the hyperbream cannon. The blast narrowly missed the Gustav, instead tearing into the ground right in front of it.

"Dangit!" Floyd yelled out as he swerved the Zoid around, desperately trying to avoid the crater. He was out of luck, the Gustav hititng it and then spinning out, skidding across the sand. The trailers flailed out behind it, one of them smashing into a rocky outcropping and flipping over.

The trailer that Althiea had been on.

Floyd watched in horror as it rolled over, the crane giving way under its weight as it flipped. Then he saw something; a black-clad figure leaping - not falling - off the trailer. She landed in a crouch near the trailer, then turned to look up at the Iron Kong.

oOoOo

Althiea turned around, looking for the voice that had awakened her. It had shouted out to her, piercing through her mind, managing to snap her back awake form whatever it was that had knocked her out. As she turned, she saw what it was; a massive black Iron Kong looming over her. She knew about the Zoid, having seen enough photos of it, but had never expected to see one for real; specially not one that had just showed up out of nowhere and attacked her friends.

The Iron Kong was the one shouting at her, calling out to her mind. She heard it loudly and clearly as she approached it, not taking her eyes off it for a second. The machine loomed up over her, growling then bellowing out at her. Despite this, and its bulk, she didn't feel in the least bit afraid of it.

"Althiea!" Floyd called out from behind her. "Get away from that Zoid!"

"Don't worry, Floyd." She began. "I know what I have to do."

The Iron Kong raised one of its massive fists over her, holding it above her head. "You won't do that." She simply stated. "You know that you don't want to do that. You don't want to any of this, do you?"

There was a tense silence as the Zoid stood there while she stared up at it. Then the Zoid drove its fist into the ground, right in front of her. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, to the surprise of everyone watching, Althiea clambered up the front of the fist, climbing onto the Zoid's arm. "There." She began. "Now remain calm. It won't be too much longer."

"Altheia!" Floyd called out. "What... what are you doing?"

She didn't pay any attention to the him, instead focusing all her attention on the task at hand. She slowly worked her way up the Zoid's arm, using whatever grips she could find. Reaching the top, she slowly worked her way over the shoulder, ducking under the Hyperbeam launcher before making it over to the chest. Once there, she climbed onto the Zoid's chest, standing up as she approached the head.

The Zoid's huge face turned to face her, its eyes blazing red as the Kong let out an angry growl. "No." She replied. "You don't want to do that. Just trust me; it will be over soon if we both remain calm." The Zoid remained silent, letting her approach it.

She moved up to the side of the cockpit, following the rescue instructions on the side to open the canopy. As she suspected, it hadn't been closed from the inside; that made what she had to do so much easier. The Iron Kong's cockpit opened with a hiss, stale, dry air wafting out from it. She had no idea how long it had been since the cockpit was last opened, only what she needed to do in it.

Althiea climbed inside the Zoid's cockpit, sliding into the pilot's seat. She looked over the controls, quickly matching up what her mind had seen with the reality in front of her. She ducked down under the main console, quickly checking the underside of it. Finding a servicing panel, she opened it, glancing inside.

The Iron Kong bellowed out, slamming the canopy shut. The whole cockpit shook as the Zoid reared up, angrily shaking its arms in the air. Then, to the horror of all those on the ground, the left arm slowly began to reach for the Zoid's own cockpit, its massive fingers outstretched.

"Don't be afraid." Altheia stated, both for her own benefit and for the Zoid's. "It won't be long now." Inside the mess of components, she saw what she wanted; a single large chip, far bigger then those around it; just as her mind had seen it. She reached in and grabbed at it, her hand fastening aorund the chip. And then she pulled on it with all the strength she could muster. The Iron Kong let out a loud roar, rearing up and shaking its massive firsts in the air. Then it slumped down into its normal stance, silent.

Inside the cockpit, Althiea sighed. "We did it." She said to herself. "Thank you."

oOoOo

"Floyd?" Rayvenne asked as she walked over to him. "Wha... what's going on there?"

Leanne and Jason also walked over to him. Leanne was sporting a bandage on her forehead, having apparently landed badly when her Zoid was knocked over. "Yeah..." Jason muttered. "One minute that thing's trying to kill us. Next thing, Ali's clambering all over it... after being asleep for three days."

"I wish I knew." He admitted. "Really, I do."


	23. Black Heaven

Floyd Glass's "Home" was more akin to a fortress the any real dwelling. It was built inside a cliff face, based on what had once been a natural cavern, but considerably expanded on. The facility itself was incredibly secure, with thick, steel-lined concrete walls that looked to be proof against most types of weapons. Despite this, it was somewhat... empty. While it was clear that Floyd was stockpiling parts (and possibly weapons), it was also clear that the fortress could hold a lot more.

The team had retreated in here after the somewhat bizarre battle that had taken place outside, one that had left three of their Zoids badly damaged and effectively out of action. Only Floyd's Gustav had avoided any severe harm, most likely due to its incredibly dense shell. The cause of the damage was largely due to what now seemed to be the newest Zoid in their force, a massive, battered Iron Kong.

For now, however, the condition of the Zoids wasn't an issue to three of the team's pilots. What was an issue were several of the events that had occurred over the last few days. One of their members had demonstrated a range of unusual abilities, ones that none of the team's members could readily explain. They wanted answers for what had occurred.

Floyd had lead the four of them into a room off one side of their main hanger that had been outfitted with a large table and a collection of mis-matched chairs around it. Floyd had sat himself down at one end of the table, while Althiea sat at the other. Jason, Leanne and Rayvenne had placed themselves on either side of the table, warily watching the pair of them.

"Nice place yer got here." Leanne commented.

"It's not mine." Floyd admitted. "I merely found it and cleaned it up a bit."

"Well, you did a good job of-"

"Leanne!" Jason cut her off. "Floyd, we want answers from you." He then glanced at Altheia. "Both of you."

"Damn straight." Rayvenne angrily continued, her arms folded across her chest. "There's something freaky going on here, and we want to know what it is."

Althea nervously glanced at the pair of them. "I'm not sure I can tell you." She admitted. "Really."

"You seemed to know what was going on with that Kong." Jason answered. "You knew exactly what to do and where to go. care to explain how."

"Um..." She nervously looked down at the table. "I... I just knew what to do, really." She began. "It was like there was someone in my head, telling me what to do."

"And what in the heck was it that you did?" Leanne asked.

"She took this out." Floyd replied, putting down something on the table. It was a large computer chip, its design somewhat unusual because of its broad base and the buzzer logo imprinted on it. The logo depicted a yellow circle with two dots and a line that provided a crude approximation of a grinning face.

"What in the heck is it?" Leanne asked as she picked it up.

"It's an old weapon, created by what would eventually become Hydra." He explained. "They used these devices to control Zoids for their own purposes. The Zoids under their control could then be used to attack specific objectives. Or, like out friend here, they could be set to generally rampage and cause chaos."

"That doesn't answer my question." Jason continued. "What the hell is with Ali? How did she hear that voice in her head? And what did she do to that Liger?"

"Yeah. You said she was normal, Floyd." Rayvenne added. "What gives?"

"I said she was normal based on the available data." Floyd commented. "The sky would be judged to be normal if it was blue, but you couldn't expect it to turn neon pink with lime green polka dots, as there is no natural phenomena that would cause that, could you?"

"Well... no." She admitted.

"Similarly, for Althiea, there is no known explanation for her newfound capabilities." Floyd continued.

"What does that mean?" Altheia asked, looking up at him.

"Well..." He began. "There are some things... Stuff from the war, mainly, that could go some way to explaining the unusual abilities that you have begun to display." He commented. "Its just a theory but-"

"Please." Althiea cut him off. "I need to know."

oOoOo

**Black Heaven**

oOoOo

_Bhradi Hills_

_The Wastelands_

_2230 Hours_

Despite being a relatively out of the way area, the Bhradi hills bore the scars of conflict. There were gouges out of its hills, blast craters and the remnants of burnt vegetation scarring their otherwise barren features. There were so many places in the wastelands that looked like them now, all bearing the scars of seven years of continual warfare. However, after tonight, it could be that everything was about to change.

Hundreds of kilometers to the west, the remnants of the UZN's army was preparing to make a courageous (Or, more likely, suicidal) last stand against the approaching Draken army, aiming to halt their offensive or, at the very least, slow it down enough to give the UZN member states time to reorganise their forces.

"Like that's going to happen." The Shield Liger's pilot muttered to herself inside the cockpit. "They're tooled and they know it. Those tools are probably just looking for more time to hammer out surrender terms."

It was the prevailing trend at the moment. The Draks were on the rampage, happily laying waste to everything in their path in a year long campaign of 'vengeance' and 'justice' and other such thin excuses for rampant destruction. In truth, 'justice' ended at a Seismosaur's muzzle, which had cause a number of people to wonder where their allegiances were lying. Several independent nations had abruptly signed non-aggression pacts with the Empire. Likewise, a coup in the Krupp Confederacy just a month ago that had put a vocally pro-Draken government in power. And there were rumors that several of the UZN member-states were seeking separate peace treaties with the Empire now that the crap was on the wall.

More annoyingly, the bulk of the small army that had come together in the wastelands had suddenly switched allegiances. Originally, the force was formed to limit and contain the conflict in the wastelands and try to prevent the two superpowers from blasting everyone else into oblivion. However, the bulk of them had recently undergone a philosophical revolution of sorts, and were now happy to stand back and let the Draks do whatever they frelling well wanted.

The result was that she was now the de-facto leader of a splinter group. Lacking the resources to fulfill their original role, they instead patrolled the wastes looking out for anything unusual. And tonight they had hit the jackpot. They'd come across an encampment in the middle of nowhere with several strange Zoids around it, one that was bristling with high-tech comms gear. If that wasn't weird, nothing was.

"So what do we have?" She asked.

"I can see just the one main tent." The female scout replied. "But there are three Zoids around it. Two of them are modified Molgas with horns on their heads. The other one is, um, its a bit odd." She admitted. "Its sort of a Genosauruer with the bits from an Iron Kong's Maneuver Thrusters in place of its back cannons and, from the looks of things, some other mods too."

"So we have some mad mods in action. Frelling great." She sighed. "Speaking of which, how's the comms traffic from that place?"

"I'm getting an awful lot of it." Another man replied. "High-speed encrypted transmissions being beamed directly to a sight satellite receiver, but It doesn't appear to be either a UZN or Imperial one. I'm worried as to what it could be."

"And that gives me the hairy carpets." She finished. "Right, we're shutting them down. Think you can plug the Genothingy in one go?"

"I can try." The scout replied. "But I think I can do it."

She shook her head. _Why did she have to be so nice about it? I think she was less scary when she was a deranged maniac. _"Good. You stay here and keep an eye on their comms and tell me if anything happens. The rest of you, you're with me."

"There's only one 'rest of you'," the only other male member of her team spoke up.

"I know that, frelnuts. But I felt better saying that." She sighed. "Okay everyone, let's go!"

There was a brief crack as a sniper rifle opened fire. The modified Genosaurer bucked, and then collapsed, smoke billowing from a hole in the base of its neck. The two Moglas looked around, desperately searching for the source of the attack.

Before they could react, a burst of fire hammered into one of them, tearing chunks out of its armour. The Shield Liger charged down the slope, its impact cannon smoking from the volley it had just unleashed. The second Molga turned to face it, only to be hammered in the side by a pair of shots. The Molga skidded as the pilot tried to bring the Zoid around to face its attacker.

A blue Command Wolf AC charged at the Zoid, its twin back cannons firing aging. The shots blasted into the Molga's side, tearing apart one of the wheels. The Zoid skidded, crashing out of control into a pile of rocks at the bottom of the hill. Its companion, however, seemed to be more determined. It charged towards the Shield Liger, opening fire with its cannons.

The Liger leaped over the Molga's line of fire, skidding around in a wide turn as it landed. Again the Zoid opened fire with its impact cannon, blasting chunks out of the Molga's body. The Zoid rolled over under the force of the blows, crashing to the ground on its side.

"That's them down." She commented. "Not too bad either."

"Sensors show the area's clear." The scout added, her Gunsniper perched on top of the ridge.

"Cool beans." She glanced at the tent. "Right, we'll go in. You keep an eye on out here and let us know the instant anything changes."

The pair of them climbed out of their Zoids, heading into the tent. "Right." She called out as she stepped in, a pistol in hand. "My name is Sandra Blackmore. You probably know who the frell I am so you also will know that- oh crap!"

Sandra ducked as a soldier in black body armour spun around, opening up with the stubby rifle in his hand. The gun bucked as it spat bullets at where she had been, tracing a line across the side of the tent.

"Whoah!" Rick called out as he stepped in after her, immediately hitting the ground and crawling under a table. "Damn it! Who are these guys?"

"Well, the armour looks to be modified A-X gear. And they've got one of those frelling autorifles."

"Great. How many times have we shut down those guys?"

"Not enough." She finished as she leaped up, turning to face the soldier as she ran. She squeezed the triggers on her pistols, opening up on the soldier before he could respond. She got lucky, one of the shots smashing through the faceplate on the armour. The solider crashed to the floor of the tent, the rifle spurting fire before emptying the clip.

Rick leaped up, only to find himself face to face with another soldier, his rifle leveled at him. The best he could manage was a brief "Urp" before he could open fire. However, instead of the inevitable spew of bullets, there was a loud 'clunk' as the rifle jammed.

"Ha!" He called out. "Didn't expect that, did ya?" He rammed his elbow into the soldier's throat, causing him to drop the rifle and stagger back. Grabbing the dropped weapon, he swung it at the soldier, bashing him in the faceplate with it. This had two immediate results; the first was to knock the soldier down, the second was to cause the rifle to suddenly burst into life again, suddenly spurting off a stream of shots.

"Hey!" Sandra yelled back. "What have I told you about those things?"

"I know, I know!" He shouted. "Only point it at people you don't want to hit. I know, Sandra."

She shook her head, looking around the room. It was dominated by a large table with a built-in display, which several comms techs were hiding around. "Okay, Rick, I'm going to secure these tools. You take a look at what they're working on."

"Sure thing..." He gently put down the rifle, then walked over to the table.

Sandra meanwhile prodded the first tech with her foot. "Okay, fignuts, get up here." She began, her pistols pointed at him. "So tell me what's going on and why you're here. And bear in mind that I am in a really tooly mood, and am liable to do something really stupid if you give me any sort of tooly, half-baked answer." The technician glanced at her, then glanced at the table. Then he laughed. She squinted at him with her one good eye. "What is it, numbnuts? What's so funny that you're browning your trousers in glee?"

"You're too late." He replied. "Soon, the world will know who we are. And then... then everything will change."

"Damn you! I hate cryptic answers!" She grabbed the tech and slammed his face into a metal pole. "Now give me a damn straight answer now before I get really tooly!"

"Uh, Sandra?" Rick spoke up. "I'm seeing some very bad words here."

She glanced back at him. "What kind of bad words?"

Rick looked up form the table. It was a map of the Shelflands, marked not only with cities and military installations, but with force dispositions and present positions form both the UZN and the Empire. "Words like 'yield', 'payload', 'fallout', 'error probability', 'approximate destruction'..."

She looked down at the map, letting the tech go for the moment, while keeping a gun trained on him. "Tool" Glancing across it, she could see that there were target indicators spread across the length of the Shelflands. Key command facilities, favorites, military installations, troop formations... all were highlighted. Chronos was a mess of overlapping indicators, she noted. Krupp was completely free from them, as was the Acronian Republic. The Wastelands were also largely free of them, save for a few military formations and staging grounds.

"Uh, Sandra?" Rick asked, nervously. "What should we do?"

"Right." She began, then glanced at the comms tech. Seeing no further use for him, she smashed his face into the pole and then let him slump to the ground. "Let's not panic. We're completely crueted as we are. Panicking is not going to help at all." She activated her communicator. "Pants! Collect Victoria and get your date down here as quickly as possible. I'm going to need your comms gear."

"Sure thing." He replied. "Can I ask what it is?"

"A whole world of trouser-browning badness if you don't hurry up!" She snapped.

Two minutes later, the silence of the outside night was interrupted by the sound of Pants' Zoid skidding to a halt outside the camp, Victoria's Gunsniper behind it. The modified Tank Zoid's various antennas waved in the air as is pilot opened the canopy. "Okay, Sandra, what can I do?" He called out.

"Get in here and set me up a datalink. There's a display table that I want to be able to upload the data from and transmit it." She snapped. "And I'll need a pair of open comms channels. I'll give you the recipients as soon as you're ready."

"Sure thing." Pants replied as he climbed out of the Zoid. He opened a panel on the side of his Tank and took out several cables, dragging them into the tent. "Oh, hey Rick." He commented as he passed, then dumped some of them on the table. "So what do you think of the Think Tank?"

"It looks really... good." Rick replied, somewhat distractedly. "Yeah."

"Thanks for that." He continued as he hooked up the table. "Its sporting the best Zoid-Mounted comms array on the planet, bar none." He contused. "There ya go, there's your connection." He finished. "Can I ask what this is about?"

"I can't say for sure, but it looks like some third party is about to launch a full-scale nuclear attack on both the UZN and the Empire." Rick finished.

Pants grinned. "Rick, you have such a goofy sense of humour." He sighed. "But seriously, what's going on here."

"He's being serious." Sandra added. "For once in his life. Okay, Pants, here's who I need you to call."

oOoOo

_Imperial Palace_

_Draconis, Drakken Empire_

Rose O'Bannon's footsteps echoed through the darkened hallways of the palace as she marched through them. Most of the Palace was dark, with dawn still being a few hours away. However, there were places within it that were far from quiet, especially on this one night.

Within the hour, the Draken Army, spearheaded by the elite Crimson Destroyers, would crash over the last remnants of the UZN's main army and obliterate them. Those forces destroyed, the UZN would have to fall back on the smaller, less equipped armies of its member states, or else surrender to the Empire. Seven long years of war could be over soon.

While technically not a member of the Imperial Army and technically only here in an observational role, Rose couldn't help but feel a little bit of satisfaction at the outcome. A vocal faction of the Zemalyan ruling council, of which she was a member, had thrown their support behind the Empire. They felt that closer ties to the Empire would be to their advantage. Certainly, after tonight, it would be hard to argue otherwise. _And even if we did help that process along a bit, it was inevitable, _she thought to herself. _All we did was speed things up._

She did have other reasons for being here. While she had been originally assigned to the Empire purely as an ambassador, she had become somewhat more... _involved_ in matters. The twin daughters she had just been checking on were proof of that much.

A beeping from her wrist communicator interrupted her train of thought. "Go ahead." She began as she activated it, not even bothering to check who it was. _Tonight's too important to be caught up in minor matters._

"It worked. Frell it, Pants, you're a genius." The female voice on the other end began.

"Sandra?" Rose asked. "What is this about? I have important business to attend-"

"Yes, I know, hordes of Seismosaurs and all that." Sandra cut her off. "Rose, this is very important. I know that you are close to the imperial command-"

"How did you know that?" She snapped, this time cutting Sandra off.

"I have my ways." Sandra angrily replied. "Now listen here, Rose. This is important. This is very important. Do you understand?"

"What is this, some cheap ploy to get us to break off the attack?" She asked. "Are the UZN really that desperate? I mean, I know there's that UZN colonel you used to like..."

"Damn it, Rose!" Sandra snapped. "In a few hours, Draconis, the imperial army, the UZN army and virtually anything of any military significance is going to go up in a frelling nuclear fireball! Now frankly I'd be happy if you were a part of it, but I also know that there are millions of other people who's lives I'd rather not have on my conscience. So stop being a tool and listen to somebody for once in your vapid little existence!"

This took her back. Sandra's tone indicated that she wasn't bluffing or lying; she also doubted that she would joke about such a thing. "Fine. Show me what it is."

The communicator beeped as it received the data from Sandra. As soon as the file was received, Rose went through it. As she observed, a growing feeling of horror emerged. She could see the sites listed in Draconis. She could see the palace. Herself, her lover, her children... "Sandra.." She began, a shocked tone in her voice. "Who are these people? Who... who would do this?"

"I don't know." Sandra admitted. "But I need you to tell someone... anyone. I don't think we can stop this, Rose. But maybe, just maybe, we can limit the damage."

She ran down the hallway as fast as she could, heading for a particular room. Finding it, she ran in, slamming the door behind her. For a moment, all eyes in the room glanced at her, before going back to the holographic map they were studying, the room's only source of illumination.

"There you are." The Empress finally spoke. "You're just in time. The battle will be starting soon, and then... it won't last long."

"We need to call back our troops." She said. "No, disperse them. Scatter them as far as possible. And we need to evacuate."

The Empress turned back to her. "Evacuate?" She asked. "Why now?"

"Rose?" Colonel Christopher Mcdarmid, leader of the Imperial guard turned to look at her. Tall and handsome, he had short dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He, more then anyone else in the room, would be the one most likely to believe her. "Is there something wrong?"

She nodded. "Very. Please, I need to show you all." She walked over to him, one hand on his arm. "Chris, this is vital. Our... our children's lives depend on it."

He turned to the Empress. "I think we should listen to her." He began.

"Very well." She replied. "But this had better be important."

Rose nodded, then plugged her wrist computer into the console. The holgraphic map changed from a view of the frontline to a larger map of the entire Shelflands. The map decorated itself with various place names, as well as troop formations, along with target designations and descriptions of the weapons to be used against them. In one corner of the map, a counter appeared, counting backwards, with very, very little time left.

"Your majesty?" One of the generals in the room finally spoke. "What shall we do?"

"There are certain protocols we created when the Acronians joined the UZN. Now is the time to use them." She stated. "The casualties will be... horrible. But the Empire will survive." She clenched the edge of the table. "This I swear."

oOoOo

_Firebase Able 2 Bravo_

_Trund River Plains, UZN_

Colonel Tsuneo Tateo looked across the row of troops for the dozenth time, quietly wishing that there were some other way out of this situation. His regiment was dug in and in position, a part of the ad hoc division that had been thrown together to try to hold back the Draken tide at all costs. It wasn't even his regiment, really. It was the remnants of three regiments (as well as a fourth one that existed only on paper) smashed together, placed under the command of a junior colonel who was simply the highest ranked remaining officer around.

What was depressing was that his unit was atypical of the forces available, in that it was above half strength, composite or not. That he had managed to make a coherent regiment out of it was even more impressive. These days, most forces consisted of whatever units could be thrown together and shoved towards the frontline, with the UZN's army being an army in name only.

_How did we manage to get to this? _He asked himself. Two years ago, the Draken Empire had been on the ropes, near to the point of collapse. Then there was the summer war and the so-called Siesmosaur Offensive which had completely turned things around. Now the UZN was backed into a corner, its capital a burning ruin and its military almost gone. The individual member states were mobilizing their forces, but whether that would be for a counter-offensive or just to shore up their own borders would be another matter.

There was a rush of air and a muffled jet engine as something settled down nearby. Even though he couldn't see anything, he knew what it would be. Glancing behind him, he could see the air momentarily shimmer as a figure emerged form seemingly nowhere, jumping out of thin air and walking towards him.

_She's back, _he thought to himself. _Thank you._

Colonel Kaviroff walked over to him, clearly trying to do her best not to look resigned or defeated. It wasn't easy. "I got a good look at the Drak forces." She spoke up. "I don't think that they even saw me there. I don't think that they would have cared either."

"Seismosaurs, Energy Ligers and Storms, right?" He asked.

"All black." She replied, confirming his worst fears. "And there's more."

"Deathsaurers?"

"Red ones."

He nodded, her report confirming what he had suspected. _So they're using the Crimson Destroyers to break our line. They're the best unit in the Empire, and easily the most ruthless. And its just what I would have done. _"Get any numbers?"

"Lots of them." She handed him a noteputer. "Here's the details."

He nodded as he took it. "I might as well distribute this info amongst our forces. It'll help if they know."

Kaviroff nodded. "I've got to get back to my unit. I may only have a single, woefully understrength air wing, but I promise you this, Tsuneo. We will do everything we can to stop them."

"And I know that you will." He said, and smiled. "And thank you."

She nodded, then turned, walking back to her still invisible Zoid. Tsuneo watched her go, knowing full well that it may be the last time he ever saw her. Then, once she was gone, he headed back to his unit. His Koneig Wolf waited inside the entrenched position the engineers had prepared for it, partially hidden from the enemy. The hope was that the extensive earthworks that they had constructed would at at least allow some of them to survive the first Seismosaur volleys.

He climbed into the Zoid's cockpit, checking over its systems again, just to make sure everything was working. As he went through the checklist, a beep form the communicator interrupted him. "Colonel Tateo here."

"This is Sgt. Bob" It was his aide and chief comms officer. "I've got a message coming in for you."

"Who is it?" He asked. _New orders from command_, he wondered. _Or some demand for surrender?_

"Someone called Sandra." He replied, nervously. "She demanded to speak to you, and got very angry when I said that you were busy."

_Sandra? What's she doing? _"Put her through, Bob."

"Sure thing, sir." He replied, sounding very relieved.

A moment later, Sandra's scowling face appeared on his screen. She cut him off before he could say anything. "Tsuneo, I know this is going to sound like I'm a crazy tool, but you need to abandon your position now. You need to-"

"Who put you up to this?" Tsureo cut her off. 'I know that you wouldn't be helping the Empire voluntarily." He glared at her image.

"I'm not doing this for the Empire, you tool!" Sandra called back. "As stupid as this sounds, both your forces and the Empire's forces, as well as... well, half the frelling planet are about to be nuked by an unknown attacker."

"What?" He snapped back. "Sandra, this is, well, a rather unbelievable claim."

"I have proof." She replied. "I'll send it to you. The Empire already has this info, but I have no idea what they will do with it."

Tsuneo sighed. As ridiculous as the situation sounded, he felt he could trust Sandra; she wasn't the sort to make up something like this, and he knew that she wouldn't allow herself to be forced into it. "Very well then. Send me the information."

"Thank you, Tsuneo." She said. "Here it is."

Within a moment, the information appeared on his Koenig Wolf's display. He instantly recognised the map, and recognised the symbols on it. It was clear that whoever Sandra had gotten this from had insider information on both their forces and the Empire's. There was no doubting what this was, and he had a strange feeling that it was genuine.

"Bob." He began. "Get central command. I have some vital information for them."

oOoOo

_Location Unknown_

A deformed, hunched figure sat in the center of a massive chair, its body almost completely hidden by the dark cloak it wore. Around the chair, various bottles containing all manner of fluids and nutrients were connected to the figure's body by slender tubes. The figure turned slightly, its sickly green eyes turning to observe the planet visible form the observation deck where it sat.

_Soon, _it thought. _So very soon._

_My master, there is a disturbance in our plan, _a flat, mechanical voice reported. The words echoed in the creature's mind, rather then being spoken or vocalised.

_Explain_

_The UZN and Empire's forces are dispersing. We are detecting mass movements within their cities. _The voice explained. _They appear to know what is about to happen, and are preparing for it._

The figure considered this for a moment. _It does not matter. _It replied. _They will be unable to weather our storm. Whatever survives the initial wave will be swept away regardless. Proceed as planned._

_Your will, my life, Great One. _The servant's mind closed its link.

A single, clawlike hand extended form the robes, pressing a few buttons on the control panel on one arm of the chair. Fluids pumped into the figure, a baleful green glow momentarily emanating from its cloak before dimming down. "I have waited so very long for this." It spoke with a voice like a diamond being dragged over slate. "And now the time has come." The figure watched the planet slowly turning below, contemplating and savoring the moment. Soon, those small insignificant beings would be swept away, and replaced by a new order.

It reached out with its mind again, finding the augmented minds of those who it controlled. _The time has come. Be ready. You will know the signal to act._

The figure closed the link, then reached out for a single button on the chair's console. Pressing it, it waited a moment before releasing, and waiting. Around the planet, space seemed to erupt as gouts of flames burst form seemingly nowhere. Points of light streaked towards the planet, trailing brilliant white flames behind them, then vanished into its atmosphere. Within moments, white pinpricks of light began to blossom across the planet's surface.

oOoOo

_Karoon Wastes_

_The Wastelands_

_0230 Hours_

Bekka Cade nervously watched her Zoid's sensors, illuminated only by the soft red glow of the cockpit displays. Around her everything seemed quiet, or at least, it did for the moment. In truth, she had no idea what was going on beyond the tiny little world of her Zoid's cockpit.

The last few hours had been... insane. She had gotten some sort of garbled message form Rick, telling her and everyone else to get the hell out of their base of operations. He'd been unable to provide any details, and his transmission had ended very abruptly. She'd managed to get things organised, loading up as many of the team's dependants (Including her two children) onto a Gustav and preparing to go.

Then there had been a sudden loss of communications. Everything - radio, TV, satellite, you name it, had suddenly gone down, degenerating into static. At the same time, there had been reports of shooting stars and bright flashes in the distance. She didn't have a clue what was going on, but figured that it was bad. Everybody had been ready to move out, which helped when they were attacked only a few minutes later.

What was a surprise was the forces that had attacked them; it was the mainstream faction of the Wastelands Protectors, the force that thy had split off from. A supposed policing and security force, they had recently become little more then yes-men for the Empire, doing their best to remain out of the way and let the Drak forces run wild across the wastelands. And while Sandra had disagreed with their policies, there had been no open warfare between the two groups. At least, not until now.

The Protectors' forces had attacked their headquarters, bombarding it before closing in to take out their forces. While grossly outnumbered, it was fortunate that Sandra's troops had been generally the better pilots then the rest of the force. This had allowed some of them to escape, along with their dependants and some supplies. Of course, now they were scattered, without any support, grossly outnumbered, hunted by their former allies and unable to call for any help.

_If Sandra was here, she'd have a lot of unpleasant things to say about the situation, _Bekka figured. Of course, Sandra was missing in action, as was Rick. She didn't want to think about where they were or what had happened to them, however. She had more important things to deal with, like keeping the small force behind her alive. As the most experienced pilot of her small group, as well as the only one with any military training, she'd been shoved into a poistion of command.

"Uh, commander?" Alvin Kiddy, one of her troops spoke up. "I'm picking up something nearby. I can't say what it is, however, as there's a lot of interference."

She glanced back at him. "Alvin, you're in a Dimetrodon. Those things can see through most anything, right? Surely it can't be that bad?"

He shook his head. "There's a lot of atmospheric interference. I can barely see what's in front of me."

"Huh." She wondered. "Any idea what could be causing that?"

"Well..." He checked a few things. "I guess if there was some sort of electromagnetic pulse, that could explain a lot."

"Interesting." Bekka commented. "Hm... But you got no idea what it is that's approaching us?"

"I can't say, sorry." He admitted. "But there's a lot of them."

"Large number and potentially hostile, huh?" She considered this. "Okay, Alvin? I want you to stay here with the Gustav and the others and watch over them. I'll take a look-see at our unknowns and try to figure what's going on."

"Yes, mam!" He snapped off.

"Thanks for that." She managed a smile. "Now sit tight and don't make any noise. I'll be back in a second." The Heldigunner dug into the sand, kicking up a cloud behind it before it vanished underground. Bekka had no idea who or what it was she was searching after, but she figured that the best way to get close to them was to be as quiet as possible. And she could think of no better way to evade detection then to hide underground.

The Heldigunner tunneled its way towards the enemy troops, mainlining a steady, slow pace. Bekka didn't want to move too fast and risk making a mistake and giving her position away, so it would be slow going. It didn't help that this Heldigunner was noticeably less capable then the one she had been using for so long. Its beam gun had less oomph, its acceleration was slower and it was less agile. What she missed the most about it however, was the direct neural link. In many ways, it was reassuring to have the Zoid there in the back of her mind.

Figuring her location, she surfaced the Zoid. The Heldigunner emerged form the dirt a little way, only is head remaining above ground. Killing the radar, she watched the approaching force through her Zoid's displays. In this much, she still had some advantages. Her genetically enhanced body gave her far better vision then a normal human's, as well as better night vision. This allowed her to make out more details, something she figured would be a big advantage.

She watched the Zoids approaching, checking their types. _Redhorn, Iron Kong, Rev Rapter, Iguan, Black Rhimos, Molga... seems like a pretty standard imperial force. _She could make out their markings, recognizing them as being a unit that had been stationed nearby as a garrison force. What was odd was the way the Zoids were marching; there was no order to their formations; they weren't advancing in units or groups of Zoids, it was just a random mess. They were all headed in the same direction, but weren't doing it as a unit. Instead, they were more like some sort of mob.

_That's odd... the Empire's real big on formation and organisation and the like. What's going on here... _Then something caught her eye, a lone Diloforce on the outer edge of the formation. She zoomed in on it, wanting to get a better look at the pilot. What she saw surprised her. The pilot was slumped forwards on his seat, his head leaning against the control panel. He looked like he was unconscious or asleep or something. _Well that's weird._

She noticed a Redhorn going past, and zoomed in on its tail gunner. The man was also slumped forwards in his seat, held in place only by his safety harness. A Heldigunner next to it also had a tail gunner. He was leaning to one side, the straps keeping him in place as he bounced up and down with the Zoid's movement.

_They're dead. _The shock of the realisation hit her. _They're all dead. This is an army of Zoid with dead pilots... They died in their machines, but that's not stopping them. Something's gotta be controlling them... _She glanced around at the force, but could see no indication of any sort of leader or anyone commanding them, She figured that meant that they were under remote control, but she had no idea where from, but rather were marching like Zombies form a horror film.

She'd seen enough. The Heldigunner dived below the ground again, its pilot not just desperate to get back to her own troops, but to get as far away from these haunted Zoids as possible.

oOoOo

_Outside of Granite City_

_Raycliffe Confederacy, UZN_

_0700 hours_

Major John Shepard, the leader of the Crimson Ghosts, surveyed the area before him form the cockpit of his Greatsaber. Before him lay a mid-sized town, several portions of which were already ablaze from the shelling his troops had unleashed earlier that morning. In front of it was a row of battered and beleaguered UZN Zoids mixed in with elements of the RCFA, their last defense against attack. This town was vital to them because it contained a parts factory that was providing their forces with key supplies. John's objective as to either capture it or eliminate it. It made no difference either way.

He'd built up the Crimson Ghosts in the months following the destruction of A-X on the Dark Continent. His goal was simple; build a stronger, more powerful orgnaisation, one that would be free form the inept leadership that had crippled the older orgnaisation and lead to its demise. It had taken him some time, but they had eventually come to be an effective and dangerous force, one that had been capable of striking terror across the wastes and even into the Empire and UZN. However, for him, it was not enough.

Then he'd been contacted by a man who wanted to assist him with his cause. This man had made a proposition to him. Rather then fighting with numerous other groups for control, the Crimson Ghosts should ally with them to create one greater, more powerful army. He'd at first seemed skeptical, but after several meetings, it had become clear to him that this was in his best interests.

When he'd been introduced to the other groups that would constitute this alliance, he had been amazed by the range of forces represented. Besides his own people, there were others all of whom represented diverse goals but all ad a desire to work together; the Wastlands Protectors, the Merdian Separatist League, the Jacal, bandit groups and even A-X to name a few. Yet all these groups had wanted to work together. What was really surprising to Shepard was that he had felt no animosity towards the man who had lead A-X to its demise. At the same time, Ebonflak seemed to have forgiven him for leaving the orgnisation.

The man had promised them other advantages as well. Not only would he provide them with new weapons, he would lasso "enhance" them to make them more capable and improve their ability to command their troops. He had developed a series of neural enhancers that would improve their ability to process information and derive more concise results, while improving their adaptability and flexibility. In effect, they would be more intelligent. While initially wary, Shepard had seen the advantages to the system. And, after seeing it demonstrated, he had volunteered for the augmentation.

The results had been spectacular. It was as if there was another mind at work, guiding him forwards and helping him, allowing him to reach the correct conclusions and to achieve what he needed to do in order to achieve victory. It was nothing short of miraculous. Armed with this technology, he felt that he was invincible. Certainly his results so far had been most impressive.

He examined the situation, looking over the enemy forces deployed in minute detail. The enemy Zoids would not be able to stand up against his forces, but they were still well prepared for them. Fortunately, he had his own new weapons to deal with them. His allies had sent him a quartet of Zoids to supplement his forces. Nicknamed "Protobreakers", these were enhanced Genosaurers that boasted Genobreaker level speed and agility, but were a lot easier to operate. However, with the recent advances that his allies had made, he wondered if they would even be necessary. Latest reports indicated that an Imperial factory that produced both Genosaurers and Genobreakers had fallen, and that it would be quickly converted to their needs.

_There are weaknesses along their flanks, _he thought. _The Protobreakers can advance through the residential areas at the edge of town and attack them form behind. _The processor in his head ran through the scenario, highlighting the possible attack paths and predicting outcomes. Most of them resulted in numerous civilian casualties, something that didn't bother him in the slightest. It then ran through several alternatives, until it found one that presented the most optimum course of action. _Perfect._

"Talon one and three, you will loop around the back of the residential district and then attack the enemy's left flank." He spoke over his command frequency. Talon two and four will go around the left flank and use the stadium as cover."

"Affirmative." Came the simultaneous replies as the four Protobreakers took to the air. None of the pilots made any mention of where they were heading or what they would have to go through to get there; instead, they just set off. This was the sort of loyalty that he expected.

"Fire team will remain here and continue to shell the enemy positions. All other units are with me." He finished. "On my mark, we attack."

He waited patiently as the quartet of Zoids looped around the outskirts of the city, then moved in, heading for the enemy's rear echelon. Each team divided into two, one Zoid preparing its charged particle cannon while the other remained mobile to support it. "Now! Fire team attack!"

There was a roar of cannons as his fire support Zoids opened fire, raining shells down on the enemy ranks. At the same time, the two Protobreakers unleashed their fire, adding to the devastation. The enemy lie degenerated into chaos as the second pair of Protobreakers launched hit and run attacks on the enemy line.

_Excellent. _"Fire team, break of fire. All other units, charge!" His force broke into a run, leaping down the hill towards the fortified town, opening fire with their various weapons. The Crimson Ghosts slammed into the enemy line, which quickly buckled and broke, the UZN Zoids breaking and running further into the city. Shepard's forces didn't let up, however, pursuing them with deadly intent as they fought their way through the tightly-packed terrain, searching out and destroying their enemies.

An hour later, the enemy forces were destroyed, as was the parts factory that was their objective along with much of the rest of the town. Not a single UZN soldier had survived the battle, and the civilian casualties were severe. Shepard's forces were only lightly damaged however, and they would be able to bolster their strength form the salvage they took form htis battlefield.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, activating some of the other features of his enhancements. _Objective complete. _He reported, his mind sending the signal out.

_Excellent work, Shepherd, _the words formed in his head. _But I do need you. There is an important meeting about to take place that requires your immediate presence._

_Affirmative. _He replied, then opened his eyes. "Taro, I have matters to attend to. You will supervise the salvage operations."

"Hai, Kuro So-Sha." His second reported.

Nodding to himself, Shepard closed his eyes and leaned back inside the cockpit. When he opened them he found himself in a featureless grey room, standing in amongst a circle of other people. he instantly knew that this place was not real, but a computer generated image that their projected consciousnesses were interacting with; in effect a literal meeting of the minds.

Looking around the room, he could see the usual circle of his allies. But, at the same time, there were a lot more people present. There were some that he recongised who he didn't know were connected to this group, such as the leader of the Krupp Confederacy. But there were many more that he couldn't identify in the room.

A single figure appeared in the center of the circle, an attractive if androgynous green-eyed man, dressed in a plain black suit. Shepard knew him as the face of the man who had mad this all possible, while the others also reacted as if they knew him. _So we are all a part of the same group, _he thought.

"I want to thank you all for coming here." The man began, speaking into their minds. "You all have been doing excellent work for our cause, and I thank you for that."

"The time has come, however, to change the way we approach matters." He continued. "For too long, while we are allied, we have been acting as individuals. We still act as independent groups, not a coordinated whole. We do not act as one, rather we act as many. For us, the whole should be greater then the sum of its parts. That is hwy I am taking direct control of you and all your groups."

"We are a great and powerful beast, one with many heads, but yet only one guiding mind. No longer shall we be the Metal Wolves, the Crimson Ghosts or the Protectors, but one single, unified being. We are the Hydra." An insignia appeared in the air, slowly rotating above the mans head. It depicted a three-headed serpent inside a circular field. "You are its heads, while I am its heart. You may be destroyed, but others will come to replace you. And I will live on, undying."

_Your will, my life, Great One, _they all replied, bowing their heads.

oOoOo

_Lyra_

_Hydra Occupied Territory, The Wastelands_

_1300 hours_

In the initial aftermath of the nuclear war, there had been nothing but mass chaos and confusion across the Shelflands. The forces from both sides that had survived the assault had little or no time to recover before they had been attacked by a myriad of other forces. There had been Zoids from just about every crackpot fringe or terrorist group, all working together in well-coordinated attacks to strike at whatever remained standing. And then there had been the Zombie Zoids; machines with seemingly dead pilots controlled by some unseen source that were used as shock troops.

There had been months of chaos and confusion before a new order had emerged. A new army had sprung out of seemingly nowhere, calling itself Hydra. Over the course of the next few months, the Hydra Forces had advanced across the wastes and into the devastated nations, creating a new peace, after a fashion. They had taken over towns, disarmed remnant forces and created a new era of peace and security for the Wastelands. And now they were spreading out, slowly working their way into the devastated areas of the two great powers.

Of course, some people would have noticed that it was Zoids from some of those crazed fringer groups that were now sporting the three-headed snake logo of this new Hydra Group. And this would have lead others to wonder if Hydra hadn't been somehow connected to the nuclear exchange that had devastated much of the planet to begin with. Hydra had created a crisis, then appeared to resolve it.

And now, two and a half years after the fact, it seemed that there would be very few people to stop them. Though reports were sketchy at best, it appeared that while both the Empire and the UZN were still fighting, their forces were definitely on the loosing end of the stick. But then, being nuked would do that to you. So, unless some new source emerged to open up a new front against Hydra, it looked like they'd have the world in a year or two.

Of course, there were no new forces to open up a new front. The handful of independent nations of the Shelflands seemed to be all more or less under Hydra's control, one way or another. There were reports of fighting in the Southern Territories and the Newbrurough Highlands, but that seemed to be against isolated guerillas. And nobody had heard form the Zemalyans since before the start of the war, which ruled them out.

So it was up to people to make a new threat. And that's what today's operation was about.

Rick moved through the cheering crowd, making his way through the throngs of enthusiastic citizens. Most of them were waving banners emblazoned with the Hydra crest, and were cheering the parade that was passing through their city. Rick found it rather odd that a lot of the Zoids in the Hydra Force seemed to be customised; horned Molgas, two-headed Command Wolves and all manner of Genosaurers. He had to wonder where they were getting all these new machines from.

He stepped into a house, making his way up the stairs. Reaching the top floor, he dropped a bag next to the other person there. "Got you your bagel." He commented.

"Thanks for that, Rick." Victoria replied in a surprisingly cheerful way. Surprising, because she was leaning on one of the windows, peering down the scope of her Sniper Rifle. "And thanks again for finding this place."

"Not a prob. I'm surprised their security didn't clamp down on it though." He commented.

"Still, its a great place to gloop someone from." She continued. "One shot and then... bang. He's dogmeat."

Rick glanced at her. "What did you just say?"

"I said it was a great vantage point to snipe from." Victoria dismissively replied.

"I see..." Rick commented apprehensively. Ever since that one night, Victoria had been having little 'moments' where she would suddenly do or say something very disquieting, very... odd, almost as if there was a part of Vic Hagen that was still in there. But he couldn't afford to think about it right now.

"So what did you see?" She asked.

Rick pointed down at a group of figures standing on a platform. "See the tall, girly looking bloke with the long hair?"

"I can, yes."

"He seems to be the one in charge." He continued. "I'd say that, if you wanted to make a statement, then he'd be the one to get."

"I see..." She adjusted the rifle, peering down the scope. "Give me a second. There's a lot of clutter around and I want to be certain."

"When did we become political assassins, Victoria?" Rick asked as he watched her.

"When the situation required it, I guess." She replied. "I'm not too fond of it either, I'll admit."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so." He finished.

"Now be quiet." She hissed. "I have a Goombah to whack."

Rick nodded, instead turning to watch the man on the platform. There was a sudden, sharp crack, followed by the man staggering back, surprisingly unphased by the hole in his chest. There was a brief pause before Victoria fired again. This time the shot had a more noticeable effect. A portion of his body exploded outwards, spilling not blood but a spray of parts, cables and what appeared to be machine oil. The man staggered, then collapsed.

"Oh hell." Rick muttered. "I think we need to get out of here."

"I think I need an anti-Zoid rifle." Victoria added as she grabbed her gun and made for the door.

oOoOo

_Outside Gayos_

_Central District, Hydra Protectorate_

_0900 hours_

The silence of the grasslands was broken by the roar of engines as a trio of Zoids passed overhead. The three of them tore along at only a few meters attitude, their ion engines at full burst as they sped towards their objective. The trio of Zoids was lead by a black and red Genobreaker, with a pair of similarly coloured Protobreakers behind it. Each one of them was emblazoned with the three-headed dragon crest of Hydra.

Captain Zygra sat in the cockpit of the lead Zoid, checking over his maps as they approached the town. He was a tall man, solidly built with classically handsome features and short-cropped brown hair, which was hidden behind his visored helmet. He was clad in the standard Hydra pilots suit, a simple and relatively featureless grey and red outfit. He and his squad had been called into the town following a revolt and attempted breakout in a POW camp located there. The details were sketchy, but form what he had gathered the prisoners had rioted and taken over the town. Now they were holed up inside, having taken the town's inhabitants as hostages.

The hope was that his squad would be enough to scare them into submission or, at the very least, force them to negotiate. Zygra really hoped that it didn't come down to fighting. The last thing he wanted to do was damage the town or harm any innocent civilians. Despite how he felt about those who were holding them, his desire to see the innocent escape unharmed was even stronger.

It disturbed him that the prisoners would riot or try to take control of the camp. Surely they would have been able to see that it was only for their own good. After the UZN and the Draken Empire had all but destroyed each other (along with nearly everyone else on the planet) in their nuclear war three years ago it had fallen to Hydra to reclaim and rebuild the planet. And while there was still plenty of fighting going on with the desperate remnants of both sides (At least, those who refused to see reason and still clung to their old beliefs), the area once known as the wastelands were peaceful.

Anyone who looked around would be able to see what benefits that Hydra had bought. While the Empire and the UZN had blasted each other into radioactive rubble, those who inhabited the wastelands, under Hydra's guidance had rebuilt and prospered. In just three short years, so much had been achieved. Even the lands that he was passing over were proof of that. What had once been barren desert was now fertile grasslands and, in a few more years, would become prosperous farmlands.

At heart, Zygra wished he could be on the front lines, doing more for the cause, helping to free those who were still under the oppression of the failing elder states. He felt that he wasn't contributing enough to helping those people in his assignment here in the middle of the Protectorate. Still, he had his duty, and he had to fulfill it.

He checked over the Genobreaker Jet's systems, making sure that everything was okay. His was an older Zoid, one that had been liberated form a Draken Empire group, while the two Protobreakers behind him were amongst the newest Zoids Hydra's advanced research groups in Krupp had created. Even hen, they were relatively plain compared to some of the newest designs they had recently rolled out. He was articulately interested in the Geno Trooper which was said to have full flight capabilities. And then there were rumors of further, more radical upgrades...

But that was for the future. Right now he had other things to deal with.

Gayos was a small industrial town, with several factories dominating the landscape. The most striking feature, however, was the POW camp, which was almost as large as the town itself. It was a rather sad but true fact that the place was necessary to contain those who clung to their old ways, but the hope was that, once the planet was secure, they could be safely reintegrated into society.

As he approached the town, he could see that the main road in was blocked by a makeshift barricade. Behind it was a battered Evil Scorpion, posed to strike. A Reptex, a Unenlagia and a Trooperzoid, all in similar condition, lurked nearby. He knew that the four Zoids didn't stand a chance against the three in his force. In fact, he figured that his own Zoid would be enough to easily defeat them.

"Your order, captain?" One of his wingmen began. "Do we attack?"

He considred the situation. Attacking the entrenched enemy Zoids would be the easiest way out, but the risk to the town and its people was too great. He'd have liberated the town and put down the rebellion, yes, but it would be too high a price to pay. So instead, he was going to try something else. "You two hang back for now. I'll deal with this myself."

The Genobreaker approached the town, settling down in front of the barricade. The Evil Scorpion, as well as several disheveled-looking men with rifles on top of the barricade, watched his Zoid warily, their weapons trained on it. Waiting until his Genobreaker was settled, he activated the Zoid's PA system. "I am Captain Zygra of the Hydra Self-Defense Forces. I am here to speak to the leader of this insurrection to negotiate your surrender. I would prefer not to resort to violence to resolve this problem, but, if needs be, I will use force."

There was silence for a few minutes before a man appeared, standing on top of the barricade. Tall, he was somewhat underwent, and sported scruffy blond hair and a rather shabby beard. He was dressed in a badly disheveled UZN uniform. "My name is Hermann Dezalg." He spoke up. "I'm in charge here."

"Dezalg, you must understand the consequences of your actions." Zygra continued. "Your men have seized this town and held its people hostage. These are severe crimes that cannot go unpunished. However, if you surrender now, I can promise you and your men leniency."

"We've had enough of Hydra Justice, thank you." Dezalg replied. "We'd rather fight and die then face any more of it." There was a murmur of approval form the men around the barricade.

"I don;t want the deaths of innocents-" Zygra began, but Dezlag cut him off.

"Its too late for that, Hydra." He snapped. "These people here are willing to fight and die rather then going back to what you call justice."

"Surely we can negotiate." He began.

"I've seen the way you people negotiate." Dezalg countered. "I'm not agreeing."

"Fine. I am willing to give you my trust if you are wiling to negotiate." Zygra continued. "I know that neither of us wants any more senseless bloodshed." He switched off the PA system for a moment, instead opening a communicator link to his squad. "Stay here and take no further actions until I return. However, if they do anything hostile, or I do not return, attack."

"Yes sir." The two pilots replied simultaneously.

"I'm coming out now." Zygra called over the PA system. "I ask you and your men to hold your fire. Attack, and my own men will be forced to act."

He opened the Genobreaker's cockpit, stepping out of the Zoid and walking towards the barricade. He knew that he was taking a great risk here, but, at the same time, he also knew that it was the best way to end the conflict. As he advanced, the soldiers on the barricade kept their rifles raised and trained on him. He stepped up to the barricade, approaching Dezalg. Up close, he could see that the others around the barricade were much the same as him: underweight, disheveled and clad in battered clothes.

"I didn't expect this." Dezalg began. "Usually you Hydras just destroy indiscriminately and ask whoever survives to surrender or be killed anyway."

If Dezalg was tying to get a rise out of him, it wasn't working. Zygra instead remained clam. "Despite what you may think, I do want to help you." He spoke up. "I just want what's best for the townspeople."

"You'll find that they're on my side as well." Dezlag stated. "None of us are going anywhere."

Zygra glanced around, and saw that the man was indeed correct. A number of the people on the barricade were clearly locals, rather then escaped prisoners. It worried him that this man had been able to sway them over to his side. "What is it that you want, then?" He asked.

"Let me show you." Dezlag offered. "I want you to make up your own mind over the situation and out demands, as the townspeople did."

Zygra considered this. "Very well. You can show me what it is. However, understand that I do need to check in with my men. If they do not get a regular report from me, then they will attack. And they will also attack if I am taken hostage."

"Understandable." He looked him in the eyes. "You're a very brave man, Zygra. Both for coming here, and for what you're about to do. I only hope I can show you what we're doing here and why you must let us continue."

The pair of them walked through the town, a pair of men with rifles with them. As they walked, Zygra noticed the state of the town; it was rather decrepit and run down, a stark contrast to what he had expected. The town seemed to be surprisingly poor for one that had a large industrial output, especially of vital war material.

Dezlag lead him to the rather foreboding looking entrance to the prison camp. The main gates had been knocked off their hinges, and several of the buildings showed signs of damage. Form the ground, the camp looked a lot larger then he'd expected. There was a dull, almost oppressive air over the place, one emphasised by the starkness of its surroundings. "This is where I lived for two years." Dezlg explained. "Well, myself and a lot of others. Let me show you around."

Dezalg's tour of the camp went on for over an hour, during which Zygra remained entirely silent, save for checking in with his men. Instead, he had been captured by the full horror of what Dezlag was showing him. The bunkrooms that would have been overcrowded, at near double their capacity. The filthy mess hall where the prisoners had been fed starvation rations. The crowded and unsafe sweatshops where they had been forced to labour to support Hydra's war effort. The mass Graves used to dispose of those who had collapsed for one reason or another. The bullet ridden walls where executions had taken place.

"Well?" Dezlag asked as they stepped back into the town.

"I never knew this was going on." Zygra managed to say. "You must understand, I knew nothing of any of this. I was just given orders to stop your insurrection here. I had no idea of exactly what it was you were escaping from."

Dezalg nodded. "Now you know. And you need to ask yourself, what are you going to do about it?"

Zygra considered this. What Hydra had done here was clearly wrong. And he knew that there were other camps like this across the Protectorate. The truth of this place had put a lot of things into context. He'd had to wonder if what Hydra was doing was really liberating the peoples of the Empire or the UZN, or if it was more of conquest. _And if the nuclear war that lead to our existence wasn't them... _It was too horrific to think about.

"Captain, please report in." The voice of one of his squadron spoke up over his communicator. There was a pause. "Captain?"

Zygra reached for his communicator. "Stand down." He began. "No, forget that. You have new orders."

"Captain?"

"I want you both to bring your Zoids level with mine." He ordered. "Then I want you both to leave them."

"Um, captain?"

"Are you questioning my orders?" He asked.

"No, I-"

"I have the situation in hand. I need you to do this in order to resolve it."

"Yes, captain." The voice nervously replied.

Zygra watched as the two Protobreakers advanced towards the town, then settled next to his own Zoid. "I want them to be treated fairly and not harmed."

"I understand." Dezalg replied.

"I have been blind and a fool." Zygra continued. "I didn't see what was really going on around me." He watched as the two pilots climbed out of their Zoids. "Maybe I can make amends for what I have done."

"Don't question yourself." Dezalg shook his head. "You've done a great thing here today."

"No." He replied. "But I have started it."

oOoOo

Rayvenne looked at the computer chip, turning it over in her hand. "So what you're saying is that this thing is a left-over Hydra weapon, right?"

Floyd nodded. "There's probably a lot of chipped Zoids like this one lying around. I suspect that there's plenty that are fully functional, just inert, like our big friend probably was. Something would have activated him and sent him out looking for the first available targets... which in this case was us."

"I see." Jason commented. "So what does that have to do with Althiea? How did she know what to do and where to go to stop it?"

"Like I said, I just heard a voice that told me what to do." She shrugged. "I can't say much more then that."

"I do think that the two are related." Floyd explained. "I have a wild theory."

"Which is?" Leanne asked.

"The chip, a Hydra weapon, reacted to the presence of another Hydra weapon." He explained. "Specifically, the activation of a weapon that was a part of what made Hydra the orgnaisation that it was." He moved around to stand behind Althiea. "Much of their early success was due to the collective conciseness possessed by its leaders. Their augmented minds were able to function as one, making coordination of their actions far, far more effective."

"You know that Hydra Robot Brains are just a wild conspiracy theory that hasn't been proven." Jason snapped.

"Are they?" He asked. "There is evidence."

"Like what?"

"Like the evidence sitting in front of you." He finished, putting his hands on Althiea's shoulders.

oOoOo

**Author's Notes:**

Many of the concepts in this chapter are based of story elements from the original Shelflands saga story. The Great One, his technology and his forces were all based on ideas and plot elements that were used in the story but never resolved. I'd like to think that what's depicted here bears some resemblance to what had been planned.

I'd like to say thanks to the original Shelflands founders, specifically Card, Drakken Fyre, Sponge, Evil Dr Cheese and especially Major Kong for creating these characters and situations.


	24. Dark Heart

Jaeger waited on a rocky outcropping, standing by his Sandspeeder. He looked out over the desert, considering all the elements that were currently in play. _This will be the pivotal moment, _he thought. _Things are progressing faster then we had anticipated. _The sudden awakening of that strange girl's abilities had triggered a sequence of events that he had anticipated, but not so soon. _We must act now._

A cloud of dust appeared on the horizon, heading straight for him. Looking through his binoculars, he could see that it was a single figure on a dirt bike. _Punctual as always. Good. We don't have time to loose. _The bike sprinted across the desert before heading up the outcropping, then pulled up next to him. Its black clad rider removed her helmet and goggles, shaking out her long red and black hair.

"Not your usual style, Levisha." He commented.

"I'm Zoidless." She replied. "And Jenice isn't going to trust me with a Zoid any more. In truth, I'd say that she doesn't trust me at all, which is why I need this."

He nodded. "All the pieces are in place. We've chosen to burn some expendable assets for this mission, so there should be no real loss to us."

"I agree." Levisha replied. "The only real risk is whether Jenice will accept my claims."

"I have a feeling she will. From what you've said, she sounds desperate. I think that, given the options, she'd go for any opportunity to rearm her forces."

"She had better." Levisha replied. "The Red Claw are quickly approaching collapse. And with events moving at their current pace, we don't have the time to rebuild from the ground up."

Jaeger nodded. "We've detected more activity within the Zero Point cluster. We can't say exactly what's going on, but we suspect that it is trying to bring systems on line in preparation for its next phase. Of course, how long that will be is anyone's guess."

"So then we must act fast." Levisha replied. "I'll assume that the rest of the effects are unfolding as predicted? I've been trapped in a concrete tomb for the last few days."

"They are." He finished.

"Good. The wild Zoids will buy us some time and cover" She put her helmet back on and clambered onto her bike. "Oh, any signs of that girl?"

"None yet." Jaeger admitted. "She's well hidden, that's for sure."

"I'll keep my eyes open then." Levisha replied. "If you're right - and I hope you are - then he may just be more important to us then the entire Red Claw put together."

"Even Jenice?"

Levisha considered this for a moment. "Even Jenice." She finished, then started the bike.

oOoOo

**Dark Heart**

oOoOo

The last few days inside Floyd's home had been... odd to say the least. The members of the team almost seemed to be avoiding each other as they considered what Floyd had revealed to them and the implications that it had. Not just did it affect their lives, but there was more to it. It affected the entire world, with potentially far-reaching consequences.

Floyd had spent the last few days going over their Zoids, engaging in much needed repair work on their machines. He'd spent endless hours scrounging around the base, looking for the parts he needed to get them back into working order. The battle at the Lyra Pit, as well as the subsequent battle with the wild Iron Kong had left all their Zoids badly battered and in dire need of repairs. Well, all of them save for Althiea's Hammer Rock, which had been destroyed in the battle and not recovered when they retreated.

So instead he'd concentrated on getting what they had left going. It had taken him a while, needing him to dig through the mountains of junk that cluttered up much of his home to find the parts that they had needed. He'd been able to find enough components to restore all their Zoids to more-or-less full functionality, albeit rather rough around the edges. Soon enough, they had five fully operational Zoids, ready for whatever lay ahead.

He said five, because the wild Iron Kong had seemingly become a part of their force. Althiea seemed to have somehow bonded with the machine when she disabled its remote command system, in much the same way that he suspected she had with her Hammer Rock. The huge Zoid, despite its age and its apparent rough life, was in remarkably good condition. It needed a thorough cleaning and to be re-armed (Fortunately, he had a stock of the various missiles needed. He warned the other members of the team not to ask where they had come from. They didn't.) but otherwise was ready to be used.

Althiea had been keeping surprisingly to herself as well. Rather then assisting Floyd like she usually did, she had instead either retreated into the room that she had claimed as her own for the duration of her stay here. Floyd understood why; she had a lot to consider. She'd managed to tap and use a previously unseen range of abilities, courtesy of what he theorised was an artificially augmented mind, something that should not theoretically exist any more. It raised a lot of uncomfortable questions, ones that he was wondering if anybody, himself included, was ready for the answers to.

On the few occasions that she had emerged, she had spent a lot of her time working with the massive Iron Kong, learning to operate its systems, something that she had adapted to with remarkable ease for such a complicated machine. Floyd quietly suspected that there were other matters at play here, but he decided to keep his concerns quiet for now. Instead, he focused on his work and his plans for the future.

Having just finished work on his Gustav - the last of the Zoids requiring repair - Floyd had decided that he needed to get outside and get some air. He'd spent far too long cooped up inside the mountain, and wanted to get out and take a look around the place. He figured that a good walk would take his mind off al the general gloom and doom that seemed to be surrounding them for the last few days.

He'd used one of the base's emergency exits as a way to get outside without opening the big main door and risk giving away their location to the rest of the world. He'd had to give the previous owner of the base some credit. Oh, while they were no doubts a black-clad madman, they at least knew how to build a good, secure militant survivalist hideyhole. He had to wonder what had happened to them.

"Maybe they were stampeded by a sogging wet Elephander while popping down to the shops for some sugar." He announced to himself as he stepped out of the base.

"Who was?" A voice called out form nearby.

Floyd spun around to see Leanne walking towards him. She was carrying a small pack on her back, and had a stick in her hand. "Nobody, Leanne." He replied. "Only some hypothetical metaphorical person."

"Oh, that's all." She answered, a bit disappointed sounding.

"So, how have you been?" he asked, randomly changing the subject. "I haven't seen much of you in the last few days."

"Ah, I been out hikin'" She explained. "You know, ramblin' across the countryside an' seein what's about the place. And okay, so that's just some ruins and some rocks and other stuff like that, but it ain't so bad. Sure as heck as its better then starin' at the walls all day."

"I can imagine..." He commented. "Well good on you, Leanne. Getting outside and getting some good clean, fresh air." He took a deep breath. "Does a body a world of good, it does..." He trailed off. "How'd you get out here anyway?"

"I found an exit and checked it out." Leanne replied. "An' I figured that I might as well use it, since I was gettin' kinda bored of doin' nothing all day."

"Well there you go. Bless them emergency exits." He finished, mentally reminding himself to better conceal them to prevent potential future escapees.

"Yeah, they're pretty cool." She admitted. "So, how's you goin'?"

"Not too bad. I was just finishing up the work on all our Zoids so I stepped out for some air. Great stuff." He commented.

"Yeah..." She trailed off. "Thanks fer doin' that fer us, Floyd. I feel bad when my Gunsniper gets beat up and you have to repair it."

"Its nothing." He admitted. "I just like the chance to work with even moderately exotic or unusual machines like them."

"You think?" She commented. "I guess I never thought of it like that." She turned around and looked out over the valley. "You know, this is a pretty nice view."

"I never really thought about it, but, gosh darn it, you're right." He looked over the valley. maybe if it was a bit greener and he cleaned up the ruins, it'd be real nice. He put that on his 'to do' list after seeing to the doors.

"I grew up in a farm on the plains, so I didn't get to see much apart from flat, open fields." She continued. "But when I found the Gunsniper, I saw it as a chance to go out an' have an adventure and see the rest of the world. It was... it was quite cool, actually. It turns out that the world's a helluva lot bigger then I thought that it was... and a lot more interestin'." She shrugged. "'course, I probably was askin' fer trouble, what with goin' around in a Gunsniper and all."

"Nonsense." Floyd replied. "Think of how dull things would have been if you'd never met us."

"Well yeah." Leanne commented. "I'd have never had the chance to be a fugitive, chased by the Red Claw and shot at."

The odd thing was, Floyd noted, he couldn't tell of she was joking or not. Such was her delivery. "Well, its certainly is an interesting life, that's for sure. You never know what's going to happen."

Before Leanne could reply, there was a loud beeping from the depths of Floyd's coat. "Hang on a minute." He began, then reached into his pockets. After a lot of fumbling around, he pulled out a small computer-like device. "Yellow, Floyd here."

"Floyd, its Althiea." The crackly voice on the other end of the line began. "Can you please get the others? I've got an important announcement, and I want everyone to be there."

"Sure thing, Ali." He replied. "I'm with Leanne now, so I should be able to round up Rayvenne and Jason easy. See you, say, in the big meeting room in five?"

"Thanks, Floyd." She finished.

"Right then." He turned back to Leanne. "This is an interesting development, isn't it?"

"I guess so." Leanne replied.

"Say..." Floyd looked around. "You don't actually know where those two are, do you?"

oOoOo

Jason Simons had been spending the last few days collecting his thoughts and considering his next move. It wasn't easy for him; the landscape had changed so much since he'd first formulated his plan that he had no real idea of what he was doing or where he was going to go next.

He'd never planned to be a part of some revenge squad aimed at taking down the Claw. He'd just been more interested in his own survival and running from them. He'd only initially joined up with Althiea because, well, it was obvious that she needed protection. Next thing he know, he was surrounded by a group of people, all of whom had grudges against the Red Claw, and it had somehow turned into a big revenge trip. And he had been a willing part of it, which is what really mystified him.

The events at the Lyra pit had changed things, however. Wheat he had seen was something a lot bigger then he had expected, something that he was not ready for. And, near as he could tell, nobody else was ready for it either, not the least of which was Althiea. Which was a problem, as she was the center of things.

So now he had to plan his next move. The Claw were substantially weakened, but they were still stronger then they were. More to the point, they seemed to be tied up to, well, whatever it was that was going on. It was one of their Zoids, the legendary Trinity Liger, that had cause... well, whatever it was that had happened to Althiea. And while that Zoid had been destroyed, he wasn't sure if the threat was over.

A loud knock on his door interrupted his train of thoughts. He got up, and opened it. "Yeah, what do you want?" He angrily began before even looking to see who it was.

"So nice to see you too." Rayvenne replied. "I should have left you to your angst."

"I'm sorry." He replied. "What's up?"

"Well, frankly, you." She explained. "You're spent the last few days locked in your room barely communicating with the rest of us. What's up, Jason?"

"I've been busy." He replied. "Just thinking about things, that's all."

"Like the rest of us haven't." She continued. "We've all been rather put off by what's been going on. But none of us are sitting around and brooding in our rooms or begin some sort of loner creep."

"I have not been brooding."

"Yes you have." She snapped. "You've been sitting in that room all day, staring at the walls and doing nothing. When you come out, you only grunt at us and then wander off again. Damn it, Jason, can't you at least try to act human?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, I have my on problems to deal with." He yelled back. "I'm wanted by the Red Claw, remember? I used to be one of them!"

"We know that already, Jase." She replied. "And in case you hadn't noticed, you're not the only one the Claw have a mad-on for. They've been after Floyd for, well, god knows how long. They came after both Leanne and me to try to drag us into their orgnaisation and they even raised Ali's home town. Don't think that you're the only one who's had it bad here, Jase."

"I-" He tried to continue, but she cut him off.

"We've all been very accepting towards you given that you didn't exactly tell us what it was with you and the claw." Rayvenne continued. "We've put up with your brooding, sulking and occasionally wandering off to do whatever the hell you wanted without telling the rest of us. But we can only put up with so much, Jase. If you want to be a selfish, broody tool, then fine. Go away and do it somewhere else and quit annoying us. But if you actually want to do something about what's going on, then, damn it, help us out. Stop sulking and work with us here!"

There was a long pause as she glared at Jason. "Well?"

"You're right." He muttered. "I guess I won't get anywhere that way."

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" She continued. "You probably just spent all that time stating at my boobs."

"I heard you, allready!" He shouted out. "Lay off it, will ya?"

"Fine then." Rayvenne angrily replied. "Its your choice. But I have to warn you, Jase. I'm not gonna stand for too much more of this, and I know that Lee isn't gonna either. So make up your mind who you're with; us or yourself." She angrily turned around and stalked off, leaving him behind.

_What was all that about? _He asked himself. _And why is Rayvenne, of all people, suddenly paying attention to what I do? _Rayvenne's attention span rarely wandered beyond herself, which made him wonder if there wasn't something up.

"Hey Jase!" Leanne called out. Looking around, he could see her down the end of the hall. "There's a meeting in five! Y'all had better be there."

"Uh, sure." He replied. _Now what is it, _he wondered.

oOoOo

Sturm Trogdor stood in Jenice's office, patiently listening as Bart rattled off his report on the Claw's forces. Compared to the rather spacious command room she'd occupied in Pinnacle Base, this one was very small and very cramped, its facilities Spartan at best. But then, she was getting off well compared to most of the other Red Claw members. Their current base was clearly only meant to be a temporary one, but was already taking on a permanent air. Most of the men were squeezed into small, overcrowded barracks, while the officers had managed to procure very cramped individual quarters.

Most of their Zoids and support vehicles were crowded into their main hanger bay, arranged in any old way that they could be fit in. Parts and supplies had been packed into the few store rooms that were available. It was rather telling to Sturm that, unlike with the men, they weren't short on space for supplies. They'd been able to recover very little form Pinnacle, and they'd burned through a lot of what was left.

The only part of the base that wasn't' an overcrowded mess was a single Zoid bay near Jenice's office. The bay was interesting; compared to the others it was rather well-equipped with several large lifting arms, cranes and other devices that he couldn't readily recognise. He had to wonder what had been there and why it wasn't in use now.

"So, in summary, It'll take us at least a week to get the remaining Zoids operational." Bart replied. "And I figure that'll bring us to, uh, sixty percent of what we were at before the attack on the Lyra pit. Of course, we'll be direfully short on supplies, so any sorta large-scale engagement is gonna cost us heavily." Glancing at him, Sturm could see that he was sweating heavily. Given the way that Jenice was glaring at him, he wasn't surprised.

"I see." Jenice casually replied, then turned to face him. "So, Sturm, what's the status of our men?"

He had been initially surprised that she had asked him to prepare this report. Levisha was usually in charge of their personnel, and knew them a lot better then he did. At the same time, however, he also figured that she was out of favour over what had occurred at Lyra. Levisha's information had lead them into the battle, and they had suffered devastating losses as a result. _Of course, what happened wasn't her fault. Nobody could have anticipated that._

"Like our Zoid losses, our personnel losses were rather severe." He began. "Every pilot who's machine was disabled was either captured or killed, save for yourself and Towne. This includes the pilots of the two Tanks that were disabled by the enemy. Of the infantry we deployed, we lost about seventy-five percent of them, with most being casualties. We also abandoned about a third of the personnel left at Pinnacle base, and can assume that they are all are lost."

"Lost?"

"We can assume that the Empire is going to attack Pinnacle." He explained. "When they do, whatever personnel remain in there will either fight to defend it or simply surrender. Either way, we can assume that they are lost and to us."

"That seems like a reasonable assumption." Jenice replied. "How are the men faring?"

"Not well." He admitted. "Morale has plummeted, especially after what was supposedly going to be a spectacular victory turned into a devastating loss. Its worse then it would have been after we abandoned Freedom, simply because of the casualties involved. We need some way to turn them around and fast."

"Hmmm..." Jenice seemed to mull over it, deep in thought. A beep from her desk communicator interrupted her. "Jenice here. What is it?" She snapped.

"Commander, uh, the main gate is opening." The voice on the other end nervously replied. "There's someone coming in with a Zoid."

"What?" She snapped. "I didn't allow anyone out with a Zoid!"

"Yes commander. Um, what should I do?"

"I'll deal with this." Jenice angrily replied. She stood up, storming out of the office and down the stairs to the hangar floor. Sturm leaped after her, following her closely. Bart waddled behind the pair of them, struggling to keep up with them. Looking up, he could now see the main hanger door closing, a single Zoid walking in. He recognised it as a Connects, a small, noncombatant Zoid type often used as a cargo hauler, and one of he few types that civilians had access to.

As he got closer, he could see that there was a pair of unusual things about this Zoid. The first was the dirt bike strapped to its front. The second was that there was a second figure sitting above the canopy wearing a black suit, helmet and goggles, a gun pointed at the pilot's head. The Zoid came to a halt inside the bay, the second figure gesturing to the pilot. "Okay you." She began. "Out."

The pilot slowly climbed out of the cockpit, his hands raised. Looking over him, Sturm immediately got the impression that he was a scavenger of sorts. His clothes were ragged and stained with machine oil, while his face was unshaven. Several soldiers surrounded the pair of them, their rifles pointed at the pair of them.

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" Jenice demanded.

The black-clad figure removed her helmet, Sturm instantly recongising her as Levisha. "I apologise for not announcing myself, commander." She began. "But I felt that you wanted to hear what this man had to say."

"This had better be good, Levisha." Jenice hissed, her narrow eyes glaring at her second in command. "You are on very shaky ground here, and I will not hesitate to deal with you if this is a waste of my time."

"Certainly." She replied. "Go ahead, tell her what you told me."

"I..." The man stuttered out. "I found a Hydra cache to the south of here. Me and my friends were going to divide it up and sell its contents to the highest bidder. There were only a few Zoids, and, uh, I didn't recongise the types. But they were big ones, almost the size of a Blackstar Zoid."

"I encountered him while out in the desert. I was scouting the area, checking to see if there was any signs of the Empire's forces." She explained. "I came across this man; he told me what he was doing and I immediately figured that we could use whatever it was that he had found."

"I see." Jenice replied, cooly. "You'll understand if I'm a little dubious, Levisha. After what happened at Lyra, I need to know that I can trust you."

"I understand perfectly." Levisha replied, then held out her gun to Jenice, holding it by the barrel. Jenice took the gun, pointing it straight at Levisha's face.

_What's going on here? Sturm wondered. Is she insane? Or are they both? _He watched as the pair of them stared ech other down, neither moving. Despite the fact that Levisha was considerably taller then Jenice, she managed to maintain a steady glare at her subordinate.

"Its your choice, commander." Levisha continued. "I don't blame you for not trusting me. However, we need to move on. I see this as an opportunity to rebuild the claw and regain our strength."

"That's what you said before at Lyra." Jenice coldly replied.

"I know." Levisha stated. "But I believe that we have an opportunity here. If I am correct, then we can try to rebuild. If I am wrong..." She paused. "If I am wrong, then I do not deserve to be your second or serve with the Red Claw. I will not plead for your mercy or leniency, Jenice, rather, i will accept whatever you feel is the correct course of action."

There was a tense silence for what seemed like a short eternity as Jenice continued to point the gun at Levisha. For a moment, Sturm genuinely thought that Jencie was going to shoot. Instead, she lowered the gun, and then handed it back to Levisha. "You're brave, if nothing else."

Levisha took the gun, and nodded to her commander. "This man has the information about the cache." She indicated to the Connects pilot. "I just bought him here."

Jenice nodded, then turned around. "I will investigate this matter personally. If it is as important as it would seem, then it should not be left to others. Bart, Sturm, you two and Levisha will come with me."

"Thank you, Commander." Levisha replied. "But… I don't have a Zoid."

"Very true." She looked around the crowd that had gathered. "Gwen!"

"Yes, Commander?" Gwen looked up, a suddenly hopeful expression on her face. "What can I do for you?"

"Towne will use your Zoid for this operation." Jenice ordered. "Make it ready for her immediately."

"But Commander!" Gwen protested. "The Redler is-"

"Do I make myself clear, Gwen?" Jenice snapped.

"Yes, commander." She meekly replied.

Jenice turned back to the captive pilot. "Now, you will come with me, and you will tell me everything you know about this cache. Its location, what it has in it, its facilities, how accessible it is, everything. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes." He replied. "Certainly. I, uh, I'll help you in whatever way possible."

"Good. Let's go." She indicated to a pair of guards who marched him off. "Levisha, prepare for departure."

"Yes commander." Levisha replied and saluted.

Sturm turned to her. "That was..." He began. "What you did there was incredibly brave. I knew that you were out of favour with Jenice, but to stand up to her like that."

"I did what needed to be done for the Claw." Levisha replied. "That's all."

Sturm considered what she had said. Despite their relationship, there was so little that he didn't know about her, not the least of which was her motivation. _Why did she serve Jenice_, he wondered. _She doesn't seem to want power or wealth like most of the others. So what is it? _"You must believe in what we do very strongly to risk your life like that."

"I do." She replied. "Like you, I seek change. And like you, I have found that the Claw is the best way to achieve that." She turned to look at him, a smug grin on her face. "Besides, it has its small perks."

"Such as?"

She grinned, then turned away. "Hey, Gwen. How's the Zoid doing?"

oOoOo

Althiea was in the meeting room well before any of the others, and had been nervously awaiting their arrival. She knew that what she was going to say was not going to be easy. However, at the same time, she knew that it needed to be said. She'd put a lot of thought into what had to be covered, and what her next move would be.

_I hadn't expected anything like this, _she thought to herself. When she left home to chase after the Red Claw, she was young, naive and rather out of her depth. That seemed like an eternity ago to her by now. So much had ganged since then but, at the same time, she knew that there was a lot more to come. She couldn't say why it was or what would happen. She just... _knew._

The other members of the team entered the room, sitting down around the table. Jason, for some reason, seemed to be keeping his distance form Rayvenne. Both of them avoided looking at each other, making her wonder if there wasn't something going on there. _The last thing I need is more trouble, _she thought. _That's why I'm going to give them this choice._

"Thank you all for coming." She began. "Since we've been here, I've had a lot to think about. Mainly, I've been wondering about the events of the last few days. However, at the same time, I've been thinking over a lot of what has happened since I first left my home town to pursue the Red Claw. I've come to a decision, and it's not an easy one."

She looked over the assembled group, before continuing. "When I left Sun Hill and started my journey, it wasn't out of some need for revenge. I think that, at the time, I knew that I had no way to defeat the Red Claw. But at the same time, I was strangely drawn to follow them, or, more to the point, one of their Zoids. That machine is the Trinity Liger, their legendary Zoid."

"When I first encountered the Trinity Liger in Sun Hill, something happened that I can't explain." She could picture that day, and those specific moments right now. "The Liger was charging down the street, heading straight for me, its pilot apparently intent on running me down with it. I was terrified, and simply stood, staring at it as it charged straight for me. Yet, for some reason, it stopped right in the middle of the road. It roared, then ran off, as if it was somehow afraid of me. At the same time, i had a strange... feeling from it, like it was trying to communicate with me."

"My encounter with it left me with a strange feeling of..." She searched for the word. "Longing. Like I needed to find that Zoid again and, more to the point, find out exactly what had happened there. I had no idea what I had done, and apparently no control over it. Yet, at the same time, I wanted to know what it was. That is why I followed the Red Claw."

"When I next encountered the Zoid, Jenice, its pilot, seemed to have known about what happened." Althiea continued. "She tried to force me to communicate with the Zoid, to try and control it how I did on that one day. It was almost as if she knew what had happened, even though I had no idea of what I had done. She simply sat me down in front of the Liger and made me stare at it, as if she was expecting a result. Before the Claw's base was attacked, I know that I did feel... _something _there, something inside of it."

"But it was the third encounter with the Zoid that made me realise that there was more to it." She paused again, glancing around the room. This was not going to be easy, but she knew that it needed to be said. "When I faced the Trinity Liger in the pit, it was much like our first encounter. I was on foot, it was bearing down on me. I was afraid, no, terrified of what would happen. I wanted it to go away, to leave me alone. I shouted out to it, both with my voice, and with my mind. And it responded."

"I don't know exactly how I could describe what happened next. I got... I guess you could say, emotions from the Zoid. Anger, hatred and, well, pain. The last one was the strongest; it was like the Zoid was in incredible pain, enough to drive it insane. It wanted... it wanted to be free from its pain. I somehow, and I have no idea now, granted that wish. The Liger jettisoned its armour, apparently of its own accord. The thing is, I believe that it was my contact with it that allowed it to do that, like it had been fighting with its pilot, and I was enough to tip the balance."

Althiea waited a moment to let all this sink in. "The Trinity Liger isn't the only Zoid I've experienced that... sensation with." She finally continued. "I had a similar feeling, albeit a lot weaker from both the Iron Kong we encountered outside and that Blackstar Darkhorn that we ran across in Freedom. In the case of the Iron Kong, I believe that the feeling was actually coming from the chip that had been installed in its body. With the Darkhorn, I have no idea. But there was one other case."

She breathed deeply before continuing. "In the Blackstar city, I heard a voice in my mind. It spoke to me, calling to me. It wanted me to, well, free it. The voice, whatever it was, drew me towards the center of the city. Without thinking, I left the visitors area and proceeded towards the very center of the city itself, towards one of its massive fusion reacotrs, where, for some reason, I felt the voice was coming from. Before I could discover what it was, however, the sirens went off, indicating the imminent meltdown. I panicked, and ran. That's why I was so insistent that we leave the city."

"I don't know what's happening to me." She admitted. "Nor do I know the cause of it. What I have gathered is that it is something bigger then the Red Claw. Floyd mentioned Hydra weapons and Technology. I've had to wonder why they have suddenly resurfaced now and if there is some connection to the Red Claw. Or, if there isn't, I have to ask myself if there is something else at play here, some element that we don't yet know about."

"I've made a very important decision. I'm leaving here, going out to find the Red Claw and then whatever else is behind these events. In doing so, I'm hoping to find out more about myself, and where these abilities of mine came from. Floyd said that he had never seen anything like them. I think that's reason enough to want to know more."

"This is going to be a long and dangerous journey." Althiea explained. "I don't know where exactly it's headed and that does frighten me. But, at the same time, I know that it's something I must do. Not just for my sake, but for the Empire's or possibly even the World's. But I also don't want any of you to risk yourselves on my behalf. That's why I've called you all here."

She looked over them again, a lump forming in her throat. "In the last few months, my life has changed in ways that I could have never expected. You have all been there for me, and I am thankful for that. I owe you all my life, many times over. That is why I wont ask you to risk yours again to help me fulfill my own aims. In past, we all had a common goal, to defeat the Red Claw. This time, it will be different. That is why I must go on alone."

_There, I said it. It needed to be done. I couldn't ask them to give more then they already have._

"Now hold on there, little lady." Floyd spoke up. "You ain't gonna be runnin' off alone there."

"Floyd?"

"Ayup." He grinned. "What you are offering is a chance to explore some of the last great mysteries of our time and to make quite incredible discoveries in fields of technology that are new, unexplored and, above all else, quite downright whacked. I'd be completely and utterly stone motherless Zabatcrap crazy to pass up an opportunity like this." His grin broadened. "And besides, I know you will need a technician, as well as some boffin to poke whatever it is you find. And who would be better then the world's greatest genius?"

"You'd do that for me?" She asked.

"Althiea, I would follow you to the end of the world." He replied. "...which might be getting closer, if some signs are anything to go on. But, rest assured, where ever you are, I will be there for you. Nothing, and I mean nothing, would stop me."

"He ain't the only one." Leanne continued. "Ali, since I met you an' the rest of y'all, I have seen stuff I couldn't have ever imagined. I set out to have a big ol' adventure, and dangit if I ain't havin' one. And what yer describin', goin' out into the great unknown, finding out what's out there an' unravellin' some great secret sounds perfect. Sure as heck as I ain't goin' back to the farm. I'm with y'all, all the way."

"Thank you, Leanne." She replied. "I... I don't know what to say, really."

"Well, how about this?" Rayvenne offered. "I know you guys will need a good scout. I also know that you'll need some air cover to keep those crazy Pterases and Redlers off of your backs. And seeing as how there's a shortage of airborne Zoids and skilled pilots, then I'm going to volunteer to help you out." She smiled. "Ali, you've done a lot for me, really. If not for you, I'd have been taken out by that Redler. My helping you is the least I can do. Besides, as Lee said, it sounds like a great adventure."

Althiea nodded. "You've been a great help to all of us, Rayvenne. I'm glad you're doing this."

"Ali, I want to boof the Red Claw as much as the next guy. But right now, I think we have more pressing concerns." She seemed to be glancing at Jason.

"Yeah, we do." He admitted. "You're right. Just beating on the Red Claw isn't going to achieve anything." He glared at Rayvenne. "However, I do think that they still are a threat." He leaned forwards. "At the same time, I think that they may be the key to this mystery. These events only began occurring after the Red Claw showed up, correct?"

"That is a valid point." Floyd replied.,

"And Althiea, you said that the first time that you had those... strange feeligns was when you saw the Trinty Liger." He continued. "My though is that the Red Claw may be responsible, either directly or indirectly. And if we go through them, then we may be able to find some clues as to what's really going on." He looked over the whole table. "And I will certainly be willing to help you with that."

Althiea nodded and smiled. Jason had been the first one of them she'd met, and had been the one who had first taught her how to use a Zoid. She'd depended on him an awful lot during those early days and, even with the arrival of other members of the team, he was still their most skilled pilot. And despite her new found large Zoid, she knew that his help would be very useful.

"Thank you all." She replied. "I hadn't expected this to happen... but I'm very glad for your help, all of you. I only hope that we can find out what's going on... not just for my sake, but for everyone's."

oOoOo

The Energy Liger pounded across the plains, its heavy feet kicking up clouds of dirt behind it as it ran. To either side, a Brastle Tiger and a Liger Zero X managed to keep pace with it, both of them running at near their top speeds. Inside the cockpit of his Zoid, Captain Alistair O'Bannon watched his navigational display as the trio of Zoids tore across the countryside.

They'd received a report of a single Zoid attacking a nearby highway, apparently opening fire on random passing traffic. Nobody knew where it had come from or why it was attacking. The Zoid had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere, and seemed to be lashing out at the civilians for the simple sake of it. O'Bannon's squad had been in the area, and had been dispatched to investigate the matter.

"Contact!" Drashe, the Zero X pilot called out. "Single large Zoid, currently stationary. Appears to be a lone RBOZ-002 Mammoth. Its not registering on my IFF."

"Mammoth, huh?" McMillan, the Brastle Tiger's pilot replied. "Sounds like Auroroans."

"No." Alistair shook his head. "It's too far into our territory to be an Auroroan unit. There's no way it would have penetrated this far without being detected. Besides, it wouldn't be acting alone or randomly attacking a highway."

"Then what is it?" He asked.

"We're about to find out." Alistair replied. The Energy Liger stopped on the top of a hill, overlooking the highway below, the other two Zoids pulling up next to it. Looking down, he could see the situation just as it had been described. A lone Red Mammoth stood in the middle of the highway, trumpeting loudly. Around it lay several destroyed vehicles, as well as numerous craters and scars fro weapons fire. The traffic was backed up in both directions, while people were fleeing on foot form the titanic Zoid.

"Captain, requesting permission for a field weapons test." McMillan spoke up, his Brastle Tiger snarling loudly.

Alistair shook his head. McMillan had been lucky enough to be chosen to field test a new Zoid that was only in service in limited numbers. As such, he was constantly looking for opportunities to unleash its considerable arsenal. "Negative." He replied as he examined the Zoid.

"Sir?"

He zoomed in on the Mammoth's head. The canopy was smashed, a huge gaping hole in its front. Inside, Alistair could see no sign of a pilot. _A wild Zoid in this day and age? _He wondered. _Or is it something else? _"We want it as intact as possible." He replied. "I'll handle it. You two stay here. If I need you, I will call."

"Yes, commander." The pair of them replied.

The Energy Liger roared as its energy charger hummed to life, an orange glow building up inside the win drums mounted on the Liger's shoulders. The massive feline Zoid broke into a run, bounding down the hill towards the Mammoth at its full run. The unmanned Zoid turned to face him, trumpeting loudly before opening fire with its trunk cannon.

Several shots went wide of the charging Liger, while a few more bounced off its thick armour with no apparent effect. Ignoring the Mammoth's fire for the moment, he charged forwards, the Zoid's twin wings extending out from its body, both of them glowing with energy. The Liger leaped past the Mammoth, its blade slicing deep into the other Zoid's side. There was a momentary screech of metal as the Liger bounded away, folding its wings up as it turned around.

The Mammoth staggered on its feet for a moment, then simply collapsed on its side, two of its legs severed by the attack. The Zoid remained down, not moving or even responding to his presence as the Energy Liger approached it.

Glancing over the Zoid before being satisfied that it was indeed out of action, Alistair opened a communications link to his headquarters. "O'Bannon to command. Have neutralised the wild Zoid. Requesting first aid and damage control teams to my current location." He examined the wrecked Mammoth. "And a Zoid recovery team as well. There's something going on here."

Looking down at the Mammoth, he could see that the machine was in poor shape. Its armour was pitted and scarred, as well as being covered in dirt and sand. It was like the Zoid had been lying dormant for a long time, then had suddenly reactivated. Of course, the question was why had it activated now?

oOoOo

Nathan Winters had to congratulate the original builders of the base for the work they had done on concealing it from the outside world. From out here, it looked like a perfectly ordinary mesa, identical to the others around it. It was only when you got close to it that you realised that it was, in fact, something completely different.

He had to admit that the empire would have probably never found it without the information they'd gained form the captured Red Claw pilots. The few who they'd managed to take alive had proven to be very cooperative and very talkative, rather willing to give up whatever information they possessed on their former leader and allegiance. It had initially surprised him as to just how willing thy were to talk. But then, he figured, they probably knew what their chances of a rescue were, and were hoping for leniency.

As soon as they had a precise location, he'd put together a task force. He'd recommended that they were as well armed and well equipped as possible, figuring that what was left of the Red Claw would still be able to put up a strong fight. They would be desperate, he explained, and as a result, more dangerous. Once assembled, his force had marched on the location of the base, ready for anything from a long siege to a sudden, brutal battle. Instead, they got neither.

When they arrived, they found that the base was largely abandoned. There had been no signs of the Red Claw's forces save for a few infantry units who were mainly engaged in destroying any materials that remained on the base. The battle had been rather short, with the bulk of the Red Claw forces remaining having either surrendered after token resistance or escaping. Either way the base was now theirs.

Of course, this raised the question of where the Red Claw had actually gotten to. The information they'd gathered seemed to indicate that this base was the Claw's only central base of operations. So they'd either dispersed, or they had another fallback base that he, and the bulk of the Red Claw's troops, were unaware of. Nathan figured that the latter was the most likely scenario. Certainly, it was what he would do if he was leading an armed uprising. A surprisingly well equipped, well lead, disciplined and coordinated armed uprising.

Now his troops were going over the base, looking for any clue as to the Claw's current whereabouts or, for that matter, their origins. So far, they'd found very little that gave any clues as to where they had gone. But they had found something rather interesting. One of the bases lower levels had been converted into a museum of sorts, crammed with Hydra artifacts. While fascinating, they didn't provide too much more information on the Red Claw that he didn't already know. Still, the Gayos War Museum would probably be interested in them.

Right now, the place was swarming with Zygra Zoids and workers, as well as numerous Tanks that were being used both to bring personnel to the site as well as to drag away what they found. _And even if we didn't defeat them here, we've removed one of their bases of operation. And I cannot see any fallback being a better base then this one here._

There was a loud crashing noise from behind him, the sound of a large Zoid approaching and then pulling up. He didn't even need to look around to know what it was, nor did he need to know who it was that opened the canopy and stepped out of the Zoid. "You captured an empty Red Claw base. I'm impressed." Thorne began. "It's a task your military is up to, for once."

He chose to ignore the insult for the moment. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I've been tasked with the location and elimination of the Red Claw, Paladin Winters." She explained, not bothering to look at him. "I came here because I felt that this would be the best place to begin my investigation."

"This is a Zygra army matter." He replied. "As are the Red Claw."

"The Claw are criminals within our territory too, Paladin." She continued. "I am working for the benefit of my people."

"So what do you want?" He asked. "You know that I cannot just provide you with information."

"Neither would I normally." She continued. "However, I know that we have information that you don't. Perhaps our governments could aid each other in ending this threat."

_And what is it that you want form this? _He wondered. _Or is it another one of those Blackstar moments? You defeat the Red Claw where we couldn't, and it looks a lot better for you. _"I'm not sure what information you could provide."

"You were aided in the battle at the Lyra pit." Thorne continued. "A third group entered the battle, drove off the Red Claw, saved your troops and destroyed the Trinity Liger. Their five Zoids managed to achieve more then your entire army did."

_How did she know that? _He wondered. "That is true to a degree."

"We know who they are." She replied, not looking at him. "Our forces have encountered them in battle with the Claw twice now. And they have visited our city, so we have their data on file."

"Certainly that information would be useful to us." He admitted.

"I'm sure it would." Thorne continued. "But there's no reason for us to give it to you. None of them have committed any crimes, either within our city or your empire. One of them is flagged as wanted by your government for questioning, but that's not considered to be sufficient grounds. As such, there's no reason for us to give you that information."

"Except if we were to provide something in return, correct?"

"That's right." She replied.

He glanced at her, noting that, in place of her usual scowl, she was wearing a slightly smug expression. The two of them made an interesting contrast; he with his short-trimmed hair and dressed in his rather elaborate Paladins uniform, and her with her long braids and skintight, revealing leathers. "So what do you want?"

"Everything you have on the Red Claw, including the full service records of both Paladin Trogdor and its leader. Yes, we know she's a former Zygra knight, so don't worry about it. We also want full access to this base as well as anything you find inside it." She pointed to the mesa.

"And what do we get out of this?" He asked.

"You'll get everything we have on the Claw, as well as the information we have on the quintet of pilots who seem to be opposing them." She stated. "I'm sure that our information would be beneficial, and could fill holes in your knowledge."

"A fair trade." He knew that he wouldn't get the information any other way. Besides that, he suspected that the Blackstars would simply make other attempts to get at Pinnacle. And he wanted to know who those people were, the ones who had managed to be more effective against the claw then the entire Zygra army had been. He knew who one of them was, but the rest were a mystery. And, more to the point he had to wonder why he had chosen to work with them.

"I thought you would see things that way." She replied. "But then, I heard about what happened to the Trinity Liger at the Lyra Pit. It was... unexpected to say the least."

"I didn't see it personally, but I have seen the footage." He explained. "I will admit that I was rather surprised by it."

"I'll say." She continued. "Ironic isn't it. Somebody with those abilities should save your forces after the Empire spends so long suppressing them."

_You never change, Thorne. Even when we're talking about cooperation, you have to try and score points. _"It was unexpected." He replied. "Just as much as it would be if a Blackstar had done the same."

"Those abilities don't exist amongst my people." She simply stated. "And, after the Hydra war, we realised that it was a blessing."

He glanced at her Darkhorn, noting its obvious modifications. _And yet you still will use what they created. I'm sure you appreciate the irony. _"I'll arrange for the information to be transferred to your government, Captain Thorne."

"And I will do the same." She continued. "I particularly look forward to Paladin Trogdor's record. I'd like to see what drives a man to turn so completely on his own government. Maybe that way we can figure how he achieved such success at the Lyra pit."

"He knew our forces." Nathan stated. "That's all there is to it."

"Probably. But I have to wonder..." She trailed off, then turned to look directly at him, her neon-green eyes glaring straight at him. "Had you allowed us to keep him, rather then demanding that he be turned over to your custody, would any of this have happened? Or would we now be talking about the Red Claw in the past tense?"

"We had our orders." He explained. "Maybe if your security had been tighter, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to escape."

"And if yours had been tighter, then we wouldn't have needed to arrest him in the first place." She finished. "Interesting, isn't it?"

oOoOo

The unusual column moved across the desert, skirting along the very fringes of the Empire's territory, their pilots keeping a constant watch. They were not only watching for any sings of hostile forces, however, but each one of them was watching the others, warily eyeing their allies for any hint of betrayal. The journey had been a very long and very tense one, the members of the group not talking any more then they needed to, each one with reasons to distrust his fellows.

The group was lead by the small, scurrying form of a Connects, the diminutive centipede Zoid scurrying across the landscape. Its position at the head of their line was for two reasons. The first was that its pilot was the one leading them to their destination, and, as such, was acting as a guide and pathfinder. The second was that he was considered to be the most expendable of the team, and, as the leader, would be most likely to be the first to come under fire.

Behind it loped a red Command Wolf, the new machine of Jenice, leader of the Red Claw. Despite the fact that it was one of the most capable Zoids in the Claw's arsenal, it was clear that its pilot was far from satisfied with it. The Zoid was a massive step down from her previous Zoid, the legendary Trinity Liger. The loss of the Zoid seemed to have hurt Jenice in ways that nobody had expected, almost as if she had lost a part of herself. However, unlike the Trinity Liger, she didn't seem to have any attachment to the Command Wolf. The Zoid still sported its tattered Imperial insignia, Jenice seemingly unwilling to have it painted with the Red Claw's logo – A far cry from the way she had prominently displayed it on all their machines before.

Bart's Gustav followed behind it, the massive transport Zoid's trailers left empty to allow its crew to carry off any loot they found in the cache. They also served as a reminder to those present of what their aims were; to recover machines that could be used to rebuild the Red Claw's strength. Jenice had made no secret of the fact that they also could be used to transport back any of the Zoids in this force if their pilot was incapacitated or disabled. While the comment had been in reference to the pilot of the Connects, the implications were clear.

Sturm's Evo Flyer was following in the air, a considerable distance from the other Zoids. It had been assigned to watch their flanks, one of their early warnings against any possible attacks on their force or any signs that they had been discovered. While they were headed into a very remote, very sparsely populated part of the Empire, the Red Claw's situation was still such that any engagement would be costly to them. And any force that struck this group would be able to decapitate the claw in one go.

Form the cockpit of her 'borrowed' Redler, Levisha considered this. Jenice was taking a very large risk by committing herself, her chief tech and her two most capable officers to this operation. On the other hand, she considered that it may be a measure of her desperation that she would try this. Her need to acquire new Zoids - particularly a replacement for her Trinity Liger - may have been enough to drive her to these lengths. _If that's the case, then this operation becomes more vital then ever before. _On the other hand, she also had to consider the possibility that she and Sturm would be considered expendable in order to allow her and Bart to escape any conflict.

_In that case, I have my own reasons for wanting this mission to succeed._

She opened up a private channel to Sturm's Zoid. "What's the situation like over there?" She casually asked.

"All clear." He replied. "There's no sign of any activity anywhere around. We appear to be in the clear, and no surprises either."

"Oh really?" She asked. "Some Imperial secret?"

"Sort of." He replied. "We're now over the Krupp Expanse. Its probably the second most barren and potentially hazardous place on the planet... or at least, of the man-made ones. There's nothing here beyond the most basic plant life."

"So no Imperial patrols either, right?" She asked.

"No." Sturm shook his head. "The Empire never comes here. There's no reason to either. Nothing can survive here for too long, and anything of value has long since been picked over and taken away. Its been decades since there was anyone here."

"Huh." She replied. "What about the Draks? One would think that this place would make a great place for them to enter the Empire though."

"Not even they're that crazy." He explained. "There's nothing here at all, save for a few crumbling ruins."

"I noticed." Levisha commented as she looked out the window of her Zoid. In the distance she could see the remains of a town. The place was slowly crumbing, but that was more due to age then any damage. All around it was nothing but empty sand, some of which was already beginning to bury the outer buildings. "The Draks really let them have it, didn't they?"

"Definitely. They didn't mind handing control of it over to us after the war. In fact, it was about the only decision we made that they agreed with."

"I see..." Levisha knew all of this, of course. What was interesting was hearing it form an insider point of view. Sturm's perspectives were helping her expand her knowledge of the innermost workings of the Zygra empire. Neither she nor any of her allies had ever had the advantages of a Paladin's viewpoint. She was already considering her options for Sturm after their need for the Red Claw was over. He was an outsider, but yet, there could be advantages to bringing him in. After all, it wasn't entirely without precedent. "I'm guessing there isn't much about the Draken Empire that the Zygra government likes."

"Actually, it's they who don't like us." He explained. "I've dealt with the Draken Army in past; their attitude could be described as 'hostile', to say the least. They seemed to be itching for an excuse to start a fight. If you look at their maps, you'll understand why; in the last few years, they've taken to labeling the eastern portions of the Zygra Empire as "occupied Territories."

"Charming."

"Very." He continued. "They actually treat the Balckstars more like a legitimate government then they do us. I've long felt that allowing the Blackstars to settle within the empire was one of our first mistakes in the long line that lead us to where we are today."

_Now this gets interesting. Few would dare criticise Zygra himself, especially not a Paladin. _"That was Zygra's choice. He made the decision himself form what I heard."

"Yes, but I feel that it was one of his few mistakes." He continued. "Of course, his son has managed to make more in ten years then Zygra did in over fourty."

"Not a fan of his?" She asked, now very interested.

"Nikolas Zygra II's main qualification for the job is being the son of a great man." Sturm explained. "To my mind, he's a weak-willed, spineless man who's ready to bend over backwards to appease his neighbors. Zygra stood up to the Empire and the UZN to create a brave new world. His son seems to be doing his all to let them walk all over him."

"And thus the Red Claw becomes even more vital." She finished. _And not just the claw..._

"That's why I was so eager to support this operation, Levisha, despite how risky it may seem." He continued. "The Red Claw's success is vital to the future of the Empire. We must force it to change, Levisha, through whatever means are necessary." He looked out of his cockpit. "Even if we must destroy it."

"I see." She replied, quietly. _Yes, he will be very useful in future._ "I only hope that this site is viable, and we will be able to find the weapons we need to force that change."

"I have to wonder, though." He asked. "What's your stake in all this, Levisha? Why are you a part of the Red Claw?"

"I also want to affect change within the Empire." She explained. "I see that we are stagnating, socially and technologically. In fact, compared to the pre-Hydra world, technology has actually declined, and continues to do such. We seem to fear the unknown or the unconventional, and not want to risk change, preferring instead to let the world pass us by. It's not just the empire, however. It's the whole world."

She looked out of the cockpit, glancing again at the ruined town in the distance. "If we don't do anything, then we'll all end up like that. Humans will be living in caves, or rooting through the rubble. I will not allow that." _And there's the hook. Let's see what happens next._

oOoOo

"Okay people!" Floyd called out as he walked along the length of the main hanger. "How are we all looking? Everything ready to go?"

The five Zoids of the team were lined up inside the hanger, waiting behind the closed main door. Althiea's massive black and grey Iron Kong was at the lead, looming over the other machines in their team. Behind it was Floyd's Gustav, both of its trailers stacked high with crates. He'd packed as many supplies as his Zoid could carry, leaving no room for him to carry any of the other machines. Floyd had explained that it was necessary for him to cram as much as he could on his Zoid, and that everyone else would have to walk.

Althiea understood what he meant. They had a long journey ahead of them with no definite destination, and no idea of how long they would be going. It made sense to carry as much in the way of supplies as they could. While he figured that he could trade or scavenge along the way, he wanted to be as prepared as possible. Even though she had not asked him to come along, Althiea was glad that Floyd had decided to come along with her for several reasons.

Besides his considerable knowledge and technical expertise, she had begun to appreciate Floyd for other reasons. He'd become a sort of mentor to her, helping teach her about innumerable different subjects. He'd been a veritable goldmine of information about Hydra, the Red Claw, the Blackstars, the outside world and virtually anything else that she could think of. He'd been invaluable to her but, above that, he'd been a good friend.

Jason's Iguan and Leanne's Gunsniper waited behind it, standing side by side. Both Zoids had required a lot of work after their last few battles, but Floyd assured them that they would be fully functional. While the power of both Zoids was vastly overshadowed by the Iron Kong, she appreciated their abilities. Besides, their relatively low profiles gave them a degree of stealth and anonymity that her Zoid lacked.

She also knew that both Leanne and Jason had their own reasons for going after the Red Claw. However, at the same time, both of them had decided to put that aside to help her on what was, at its heart, her own journey. Like Floyd, she saw them both as being more then just people she traveled with and fought alongside. They were friends, people that she respected and admired. Jason especially, as he had taken her under his wing and done so much for her in the early days of their traveling together. Without him, she couldn't think where she'd be. _Probably dead_, she figured.

At the back of the group was Rayvenne's Sinker, resting on the ground rather then its usual place on the black of Floyd's Gustav where it usually traveled, having been displaced by the mountain of supplies that the Gustav was now hauling. The new plan was that it would regularly fly ahead of the column, watching out for any signs of attack - with the Iron Kong it would be a lot harder to avoid a battle.

Rayvenne's rather selfless decision to help her had been something of a surprise to her, albeit a pleasant one. Rayvenne had always struck her as being a bit self-centered, a bit self-important and more concerned with herself then anyone else. On the other hand, she had also been very reliable and very dependable, and had never let them down. It wasn't just her skills in the Sinker that had been valuable to her, but her willingness to do things that others would have scoffed at or shied away from.

"That's everyone!" Floyd called out. He pressed a button by the door, then walked back towards his Gustav. As he walked back, the door slowly opened, revealing the canyon outside. "All right people! The great international Hydra hunting expedition is now launched! Onward, to victory or discovery or something! Althiea, if you would please?"

On his signal, Althiea slowly opened the throttle of her Iron Kong. The massive machine stomped forwards, stepping out of the cave and into the field outside. It walked on into the ruined town outside the cave, the other Zoids forming up behind it. Finally, Rayvenne's Sinker emerged, skimming across the ground near the cave before climbing to altitude.

"Lead the way, Ali." Floyd called out. "We're right behind you."

_And I know you always will be, _she thought. _Thank you, all of you._

oOoOo

It was nearly dusk before the Red Claw column approached the site, after a very long, very tense day of travel. From the air, it didn't look like much at all; another stretch of blasted wastes with a few scattered rock, and no signs of life. The only giveaway was a single sinkhole, which had collapsed at some point in the recent past, presumably allowing access to the pit. Levisha banked the Redler, passing low over the site. As she passed over it, she could see a second Connects and a pair of Guystings, all of which were only passably camouflaged.

_I guess they didn't expect anyone to find them out here, _she thought as the Redler looped back around towards the column. _Not that anyone in their right mind would come out here in the first place. This site was indeed well-chosen. _She figured that Jaeger had chosen some of his many contacts for this role; specifically ones that he knew were expendable. The risk of them being killed was too great otherwise.

"We have the site." She called out over their comms channel. "Three Baratz on-site but no other defenses. And they don't seem to be expecting us."

"Are those your allies?" Jenice demanded.

"They are." The Connects pilot replied, nervously. "There was only the four of us to start with."

"Good." Jenice replied. "Move in, but do not open fire. We could use those Zoids."

_And yet you make no mention of the pilots, _Levisha noted. "Yes commander."

"Bart, keep an eye on the Connects." She continued. "I will lead the attack."

The red Command Wolf raced out ahead of the Gustav and Connects, loping towards the pit. Above it, the Redler and Evoflyer swooped down, following behind it, managing to match its pace. They quickly approached the pit, sighting the trio of small Zoids waiting around it.

Before anybody could react, Jenice opened fire with the Command Wolf's twin cannons. The shots blasted into the ground between the trio of Zoids, kicking up clouds of dirt but not actually damaging them. Levisha and Sturm followed her cue, opening fire on the area around them but not aiming to hit their Zoids. The shots had the desired effect; One of the Guystings scurried towards the pit while the other two Zoids just stood there, apparently unmanned. more to the point, however, their pilots were not running out to board them.

The Command Wolf pulled up near the three Zoids, Levisha's Redler landing behind it. On its other flank, the Evo Flyer swooped down and reconfigured into its land mode. "We are the Red Claw!" Jenice called out over the Command Wolf's PA system. "We have come for the contents of this site. Surrender now and we will spare your lives. Resist us, and you will be killed."

There was a momentary pause, then the Guysting emerged from its hiding place. The cockpit opened, the pilot stepping out with his hands raised. "Please, don't shoot!" He began. "We're coming out now."

"Are you in charge here?" Jenice demanded.

"I-I am, yes." The pilot nervously stated. "I... I'm leading a s-salvage group. We... we were planning to sell what we found here."

"I know." she stated. "Take us there."

The man nodded nervously then looked up at them. "The place is too... the entrance I mean, it's too small to let Zoids through yet."

"I see." The Command Wolf glanced around before Jenice opened up her communicator to her squad. "Bart, rendezvous here with the prisoner. Levisha, you will come with me inside. Sturm will cover us. If they make any sudden moves, destroy them."

_Why me? _Levisha asked herself. _Is this sudden trust, or simply so I will be in a convenient place for me to dispose of me if we find nothing? _She considered the options. _Either way, I have no option. _She opened the Redler's cockpit and leaped down to the ground. Outside the Zoid's cockpit, the ground was even more barren and lifeless then she'd had imagined. There was a cold wind blowing, kicking up dust and dirt all around her, while beneath her feet the earth was parched, barren and dry.

Jenice stepped out of her Command Wolf, approaching the man. He was clad in ragged fatigues, covered with a tattered cloak. He wore goggles and exposed very little of his skin; what little Levisha could see was blotchy and pale. _Radiation sickness? This truly is a cursed land._

"My men have us covered." Jenice began. "And they will not hesitate to shoot if you if ou try anything. Additionally, we have one of your men hostage." She indicated to the Connects which was now standing near the Gustav and Evoflyer. "If we do not return, he will be executed. Do you understand?"

"Yes... yes I do." he hurriedly replied.

"Good." Jenice continued. "Now, show us what you have found."

He led the pair of them down into the hole to a small camp. Another pair of men, presumably the pilots of the other two Zoids, were waiting there. Levisha noted that both of them were in better shape then their leader, but not by much. "Are they…" One of them glanced at her and Levisha. "Are you really from the Red Claw?"

"Yes, we are." Jenice stated. "We have come for what you have found."

"And what are we going to get in exchange for it?" He continued, while their leader nervously edged away from him.

"Your lives." Jenice simply stated. "Now, if you know what is good for you, you will open up the cache and show us what is inside."

The man stood, glaring at her for a moment, before his partner nudged him. "Do it. They mean business, man." He lead the pair of them over to a large sheet of metal that had been crudely propped up at one end of the hole. After several minutes of work, the three of them were able to push it aside, revealing a concrete wall behind it.

Levisha looked over it, noting the gaping hole in its base which would be just enough for a human to slip into. She also noted the faded, worn Hydra logo above it. _So Jaeger was right, _she thought. _This could be very interesting indeed._

"Go on." Jenice continued. "You lead the way. Show us what is inside and we may spare you." She had her hand on the butt of her pistol, but never took her eyes off the trio. "Now."

"Sure... uh... through here." Their leader began. He waited by the door while two of them ducked inside. Once they were in, Jenice indicated to Levisha, then towards the door.

Levisha nodded. _So I'm the sacrificial lamb. I know the risks, but I must go on. _She stepped inside the room, her eyes instantly adjusting to the gloom inside. The three raiders were waiting nearby, but she paid them no heed. Instead, she ran her eyes across the contents of the hanger. Despite the darkness, she could make out their shapes clearly. _And this has been clearly worth any risk._

"Commander!" She called out. "It's safe."

Jenice stepped in a moment later, looking around the room and blinking as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. "Oh yes." She began, a smug grin on her face. "This is it, Levisha?" She closed her eyes, breathing deeply for a moment. "This is a great moment, the moment that the Red Claw will be reborn. The moment that this decaying old order ends, and a new one emerges from it."

She stepped further into the room, looking over the Zoids. Most of them were smaller designs, but some were newer and more capable then the elderly machines that bulked out the Claw's forces. There were a few mid-sized machines, like Jenice's Command Wolf, which would provide a considerable boost to their resources. But Levisha didn't care about them. Like Jenice, she was focusing on the trio of forms at the back of the hanger, bigger then the others.

"You have done well, Levisha." Jenice continued as she looked over what they had found. "The power here... it's amazing. Can you feel it? Can you feel the way it soaks into this room, permeating everything here?"

"Yes, Commander." She replied as she looked over the three shadowed forms. One of them was a quadruped, similar in shape to the Trinity Liger but smaller yet possibly bulkier. Next to it was a slender bipedal form, a pair of wings hanging from its back. And behind them was a third, another winged biped, larger then the other two. "I know exactly what you mean."

In the depths of the hanger, the Zoid's eyes lit up, as if in response to an unseen signal; one pair silver, a second pair green, the third fiery red.


	25. The Swarm

A lone Zoid soared through the skies over the barren desert, its bizarre yet sinister shape silhouetted against the rising sun behind it. The machine cruised at a high altitude, well out of the way of any airborne opponents its pilot expected to face. While she was confident of both her abilities and those of her new Zoid to defeat any that may challenge it, today she was not looking for a battle.

Inside the cockpit of her new Zoid, Levisha Towne carefully studied a map of the area. She was looking in particular for areas that were declared to be hazard zones due to left over weapons form the last war. There were many of these areas scattered across the Empire's eastern frontier, especially in the areas that had been a part of the Draken Empire, deadly artifacts of an ancient conflict. It was these weapons that had caught her interest, and the reason why she was out here.

Every conflict left its debris; unexploded ordinance, forgotten minefields, field engineering works that had been buried over, the bodies of men who had fallen and never been recovered and the like. These Zones contained one such thing in this case, unmanned Chimera Zoids that had been left to protect military outposts, then lost in the chaos that had been the last war. Some estimates said that there may still be dozens of them scattered across this frontier. Others said hundreds.

Either way, she would be happy with the outcome.

Her Lord Gale dived out of the sun, heading towards a rocky outcropping, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Several bunkers lay on top of it, at least two of which had fallen into ruin with age. None the less, she suspected that their guardians would be fully operational, their internal systems keeping them maintained and in operational condition, ready to attack any intruders.

"So lets see if this truly works." She said to herself as she pressed several buttons on the Zoid's command console. The green orb on the Lord Gale's forehead pulsed with light as it transmitted a signal across a wide area. As she approached the ruins, the sand around it began to shift as the Zoids buried under it awoke. Whether they were responding to her signal or to her presence was the real question. One way or another she would find out.

The first of the Zoids emerged from the sand, a bizzare looking creature with a squat torso, hunched back and massive arms that were as big as its body. The computer identified it as being a 'Shellkarn' and, more importantly, under her direct control. Other machines emerged from the desert around her. While the computer identified each, she knew what they were already. Flyscissors, Diploguns, Demonshead; a series of Zoids created by the Draken Empire to serve two roles.

Their use as sentries was a secondary purpose. Because they were unmanned, they could be left around some remote post and abandoned until needed. They would remain alert without needing to rest, and could be buried for extended periods with no ill effects. But their primary role was what she wanted them for.

The Chimera Zoids were terror weapons. Their unmanned nature gave them certain advantages over a human soldier. They knew no mercy, no compassion and no fear. Once unleashed, they would not stop fighting until either they or their enemy were destroyed. They had no qualms about attacking civilian targets; they would simply destroy whatever was in their path.

The Chimera Zoids approached her Zoid, either walking with their bizarre gaits or hovering towards it. They surrounded the Lord Gale, but didn't move against it. Her Zoid, eyeing the strange machines around it, let out a loud, gargling roar. The Chimeras responded with their own chorus of chirps, roars and bellows.

"Excellent." She said as she looked over their new found army. While the cache she had unearthed had provided the Claw with all manner of new Zoids, it was the Chimeras that she wanted the most. Not only would they allow the Claw to drastically expand their ranks, but it would also create a force within the claw that would be unquestionably loyal to her - and her alone.

"Levisha!" Bart called out over the communicator. "Did ya find what you were after?"

"Oh yes." She replied as she again looked over the bizarre Zoids. "I definitely did."

oOoOo

**The Swarm**

oOoOo

"Come on, Rayvenne." Jason began as he nudged her sleeping bag with his food. "Time to get up."

"Ah, I don't wanna." She muttered as she rolled over inside it. "Come on, Jase, stop being a tool."

"Now, Rayvenne." He continued, tapping his foot.

"Oh, all right." She muttered. "Just turn away. I ain't in a presentable state yet."

He shook his head and walked back to the rest of the camp where the others were. Only Rayvenne had decided to be a late riser, everyone else being already wide awake and dressed. "Hopeless, she is." He muttered as he walked over to the camp. "Just hopeless. I don;t know how she survived on her own."

"She lived in a secure underground cave." Althiea replied, looking up from her plate. "She didn't need to travel, unlike the rest of us."

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered. "So what's on the menu today?"

"Warmed up re-fried mush." Floyd replied, handing him a plate. "Eat it. Its good for you."

"Right." He sighed, then stuck his fork into the mess on the plate. Ravenne, her hair a mess, sat down next to him, scowling.

It had been a week since they had left Floyd's home in the wastes, all of which had been spent traveling across the countryside, looking for any signs of the Red Claw. At Floyd's suggestion, they had headed east towards the Eastern Expanse, the vast stretch of blasted terrain that had once been a part of the Draken Empire. His reasoning was simple. "If they're hiding anywhere, they're hiding there. The reason being that only a nut would go into a place like that And the Claw, well, as we've seen, they're nuttier ten my grandmother's extra-nuts fruitcake. Which, incidentally, is delicious."

On their other aim, to find out more about how Althiea had ended up with a head full of Hydra tech, Floyd had also recommended the Expanses. Apparently, the "clean up" after the war had been a lot less thorough, simply because so much of it was still contaminated and hazardous. While the hazards had decreased over time, most what was left over had been simply left to rot and decay. While Floyd couldn't guarantee anything, he figured that there may be more out there then there was towards the center of the Empire.

Traveling had presented a unique problem for them, however. Up until recently, they could maintain a low profile, hide Zoids under covers on the Gustav's trailer or pass off as random wanderers. The massive Iron Kong changed all that, however. The Zoid was far too large to hide and far too conspicuous to pass off as the property of a wanderer or similar; after all, it was capable of taking on and defeating anything that the Empire's forces fielded.

As a result, they'd had to skirt around the fringes of civilization, avoiding towns and other populated areas where possible. While it had helped minimize their exposure, it also drastically reduced their traveling speed. It also reduced their access to creature comforts like soft beds and good food.

"So what's the plan fer today?" Leanne asked as she finished off her breakfast. She seemed to be taking to their new, rougher life the best of the whole team. Althiea had wondered if it wasn't because this was more akin to how she was used to living.

"Well, funny you should say that." Floyd replied. "I know a guy who works for the Imperial Geology Office, so I was going to pop around to his place to see if I could rustle up a few maps of the area. Never know what a Geological Survey is gonna turn up." He grinned. "And there's nothing I like more then going out and getting Geological on something."

"So what about the rest of us?" Jason asked. "I guess that we're not going to have much to do at a rock lab."

"Well, funny you should mention that." Floyd replied. "There's a little place not to far south of here that might be of some interest. There's an abandoned quarry that once was home to a Hydra outpost. Now while most of what was there was demolished, y'all may find something interesting left behind. Heck, if I'm fast at the rock office, I'll come and join ya. Nothing I like more then a good ol' fossick."

"Wow. Digging for rocks. How fun." Rayvenne muttered.

"Are you sure about that, Floyd?" Althiea asked. "Isn't it a little, well, dangerous for you to travel alone? Even if it is just to some sort of research lab, I'm just worried about what may happen in between."

"Well, the wandering monster content of this district is pretty low." He replied. "Yet, your words do have a certain ring of wisdom to them." He looked over the group. "How about this, Rayvenne? If you find digging dirt to be a bit dull, hows about coming with me? You can keep an eye on my Gustav and, in the insanely unlikely event that anything should happen, you can run off for help."

"Why not?" She replied, then turned towards Leanne. "Have fun shoveling, kid." She added, playfully punching her in the arm.

"I grew up on a farm in case y'all didn't notice." Leanne replied. "I know how to shovel."

"And you are probably fantastical at it as well." Rayvenne finished, and then shoveled down some more of her food. "So, Dr F? When do we get going?"

"Well give me a minute or two. I want to place a few calls obviously, but I should be good to go in, say, ten to fifteen."

"Cool beans. I'll get the Sinker prepped." She stood up, leaving her plate where she had been sitting. "Have fun in the muck, guys." She added with a grin as she strode off to her Zoid."

"Yeah, yeah." Leanne muttered. "Ya'll care to be more obnoxious?" She finished off her plates. "You two done?"

"I am, thanks." Altheia replied, passing her plate.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this crap." Jason admitted. "But its filling and powers me ofr the day. Thanks."

"No probs." Leanne replied as she collected everything up. "I jus' wish that certain members of the team would be a tad less obnoxious."

"I'm sure that Rayvenne's not that bad." Althiea spoke up. "This just, well, its not what she's used to."

"Well, I don't see it bein' what your used to, but I don't hear y'all bitching." She began as she scraped off the plates.

"She came of her own accord, Lee." Jason added as he began to clean up the rest of the camp. "She's got a right to complain if she wants to. Its not like she;s been dragged to school camp by her parents or anything."

"I know..." She scraped off the last of the plates. "Its jus' that she could do it less often."

"Well you never know." Jason admitted. "She may just surprise you."

"What, like you bein' all rational and sociable?" Jason couldn't think of a comeback to that, so he instead went off to clear up the rest of the camp. "Wha?" Leanne asked.

"Don't worry about him." Althiea began. "Jason... well, I think he's not that much of a people person. Truth being told, I don't think I am either."

"Yeah, Ali, but alt least yer not a grump about it."

oOoOo

Thorne glared at the trio of blips on her Darkhorn's display screen as they slowly approached her location. The three machines were apparently just ambling, not moving to attack or making any hostile moves. However, they had allready made a single fatal mistake. She wondered if they knew they were inside Blackstar territory. If they did, she suspected, then they would not be so casual. Certainly they wouldn't have strayed from the few main roads that visitors were allowed to use.

Still, they would get a warning. Everybody got that much. "Unidentified Zoids!" She called out over her communicator. "You have entered Blackstar territory. Surrender now or be destroyed. This is your final warning." There would be no negotiations, no offers for clemency, no chance to withdraw. hey had broken the law and, one way or another, would suffer the consequences.

The three Zoids offered no audible reply, instead increasing their speed and heading straight for her. _So they made their choice, _she thought. _Now to make them pay for it. _She opened up the Darkhorn's throttle, heading towards the enemy machines. "I will deal with these intruders." She called back to her squad. "Remain here until I call for you." The simple truth was that she enjoyed combat. It was where she was at her best, the place where she was best able to handle herself . For those brief moments she was able to overcome her own failings by proving that, no matter how flawed she was, she would still be better then those she defeated.

The Darkhorn charged across the cracked, blasted wastelands, charging towards the enemy Zoids. As they approached, her Zoid;'s sensors identified the three of them. _Brachios, Evil Scorpion, Koenig Wolf. An unusual group, certainly. _She was curious as to where the Wolf had come from, as it was only found in a handful of UZN units. _Maybe its a relic from the war._

She came into range first, the linear artillery cannon spitting rounds at the enemy Zoids. A trio of explosions rippled across them, scattering the Zoids and showering them with debris. The Evil Scorpion staggered under the force of the blast, but was able to retain its footing. As she closed in., however, her initial suspicions aobut the Zoids were proven. All three of them showed signs of considerable wear and battle damage. The Wolf in particular was missing one of its foreleg armour panels, while the missile launchers on the other leg were clearly empty.

Thorne triggered the Hyperbeam cannon, firing at thre Brachios. The shot blasted into the smaller Zoid, smashing through the armour on its flank. The Zoid rocked in its feet, staggering and stumbling but still remaining up. Despite the damage, it turned to open fire on her with its back mounted cannon. Before it could get off a shot, however, Thorne opened fire with her Hiblit Balkan Cannon, the shots tearing into the damaged Zoid's flank, ripping it apart. The Brachios bellowed, then crashed to the ground on its side.

The Evil Scoprion opened fire with his tail cannon, the shot striking her Darkhorn on its shoulder but doing little more then marring the armour. The Koneig Wolf charged past it but, to her surprise, did not open fire with its dual rifles. In fact, they remained in their stowed position. _So he's out of ammo for them as well. This makes things easy for me. _She ignored it for the moment, focusing her ifre on the Scorpion. A blast from her focused beam cannon blasted through the enemy Zoid's body, blasting apart its structure and then shearing the tail off. Seeing it unarmed, she turned her attention to the wolf.

The main weapons turrets turned to face the enemy Zoid, both cannons opening up at the same time. The hyperbeam cannon narrowly missed its target, but the Hibilt didn't. The cannon ripped open the enemy Zoid's armour, shredding panels form neck to tail. The Wolf reeled under the assault, but skidded and charged again at her. At the same time, the Evil Scorpion also regained its footing, dazedly running at its attacker.

_These fools! Don't they know when to give up? _She swerved the controls, the Darkhorn now charging straight towards the larger enemy machine. The Scorpion lunged at it, only to be stuck by several bursts form the Darkhorns' smaller cannons. As it stumbled, the Darkhorn finished it off by simply running straight over it, the Zoid vanishing under its iron hooves with a loud crunching noise.

The Koenig Wolf reacted to her assault by turning to run straight at her, its fangs crackling with energy. Thorne knew what they could do, and wasn't about to allow it. The hyperbeam cannon spat fire, blasting into the Wolf's armored shoulder and tearing it apart. The enemy Zoid staggered, but somehow remained standing. _He's either very brave or very foolish. Either way, he's dead. _The Darkhorn lunged at its opponent, smashing into the enemy Zoid at full speed. The force of the impact caused both Zoids to shake as the Darkhorn's horns smashed into the Wolf's body, tearing apart its armour and structure.

Despite being thrown back into her seat by the force of the impact, Thorne was still in control of her Zoid. She shoved open the throttle, the Darkhorn roaring as it bought its massive head upwards in a gore. The attack tore through the Wolf's body, ripping apart its leg and separating it from the rest of the Zoid. The Koenig Wolf crashed to the ground, clearly disabled.

Thorne skidded the Darkhorn to a halt, then leaped out of the cockpit, running towards the downed enemy Zoid. "Enemy Machines are down!" She called into her communicator. "Am attempting to retrieve pilots. All units move in to provide support!" She drew her twin handguns as she leaped onto the Koenig Wolf's cockpit. She twisted open the emergency release, the canopy sliding open as she stood, pointing her two pistols at the pilot. "Don't move! Surrender or I will shoot!"

She didn't get any reply. Inside the cockpit was the body of a pilot, a dry, desiccated corpse, clad in the tattered remnants of a pilot's suit. He looked like he had been there for decades, strapped into his Zoid long after his own demise. Yet the Koenig Wolf had kept operating. "Enemy pilot is dead." She called over her communicator, a slightly surprised tone in her voice.

Thorne leaped off the wolf, springing over to the twisted wreckage of the Evil Scorpion. As she approached she could see that the canopy had been shattered by the force of her attack. Inside the cockpit, however, there was no sign of a pilot; not even a long-dead corpse. The Zoid had been completely unmanned. And even though she couldn't see the cockpit of the Brachios, she suspected that its pilot was also either missing or dead.

"What is going on here?" She asked herself.

oOoOo

From her office inside the Red Claw's temporary base, Jenice looked down at the swarm of new arrivals to their facilities. Levisha's bizarre menagerie of Chimera Zoids had been crammed into the hanger, taking up a lot of what little space they had. The new machines had been greeted by a mixture of curiosity and fear by the Red Claw's soldiers. Some of them wanted to know more about these strange new creatures that were now apparently their allies, while others seemed cautious of them, as if they were about to snap and attack at any moment.

Jencie herself found them to be fascinating. While she knew about the Chimera Zoids, and had even seen wreckage from a few, she had never expected to see a live one as such. The few they'd salvaged from various sites thus far had been inert and deactivated, a state that she had decided to leave them in for fear that they may go wild and attack anything they saw. Now here they were, tamed by Levisha's new Zoid and at her command.

"Fascinating, aren't they?" Levisha asked as she looked out over the office.

"Amazing." Jencie replied as she put her hand on the window. "They're not what I had expected. They're... not alive, not like other Zoids. Or rather, they are... lifeless. They are Zoids stripped of those elements that make them alive, reduced to their most bare and primitive levels; little more then machines. And yet, they have a small spark inside them; one that makes them bloodthirsty and ruthless."

She turned to face her second. "You have done well, Levisha, in bringing these Zoids to me. I can see that these machines will be of great use to us."

"And they are but a small portion of what I believe lies out there." She continued. "I gathered these as a trial run, of sorts. If we are successful in utilising them, then I would like to conduct a broader search."

"Well, we shall see what happens." Jenice continued.

"Excuse me." Sturm began as he walked in. "You asked to see me?"

"Certainly. Take a seat, both of you." Jenice replied as she sat behind a desk. "You two have done great work. You have managed to turn the Claw around; we are no longer struggling to survive, but rather are thriving. The new Zoids taken from the cache, as well as the Chimeras that Levisha has gathered have turned us into a force far more potent then we ever were." She looked over the pair of them. "So the question is this; what is our next move?"

"The Empire believes us to be defeated and broken." Sturm spoke up. "We need to demonstrate that we are anything but. We need to show them that the Red Claw is still a strong force, one that still threatens the empire."

"So what do you suggest?"

"A high-profile assault would be my first recommendation." Sturm replied. "We attack something that will be very visible, very noticeable, and do it in a very public way. This will allow us to not only demonstrate our strength, but demonstrate that we are not afraid to face the empire."

"It has its appeal." Jenice said, contemplating his ideas. "And what do you suggest, Levisha?"

"While I can see the wisdom to Sturm's decision, I have my own ideas." She began. "What I think we need to do is perform a trial run with the Chimeras, one that will allow us to asses just what they are capable of under relatively controlled conditions. If the test is unsuccessful, then we won't have exposed ourselves too far. If it is successful, then we can move onto grander things, such as what Sturm proposed."

"Hmmm..." Jenice leaned back as she considered matters. Both plans had their appeal, but certainly she was rather interested in the idea of a rather public display. On the other hand, she had to see the benefits to Levisha's argument. After the savaging of the Claw at the Lyra pit, it made sense to err on the side of caution to prevent another such incident. "Levisha, your plan has merit. We will, of course, need a target for such an attack."

"I have already identified one potential target for such a test run." She replied, unfolding a map on the table. "There is a geological research station here." She indicated to a point on the map. "Its rather isolated but, at the same time, of low military value. However, it may have more detailed geological survey maps of the area which could be of use to us."

"How so?" Sturm asked.

"We use those maps to locate a lot of our materials." Jenice replied. "The Empire likes to keep track of old battlefields, abandoned military facilities from all sides, hazards both natural and man made and the like. We've used them in past to gather resources. We salvage Zoids from old battlefields, use caves as places to hide, and raid abandoned depots for supplies."

"So I see." He nodded. "In that case, I must agree with Levisha's plan."

"Then that's what we'll do." Jenice finished. "Levisha, I want you to assemble a team of both Chimeras and human pilots; the regular Red Claws will serve as a backup in case there is a problem with the Chimeras."

"Certainly."

"There is one matter I wanted to enquire about." Sturm spoke up. "Have you considered what we will do regarding transporting the Chimeras? While both Flyscissors and Diploguns can fly, neither Demonshead nor Shellkarn are very fast on their feet and would probably slow us down."

"I hadn't considered that." Levisha considered. "When we both these ones back, we simply piled them onto Bart's Gustasv."

"Actually, that gives me an idea." Jenice spoke up. She took a sheet of paper off the table and began sketching. "We have a spare pair of covered Gustav trailers in the hanger below. Now, if we sub-divided them, we could turn them into 'kennels' if you like that the Chimeras would lurk in until we needed them. We use them to transport them to the target then, when the time is right, we unleash them like the proverbial hounds."

She handed over the sheet, which showed a trailer divided into upper and lower areas, as well as a rough indicator of where the Chimeras would go. "Fascinating."

"I'll begin work immediately." Jenice began. "We may need to delay your attack by a few hours, but I think that it will be well worth it."

"Certainly." Levisha nodded.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to get to." Jenice continued as she stood, a surprisingly pleasant smile on her face. "Levisha, be ready to move out no later then 1600 hours this afternoon."

"Yes, commander." Levisha replied, saluting as she stood.

Jenice nodded, then left the office, walking down to the hanger floor. As the pair of them watched, she headed over to Bart, her design in hand.

"That was... odd." Sturm began.

"It's a side of her you don't often see." Levisha replied. "Jenice has a... fascination, I'd say, for all things mechanical. It's one of the reasons why she hoarded Hydra artifacts."

"I do remember her being like that when she was with the Imperial army." Sturm recalled. "In fact, it was for those reasons that she was court martialed and imprisoned. But I didn't expect her to be so 'hands on' about matters."

"I think you'll find that there is a lot about the Red Claw that you don't expect, Sturm." Levisha finished with a smile.

oOoOo

Floyd's Gustav trundled along the desert road at a casual pace, Rayvenne's sinker following above it at little more then hovering speed. Around them was largely rocky grasslands, typical of the area, stretching off as far as the eye could see. "So, Rayvenne, what do you think of the scenery?" Floyd asked.

"It's... grass, really." She replied. "With trees and rocks, yeah." She shrugged. "Your point?"

"Better enjoy it while it lasts." He continued. "When we hit the eastern expanses, we're going to be seeing a lot of flat and blasted lands. I mean more then even we're used to. There's a while lot of badly hurting terrain around there."

"A desert's a desert to me, Floyd. I don't see what's the big deal."

"Ah, but don't you see?" He began. "What we're rolling htrough now used to be nothing more then good ol' barren wasteland. Before the Hydra war, this was a desert and the areas we'll be heading for were he fertile grasslands."

"Uh-huh." Rayvenne seemed a little lost. "I'm gonna be sounding a little nutty here, Floyd, but... how did that happen? I mean, you know, that whole desert to fertile thing."

"That's one of the things that my buddy researches." He explained. "You see, a lot of what we now know as the Zygra empire, with its rolling grassy plains and abundant fertile fields was originally a vast expanse called the Wastelands. And 'wastelands' wasn't just a catchy name. It really was wastelands; nothing but a vast expanse of deserts as far as the eye could see; it formed a nicely inhospitable natural boundary between the UZN and the Draken Empire."

"So, um, what happened?" She asked. "How did all this desert become, well... this?"

"That's one of the great mysteries of the Hydra age, my dear." Floyd continued. "At some point after Hydra set us up the bomb, the wastelands began to sprout and flourish. Nobody knows exactly what happened but, all of a sudden, we had a far more interesting and more livable stretch of dirt. And while a lot of people blame climate cooling form nuclear winter, that's only half the story. No, I think something else occurred."

"And this guy you're going to see knows what it was?"

"Probably not. But he's going to give it a shot anyway." Floyd finished with a grin. "He's one of the best geologists I've ever met. Certainly, I think that his work is going to be just what we need for our merry little quest."

"I see..." She nodded to herself. "So uh, Floyd? Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away, Rayvenne. I'm all ears."

"You said that Ali has all that weird hydra stuff inside her." She began. "Can I ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"What does that mean? Really." She sounded more then a little nervous. "I mean, you said that it was used to communicate with.. um... stuff. But there's more then just that, isn't there? There's something that you're not telling her, something more to it."

"Rayvenne, I want you to believe me when I say that I have told her everything I know." He replied, an unusually serious tone in his voice. "The truth is, there's gaps in our knowledge of Hydra, big, scary gaps."

"Like what?"

"Well, we know that Hydra's leaders communicated with each other via some sort of super-powerful communications network created with the gear that was inside their heads. What we don't know is where the tech came from or, more to the point, how it got inside their heads. And for all we know about Hydra's head honchos, there's something we're missing."

"Which is?"

"The later stages of the war made one thing clear." He explained. "They were all reporting to someone. The thing is, nobody knows who that was."

oOoOo

Rayvenne had spent the rest of the trip in relative silence, clearly mulling over what he'd said to her. So instead their two Zoids had continued on their journey, an unlikely looking pair of shapes rolling across the landscape. Floyd had let her think in silence, instead sitting back while he ran a few classical tunes through the Gustav's speakers.

As they'd approached the lab, which was nestled in the foothills of a nearby mountain range, he'd begun to pick up some activity. To his surprise, there were a number of Zoids around the lab. While the small swarm of Connects were understandable, what with their incredible utility for scientific work, the presence of a pair of Tanks and a Spiker, all clearly Imperial army issue, was a considerable surprise to him.

"Rayvenne, I think it may be for the best if you made yourself scarce." He began. "Lurk nearby, just in case I need you, but don't come too close."

"Roger that." She replied in the low, throaty voice she used for her 'mysterious sinker pilot' persona. He suspected that she had already donned her helmet and bandanna just as a precaution.

The Sinker banked away as the Gustav rolled towards the facility, casually driving up the road towards it as if there was nothing happening and its pilot owned the facility. Floyd quietly hummed to himself as he approached it, noting the Spiker moving to block his path. He stopped the Gustav as the Zoid moved in front of it, its two blades raided above the Gustav's head.

"Identify yourself!" The pilot called out.

"My name is Dr Floyd Glass." he casually replied. "I'm here to see Dr Neville Slate. He's expecting me." Which was anything but true, but it made for a nice start.

"Just a moment." The Spiker's pilot replied. Floyd causally drummed his fingers on the dashboard as he waited. "Okay, you're clear. Head in."

"Thank you very much, officer." He replied. "And keep up the good work. The Empire needs more like you."

The Gustav parked itself in front of the lab, next to one of the Tanks. As Floyd clambered out of the cockpit, a man walked out of the facility. He had dark skin, a droopy moustache and wiry hair, and was dressed in a shirt and coat that seemed a bit too small for his ample frame. "Doctor Floyd Glass!" He called out. "You name-dropping old coot!"

"Doc Neville Slate!" Floyd called back. "Great to see you again." He grabbed the man's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Just how long has it been anyway?"

"Too long. Way, way too long." He glanced around. "What say we get out of this heat and find ourselves a nice place to talk, huh?" It wasn't that hot, but Floyd knew what he meant.

"Why sure thing, Nev. Lead on."

Neville lead Floyd inside, heading upstairs to a rather cluttered office. Moving some papers aside, he offered a seat to Floyd, then sat down behind his desk. "So I'm going to assume that this isn't just a social call." He began as he leaned back in his chair. "Because I just cant see you being in my neck of the woods and just spontaneously deciding to drop by for a visit."

"I'll admit that you have me there, Nev." Floyd put his hands up. "In fact, I was after some help on a pet project of mine."

"My help?" Neville looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Since when did you become a Rockhound, Floyd? You were always messing about with machines and technology and your whacky conspiracy theories."

"They're not whacky." He replied. "I have proof."

"Of course you do, Floyd." He replied, the broke into a laugh. "Gods, its been far too long, hasn't it?"

"It has, Nev." Floyd agreed. "How is the rockhounding business going?"

"Very, very interestingly, actually." Neville continued. "We've discovered some, frankly, freaky crap in a recent survey of the former Southern Territories." He pulled out a map of the area. "And I know you're not a rockhound, Floyd, but I'm sure you'll get a kick out of this." He poked an area on the map. "We were doing some experimental drilling in the sub-Antarctic area, looking for some of those strange blue crystals. What we got was... interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Oh, we found veins of some hitherto unknown mineral that seems to exist in a liquid state." He continued. "We could only a get a few samples, but it was enough to arouse some not inconsiderable interest higher up the food chain." He shrugged. "But I am digressing a lot."

"No need to apologise, Nev." Floyd replied. "In fact, it's much like the reasons that I came here."

"Oh really? Do tell."

"I'm after the best geological surveys you have of the Eastern Expanse." He offered. "Basically, I want to know what's down there. I'm running a small expedition to look for... stuff, really and we wanted the best places to start."

"This is your crazy Hydra tech again, isn't it?" Neville asked. "And out to the Expanse too. Do the poor saps you're with know what they've gotten themselves into?"

"Actually, they were behind it." He admitted, which wasn't entirely untrue. "One of them was the primary motivator for this expedition. I merely chose to lead it because of my experience in the field."

"Well, I'll believe you, even if I find it unlikely that any sane person would want to go out there."

"Since when have I ever been accused of being sane?" Floyd replied with a grin.

"You have me there." Neville replied, his hands in the air. "Here you go, you crazy old pirate. They're yours." He grabbed a couple of maps from under his desk, and offered them to Floyd.

"Hmm..." Floyd looked over his desk. "Mind if I get one of the Southern Territories as well? What you found reminds me of this-"

"All right, all right!" Neville called out with mock distress. "I know when I'm beaten. And I know that If I hand them over now, I'll avoid another insane lecture on your latest bizarre theory."

"Oh come on." Floyd replied. "And what was wrong with my Lunar Propagation theory?"

"Nothing." Neville replied. "Except for the fact that I want to know how the Malders got to the moon in the first place."

"Details, details." Floyd shook his head. "Its always the details with you."

"Look, its a great theory. And if there were more wild mutants around to test it with, I'm sure you'd have all the proof you needed." Neville added with a smirk.

"Well, you know-" He began, but was cut off by a beeping from his coat pocket. "Hold on a minute, Neville." He pulled out a communicator from his pocket. "Yellow, Glass here."

"Floyd, its me." Rayvenne hissed in her disguised voice.

"What's up?"

"There's a big group of Zoids heading straight for you." She replied. "I think its the Red Claw."

"Ah." He began. "Right. Here's what I want you to do. Go back to the others and get then as quickly as possible."

"But what about-"

"There's a whole stack of people here that I need to look after first." He explained. "You're not going to do anything on your own, but you can get the others. Now go!"

"Sure." She hissed, then closed the line.

"Floyd, is something up?" Neville asked.

"We appear to be in an awful lot of trouble, Neville." He replied. "We're about to be attacked. I suggest you do whatever you can to prepare."

oOoOo

The quarry Floyd had mentioned was not quite what Althiea had expected. It was far more abandoned then what she'd thought, being a weed-choked mess of loose rocks inside a pit that was now half full of loose debris. Only a few piles of scrap metal suggested that the site had ever seen any use at all.

As soon as they'd arrived and done a quick survey of the scene, Althiea had figured that whatever secrets the site may have held would be rather well buried. So she'd set the three of them to work, using their Zoids to sift through the rubble for any artifacts that may remain in there. The idea was a simple one; the Zoids could move a lot more rubble and debris then they ever could by hand.

The Iron Kong had proved to be remarkably adept at the work, its massive hands able to quickly move large amounts of rock and debris. Althiea had accumulated a considerable pile of tailings and debris behind her machine but, save for a few scraps of metal, nothing that proved a Hydra presence here. All she had to show for it so far was a rather dirty Kong and a rather large pile of rocks.

The Gunsniper had also proven to be capable of digging. The smaller Zoid had squatted down and simply shoveled rocks out with its forelegs, building up a pile behind it. While not moving anywhere near the volume of material that the Iron Kong was, it was still moving at an impressive rate. Of course, that didn't help matters. Again like the Iron Kong, it had moved a lot of rubble for no appreciable gain.

Lacking proper hands and instead having only a single, vice-like claw, Jason's Iguan wasn't able to do much in the way of digging. He'd tried to improvise some tools to lever rocks with, but found that it achieved very little. Instead, he'd resorted to using the Iguan's claw to sift through what the other two had already dig up, just to see if they hadn't missed anything. All he'd managed to do so far was confirm that the other two had found nothing.

"This is stupid." Jason commented as the Iguan tossed aside another piece of scrap metal from the pile. It was a small, rusted, bent piece, just like every other bit of debris they found. It wasn't useful, it wasn't interesting and it told them nothing. "We haven't found a thing. Why are we doing this?"

"Because Floyd thinks there may be something here." Althiea replied. "And I don't want to pass that opportunity up."

"Right." Jason snorted. "I think he just wants to get us out of the way so he can do his… whatever it is without us bothering him."

"Hey!" Leanne called out, her Gunsnipoer perking up and turning to face him. "That ain't fair!"

"Oh come on." Jason snapped. "Why else would he send us out here to do this?"

"He suggested that we do it, Jason." Althiea replied. "You didn't have to come along."

"Yeah…" Jason muttered. "But… you ever get the feeling that there's a lot that he isn't telling us?"

"Me?" Leanne asked. "Well, no actually."

"What I mean is…" Jason glanced around at the other two Zoids. "Sometimes he acts like he knows something and isn't going to tell us. I want to know hwy?"

"Well, he is rather well educated and well read." Althiea explained. "There's an awful lot that he knows, actually. You should try listening to him for a change, rather then sulking all the time!" She snapped, then suddenly stopped.

Both the Iguan and the Gunsniper looked at her Zoid. Neither pilot could ever recall hearing Altheia get angry. Upset, scared, confused, certainly, but never angry.

"Ali?" Leanne asked. "Y'all okay there?"

"I'm fine, really." She hastily replied.

"Well fine then." Leanne replied. "So can we get - hey!"

"What is it?" Althiea asked.

"I foun' something… hang on!" The Gunsniper grabbed something and began pulling, trying to yank it out of the ground. Its feet dug into the ground then began to slowly pull backwards as the Zoid dragged something out of the dirt. With a final shove, it managed to pull up something from the ground. "Hey, check it out, guys."

The other two Zoids moved over to where the Gunsniper was standing, peering down at what it had found. It was a single, battered panel of armour, clearly from a Molga. A section of a Hydra insignia was partially visible on its hull, but otherwise there was nothing interesting about it.

"Yes, it's a chunk of Molga." Jason commented. "Like we could find anywhere else in this godforsaken wasteland. Great."

"Okay, Jase." Leanne snapped. "Y'all don't need to be so mean about it."

Before either of them could reply, their communicators crackled to life. "Guys!" Rayvenne called out. "Floyd's in trouble!"

"What's happening?" Althiea asked, an almost panicked tone in her voice.

"I dunno…" She replied. "I think it's the Red Claw!"

""But… they got trashed, didn't they?" Leanne asked.

"Apparently not." Jason shook his head.

"Then let's go." Althiea spoke up. "If it's the Red Claw, then Floyd is in real danger."

"Yeah. And anything beats this dirtpile." Jason muttered.

oOoOo

Levisha's plan of attack was a simple one. She'd use the regular Red Claw troops to recon the situation around the site, then deploy the Chimeras and observe what occurred. After that, she's send in infantry to clear up and acquire the information she needed. It was a simple enough plan.

What she hadn't expected was what the recon had found. There was a Gustav parked near the facility; more to the point, it was apparently the one used by Floyd Glass. _Well this is a nice turn of events, _she thought as she analyzed the situation. If she could capture Glass, then it would be of incredible benefit, and not only to the Red Claw. Any information she gained from the research facility would be a bonus.

"All units, withdraw from the recon." She called over her communicator. "Bart, release the Chimeras. I will lead this attack myself."

The Lord Gale swooped down, a small contingent of Flyscissors Chimeras following it. Below, Bart's Gustav trundled towards the facility, then halted, the doors on the sides of its trailers opening. Several Demonsheads and Shellkarns leaped out, ambling towards the research centre as fast as their stubby legs would carry them, while a pair of Diploguns hovered behind them.

She activated her Lord Gale's control system, issuing orders to the units; destroy all enemy Zoids, but do not attack the Gustav. Each of the Chimeras signaled back with an affirmative reply, before charging towards their target. For the moment, she was content to remain overhead and watch them, just to see what they would do. She didn't expect much in the way of effective resistance from the defending forces. They were outnumbered and, more to the point, she doubted that they were expecting to face Chimera Zoids.

A pair of Diploguns opened fire on one of the tanks, their cannons tearing into its thickly armoured body. The Zoid rocked under the impact of the hits, but managed to remain operational. The Tank opened fire with its own cannons, narrowly missing one of the advancing Diploguns. Before it could strike again, a Flyscisspors swooped down on the tank, its oversized pincers wrapping around the machine's long neck. In a single swift strike, the chimera Zoid decapitated the tank, its head crashing to the ground.

The second tank fared little better, being fired on by a pair of Shellkarns. The two Zoids peppered the tank with shots form their cannons, gouging into its armour. The Zoid tried to back off from them, but the Shellkarns pressed the assault. As one of them opened up on it again, the other one charged forwards, swinging its oversized fists at the enemy machine. The Zoid's fist smashed into the Tank's side, knocking it off balance with the force of the blow. As the tank's pilot tried to recover from the hit, the second Shellkarns finished it off with its cannons.

A Demonshead charged at the Spiker, ignoring the fire form the other Zoid's cannons. It lounged forwards with one of its lances, slamming into the side of the smaller Zoid's cockpit. Before the Spiker pilot could recover, the Demonshead roared at it, then lunged again, trapping its massive jaws around the enemy Zoid. The Demonshead slammed its mouth shut, crushing the Spiker's frame with a hideous shriek of metal. Irrespective of the enemy Zoid's condition, it continued to attack, further rushing and rending the enemy machine.

"Brutal." Levisha commented to herself. "Yet effective." She watched as the chimeras mopped up what little opposition remained outside, activating her Zoids comms system again. "Enemy defenses are nullifed." She began. "Bring in the troops and secure the area." At the same time, she issued a 'stand down' command the Chimeras, setting them to standby for further orders.

The Lord Gale landed by the front of the research center just as the Red Claw's tank pulled up. Levisha clambered out of the cockpit, meeting the leader of the Red Claw infantry squadron. "Follow me in." She commanded. "Do not fire unless fired upon. We want the personnel inside here alive."

"Yes, commander." The sergeant replied.

_I'm sure your tiny little brains can handle that much, _she mentally added. "Right. Move in."

The troops stormed through the froont door, entering the rather stark reception area. "Nobody move!" One of them soldiers called out. "Lie down on hte floor! Now!"

"Hold on a second." Levisha countermanded him. "You. We are here for your research. Who is in charge here?"

"That would be Doctor Slade." She nervously replied. "Second floor, office 203."

"Right." Levisha turned towards one of the soldiers. "You, watch the entrance and tell me if anything happens." She turned to the rest of the squad. "The three of you are with me. The rest of you are to head in and secure this floor. There shouldn't be too much resistance but remember - do not open fire. I want the staff here alive and unharmed for now."

"Yes, commander."

"Let's go." She headed up the stairs, the three soldiers behind her. Reaching the second floor, she cautiously headed down the hallway until she reached the office she was after. Waiting by the door, she nodded to one of the soldiers.

The Soldier slammed into the door, kicking it in and sending it crashing to the floor. Levisha immediately ran in after him, gun drawn. "Nobody move!" She called out as she scanned the room. A pair of men were behind the desk, busy rolling up maps. She recognised one of them immediately; Floyd Glass, the Red Claw's most wanted. She had no idea who the other one was, however.

"I had no intention to at all." Floyd replied. "I know what to do when surrounded by heavily armed goons."

"Floyd Glass." Levisha began. "So good to see you again."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked.

"Probably not." She replied. "I am the second in command of the Red Claw. And I have been after you for a long time."

"Aaaah!" Floyd replied. "You would be the lovely Levisha Towne who I have heard so much about." He began. "Pleased to meet you." He offered his hand to her, but she didn't take it. "I'd like you to meet my good friend, Dr Neville Slade."

"Delighted, I'm sure." Neville began. "Floyd, what exactly have you been up to?"

"Travel, Nev." Floyd offered. "Broadening the mind, going new places and meeting exciting new people."

"I see. And do they all break into peaceful research facilities and kick down doors?"

"Only a few." Floyd nodded. "Ms Towne here had been after me for some time, even though I've never met her before."

"Knowing you, I suspect that its better that I don't ask why."

Levisha smiled for a moment. "Dr Glass has made my life rather interesting for the last few months. I did come here for him, however." She glanced over at the soldiers behind her. "Secure the rest of the floor. I will handle these two."

"You're not?" Floyd asked. "I'm disappointed."

"Actually, I came here for him and his maps." She indicated to Neville. "But I think that you make for a very nice bonus."

"Well, won't Jencie be pleased with you." Floyd continued. "Time for a little one-upmanship, then?"

Levisha chose not to react. "Dr Slade, I'm here for your maps. If you cooperate with me, then nobody else needs to get hurt. If not, well, there is a squadron of trigger-happy soldiers running around this building, armed with very twitchy assault rifles that could take steps to ensure your cooperation."

"I understand." He replied.

She glanced down at a map currently spread out on the table. "What's this?" She asked.

"The Southern Territories. We were doing a survey and-"

"This area." She pointed down at the map. "What does this mean?"

"Well, as I was explaining to Floyd, we found something very unusual." He glanced nervously at her. "We found veins of a previously unknown mineral, one that seemed to exist in a liquid state under natural conditions."

"I see." She picked up the map and examined it, her eyes narrowing. "Very interesting. Doctor Slade, you have done some excellent work here. I cannot begin to say how-"

She never got to finish her sentence. Floyd picked up a cardboard shipping tube and swung it around, clipping Levisha's right eye with the plastic stopper. She reeled back, dropping the gun as she cluchched her face, suddenly shouting out in pain. "Now, Nev!" Floyd called out, the pair of them bolding out of the office.

"Damn you!" Levisha shouted out. "Augh. That hurt, you bastard!" She picked herself up, holding a hand over her eye, then slowly drew it away. It seemed fine, with nothing hurt beyond her pride. _But then again, given what I work with that's not so- _As she stepped forward, she heard a soft cracking sound, like a contact lens being stepped on. "Oh hell."

A minute later, she staggered out of the office, a hand over her right eye. "Towne to all units!" She snapped into her communicator. "Be on the lookout for two men in coats, one tall the other dark skinned. Capture them but do not harm them. Repeat, do not harm them!"

She snarled as she set off down the hallway, her gun in her left hand. "Commander?" A soldier called out as she passed him. "Are you-"

"Yes, damn it!" She snapped. "Now get after those two!"

Before the soldier could go, her communicator beeped. "Commander Towne?" The voice on the other end began. "This is Bob. We've detected a force of enemy Zoids approaching."

"Stay right there." She replied. "I'll deal with it." Closing the link, she turned back to the soldier. "Go to room 203 and take everything that you find in there."

"Yes commander." He replied. "But what about your-"

"NOW!" She shouted, then stomped off down the stairs.

oOoOo

Despite the Iron Kong's size and mass, Althiea had discovered, much to her surprise, that the Zoid was able to readily keep pace with the other Zoids in their team. In fact, it was only a little slower then her Hammer Rock had been, despite being so much larger.

The Iron Kong thundered across the landscape, the Iguan and Gunsniper on its flanks. Rayvenne's Sinker flew above and ahead of their group, leading them towards their objective. Inside the cockpit of her Zoid, Althiea tried to remain focused and calm. It wasn't easy; she was actually quite afraid for what might happen to Floyd if the Red Claw captured him.

"Do you have any idea on the enemy force's strength?" Jason asked across the communications channel.

"None at all." Rayvenne admitted. "I left before they arrived so I could get to you guys. I do know that it was big, and that there was more then one flying Zoid."

"More then one?" Jason asked. "Right .It has to be that Redler and the Evo Flyer we saw at Lyra. I know they don't have any other airborne Zoids."

"Heck. We've been havin' a hard enough time takin' em on one at a time." Leanne commented. "How in the heck do y'all plan on handlin' two at once?"

"We'll figure something out." Althiea replied. "I'll try to provide you with support." She was still unsure about how she would handle the Zoid in a battle. While she had practiced a lot with the Iron Kong's weapons and operations, she was yet to use them in a real battle. Her main hope was that the Zoid's sheer size would be enough to intimidate any opponents into fleeing first.

"What I wanna know is why in the heck are thy attackin' a geology lab?" Leanne asked. "I don't get it."

"You don't think that they're after Floyd, do you?" Jason asked.

"I don't think so." Rayvenne replied. "I think Floyd dropped in unannounced. There's no way the Claw could have been onto him that quickly, unless their base is really close by."

"They raided my home town for geological surveys of the local area." Althiea interjected. "Maybe they're doing the same on a larger scale now."

"And Floyd is just a target of opportunity." Jason added. "Great. Now we're in real trouble."

"So what do we do?" Rayvenne asked. "I mean, we've got a hwole pile of baddies to deal with and we need to get Floyd out."

"Standard approach." Jason replied. "We wade in and hope that Ali's Kong is enough to scare the enemy off. We beat up anyone left over, then pick up the pieces. And just hope that Floyd will have figured a way out of whatever he's gotten himself into."

"He's smart." Althiea added. "I'm sure he's thought of something."

"Well, whatever it is, I hope he does it soon." Jason replied. "Because we're going to be on them in a second."

"I see 'em." Leanne called back. "I've got blips all over my scope."

"Same here." Althiea replied. She activated the targeting system for the hyperbeam cannon, sweeping it over the targets available. "I'm engaging now."

Sighting a Baltar that she had a clear shot at, she lined it up and squeezed the trigger. The results were anything but what she had expected; the beam simply passed through the Zoid's body, smashing through one side of the armour and busting out the other. The Baltar was literally smashed off its feet by the force of the blow, crashing to the ground on its side, clearly out of action.

"Wow." Leanne began. "Remind me never to cheese you of."

"I... I didn't expect that." Althiea replied, clearly surprised by what had just happened.

The other Red Claw Zoids reacted abut as well as she had; they immediately broke and scattered, trying to get out of the path of Althiea's Zoid, and specifically out of her line of fire. "They're running!" Jason called out. "Get after them!"

"Check again, Jase." Rayvenne added. "There's a lot more where that came from."

Althiea looked over to the research facility. There was a crowd of Zoids around it that didn't seem to have reated as yet. She could see that there was a pair of Gustavs with them, one of which looked to be Floyd's.

"What are they waiting for?" Leanne asked.

"Don't worry about them!" Jason called out. "Get after those Red Claws."

"Hold on..." Althiea replied. Looking over them, she recongised the designs of two of the unusual Zoids; the same machines that she had encountered in the desert the first time she had met Jason. "They're unmanned Zoids, Chimeras." She explained. I think... I think they're waiting for orders." One of the Zoids, a lot taller then the others stood up, looming over tem. It s slender body stood atop skeletal legs, with a pair of wings hanging off its back. The Zoid took to the air, while on the ground, the others Zoids began to stir.

"What in the heck is happening now?" Leanne asked.

"I... I have no idea." She admitted.

oOoOo

Levisha donned a pair of aviator glasses as the Lord Gale leapt into the air, at the same time stashing the handful of maps she'd managed to get her hands on. She was in a rather unpleasant mood, not happy about her perfect plan being suddenly disrupted. She'd been very close to capturing Glass, which would have been in incredible breakthrough. Yet he'd managed to get away, and almost reveal her at the same time.

"Bob, what is going on?" She shouted over the communicator. "Where are your men?"

"Running!" He called back. "There's a goddamned Iron Kong down there. We're not hanging around!"

"What?" She snapped, then looked over her tactical display. Sure enough, there was a single large Zoid, escorted by two others and a flyer. _It's them! _she thought. _But where did that Zoid come from? _The presence of an Iron Kong changed everything; she knew that her own forces couldn't begin to handle it, let alone any others. Her best option would be to retreat and try to preserve her forces. She had what she came for, both the maps and the battle data, which meant that she could claim that she accomplished her mission.

However, she didn't _want _to leave, at least, not yet. Not when they had a good chance of capturing Glass. It irritated her that she had been that close to capturing him, but yet he had managed to slip through her fingers. _Its something that he has an amazing talent for, _she mentally added, considering all the times that the Red Claw had crossed paths with him. _And yet, he is still necessary to us._

Glancing down, however, she could see that the situation was unsalvageable. She could try rallying her men, but she knew that it would do her little good. The most likely result would be the rest of her squad getting wiped out. _Not a desirable outcome._ It left her out of options, unless...

"Bart!" She snapped. "Don't bother with recovering the Chimeras. Withdraw now; I'll catch up with you."

"Sure thing. You don't have to tell me twice." He replied, a hint of relief in his voice. She knew that he didn't want to face off against the Iron Kong and, for once, she agreed with him. The Gustav lurched into motion, leaving the row of inert Chimeras behind, awaiting her instructions.

_You wanted a test, Jenice. Let's see what you think of this. _She activated the control console again, instructing the Chimeras to attack the enemy Zoids, treating the Iron Kong as their primary target. _If it defeats them, then I will still have had time to escape, _she thought. _And if they defeat it, then It will be all the better._

oOoOo

"All rightie!" Rayvenne called out as her Sinker swooped down on a fleeing Serpent. "Now this is how I like to see the Claw acting!" She opened fire with the twin Beam Gattlings, raking the Serpent with shots. Despite the damage, the Zoid managed to keep going, opening fire with its quad foreword cannons in reply. Rayvenne pulled back on the stick, climbing away from the Zoid's fire.

The Serpent continued to accelerate, tearing away from the Sinker as fast as it could. The rest of the Red Claws' foce were doing the same, each one of them trying to get as far away from their attack. It seemed that Althiea's Zoid had the desired effect; the enemy pilots had essentially lost the will to fight, especially after seeing one of their number effortlessly dispatched as had happened to the Baltar.

"These guys are running scared!" Rayvenne called out. "We've got 'em good!" She sounded incredibly cheerful, nothing like how nervous and apprehensive she had been earlier when she was concerned about Floyd. She also wasn't even trying to keep to her persona, having slipped back to her normal voice.

"Just don't get too cocky!" Jason called back. "They may be up to something."

"Like them strange Zoids." Leanne hissed. "Guys! Better get back here!" As one, the group of bizarre unmanned Zoids had leaped into action, suddenly charging straight at her own machine. "These guys are comin' fast!"

"Say what?" Rayvenne called out, then was cut off by a beep from her sensors. Something was coming at her at high speed, literally heading straight for her Sinker. She swerved the controls hard to the right, her Zoid veering out of the path of the enemy Zoid. An orange blur streaked past her, then looped around to come back.

"What the hell is that crazy thing?" She called out as she wheeled her Zoid around to face it. The compact Zoid was already climbing away, trying to come around for another pass. Rayvenne pulled back on the stick, trying to being the Sinker around to get a shot at it. She grunted as the g-pull pushed back on her, flattening her into the seat. _That guy's pulling a stupidly tight turn... how's he managing it? _Then she saw the Zoid closer, and realised how. _There's no cockpit! They really are unmanned!_

The Sinker's nose pulled around a little more, the enemy Zoid barely managing to keep ahead of her. As she closed in on it, Rayvenne opened fire, spraying shots at the bizzare-looking machine. Several rounds slammed into its back and wings, ripping through its thin armour. The enemy Zoid rolled over, at least having the programmed sense to try to get out of her way, and tried to dive.

"No... you don't!" Rayvenne grunted out as she rolled the Sinker, the force of the turn one again pressing her back. She gripped the control stick, managing to keep the Zoid under control and pursuing its target. She opened fire on the Chimera Zoid again, this time more of the shots finding their mark. The Zoid peeled away for a moment, then simply exploded in maids air.

"Dammit!" She called out as she managed to fight the Sinker back to level flight. "That thing was... ah hell!" The sensors beeped as another Zoid apporoached her, closing in at speed from behind. Rayvenne twisted the control stick, the Sinker managing to bank out of the way as the other Zoid approached. As she watched, a second of the beight orange mahcine flew straight through the space she had occupeid only a moment before. To her surpise, howerver, it made no effort to chase after her.

Instead, the Zoid turned, diving in on an atack run. Tracing its path, she could see where it was heading - straight for Althiea's Iron Kong. "Ali!" She called out. "Check your six! Incoming flying bug...thing!" She opened up the Sinker's throttle and bought the Zoid around, trying to catch the unmanned Zoid before it could strike.

oOoOo

Althiea heard Rayvenne's warning shout and rewacted instantly, twisting the controls around. The iron Kong turned to face the incoming Zoid, raising its left arm and opening fire with the twin-barreled cannon. The shots tore into the enemy machine, blasting it apart in an instant.

No sooner had she dealt with the one threat then another one appeared. A pair of Shellkarns approached her Zoid, both bending forwards and opening fire with their quad anti-armour missiles. The rounds streaked towards the Iron Kong, slamming into its chest armour and sending the Zoid staggering. Grabbing the controls, Althiea managed to stabilise the massive machine before it toppled over.

Checking the statrus board, she could see that while the armour was damaged, the missiles hadn't penetrated too far, with no damage to the Iron Kong's structure or systems. Not wanting to give them a second chance, she turned the Zoid to face them, dropping her sights onto them. She opened fire again with the Hyperbeam cannon, aiming to take them out as quickly as possible. The Shellkarns twisted out of the way, the masive beam shot still tearing into it and literally shredding its right arm. The Zoid was spun around by the force of the blow, and knocked flat onto its face.

To her suroise, it got straight back up, then charged at her Zoid, its single remaining arm waiving in the air. The other Shellkarn also charged, opening fire wth the twin cannons in the shoulder. Altheia raised the Kong's right arm, the shots bouncing off its heavily armoured forearm. Undeterred, the two Zoids continued to close in.

The damaged Shellkarn was struck by several shots to its back, again staggering it. The Zoid propped itself up on its remaining arm, trying to stabilse itself. Before it could respond, however, Jason's Iguan leaped onto it, its feet slamming the Zoid in the back and sending it face-first into the dirt. The Iguan then opened fire with is quad-barreled hand cannon, the blasts tearing apart the smaller Zoid.

Leanne's Gunsiper charged across the landscape next to it, opening fire on the second Shellkarn with its twin wrist cannons. The shots bounced off its thick shoulder armour, the other Zoid seemingly unaffected by her attacks. The Shelkarn turned its attention towards her Zoid, replying with its twin cannons. The guns spat fire, several shots striking the Gunsniper on the leg and flank before Leanne could twist it out of the line of fire.

Jason's Iguan swung around to face the Shellkarn, opening fire with its twin head guns. Again the shots deflected off its shoulders with little or no effect. Snarling angrily at it, Leanne opened fire with one of the rocket pods on the Gunsniper's back. This time the weapons had more effect, blasting apart the smaller Zoid. "Y'all stay down, okay?" She snapped. "Damn Chimeras."

Another pair of shots struck the Iron Kong in the back, drilling into the maneuver thrusters. Despite the damage, the machine stayed standing, the damage board indicating that it was only the armour that was damaged - for now. Althiea twisted the Zoid around, looking for her attackers. Hovering behind the Iron Kong was a pair of unusual, fish-like Zoids, a surprisingly large cannon slung under their wedge-shaped heads.

Altheia prepared to open fire on them but, before she could, the Zoid lurched suddenly to the right. The machine shook again as red lights came on, indicating damage to the legs. Glancing around, she saw what was causing it - a Chimera Zoid had charged at her own machine, spearing it with a pair of lances. She recoginised it as a Demonshead, one of the machines she had initially encountered in the desert.

The Zoid reared back, then swung open its massive jaw. Lunging forwards, the Demonshead sunk its fangs into the Iron Kong's foot. More systems lit up in red as the small Zoid bit into the Iron Kong. Looking over it, Althiea could see while it was not likely to destroy her Zoid, the Demonshead could easily cripple or immolbilise it.

She twisted the Zoid around, swinging backwards with the arms. There was a metallic clanging as one of them struck the enemy Zoid, knocking it way from the Iron Kong. Before the Demonshead could recover, the Kong swung around again, driving one of its massive metal fists into the enemy Zoid. The fist drove the Chimera into the ground, literally crushing it.

The two flying fish came around for another pass at her, bearing down on her Zoid while she was distracted with the Demonshead. As they began their attack run, Leanne's Gunsniper chased after them. She opened fire with her second rocket battery, the missiles slamming into the Zoid and blasting it apart in mid-air.

The second one continued on its attack run, not aware or not caring about what had happened to its colleague. Althiea lined it up in her sights, locking onto it with her missile launchers. The shoulder rack opened up, a quartet of missiles flying towards the enemy Zoid as it approached. The Zoid tried to peel out of its way, only to be struck in the midsection and smashed out of the air. The Zoid crashed to the ground with black smoke billowing out form its flak, apparently disabled.

The remaining Demonshead swing its lances forwards and charged at Leanne's Gunsniper, moving as fast as its stubby legs could carry it. However, before it could strike, Floyd's Gustav intercepted it's charge by simply plowing straight into it. The Gustav smashed into the Demonshead's side, smashing it down. The Gustav continued its charge, pushing into the Chimera Zoid before plowing it under; the other machine vanishing under its wheels with a loud thumping noise.

The Gustav turned around, looking over the collection of Zoids, as well as the debris from the battle. "Sorry I was late." Floyd began. "But I couldn't let you kids have all the fun."

oOoOo

Levisha's Lord Gale swooped down through the doors of the Red Claw's subterranean bunker, pulling up and landing neatly in the main hanger. Behind it, the remnants of her strike force rolled into the base. Save for the Baltar, they'd lost none of their manned Zoids. However, not a single one of the Chimeras had survived. As she climbed out of the Lord Gale, Levisha considered her options. Certainly, she knew that Jenice would not appreciate the numbers alone.

She strode into Jenice's office, still wearing her aviator's glasses. She wasn't happy with the situation, but, at the same time, she knew that she had no other options. _Glass had done a lot more damage then he thought_, she said to herself. _Or did he plan this? He is, after all, a dangerous intellect._

"Captain Towne." Jencie began. "I noticed that you bought back a substantially smaller foece then you left with."

"Yes, commander." Levisha replied as she saluted. "I do apologise for that. While the initial attack went off flawlessly, there were... complications." She felt that being honest would be the best way to handle this situation. "We were ambushed by another group of Zoids once we had secured the facility. Specifically, it was the same group that has given us so much trouble in pass."

"Glass. I should have known."

Levisha nodded. "His forces had expanded somewhat, however. In place of the Hammer Rock that was destroyed at Lyra, his group now fielded an Iron Kong."

"This changes things." Jencie said as she glanced out the window of her office. The bay next to it, the one that had formerly been empty, was now occupied by two of the Zoids taken from the same cache that had yielded the Lord Gale. Both were being inspected to ascertain their full functionality.

"I was forced to sacrifice the Chimera Zoids in order to ensure our escape." Levisha continued. "In this role, they performed very well. They were able to hold off the enemy force, and even managed to deal some damage to the Kong before being destroyed."

"So the Chimeras were a success then." Jencie commented. "Very good work, Towne. I want you to begin work on recovering as many of these Zoids as possible from the wastes."

"Certainly commander." She nodded. "But that was not the only thing that I gained from today's raid."

"Do tell."

Levisha unfurled one of the large maps onto the table. "This is one of the maps that I was able to obtain before we were counterattacked." She explained. "Specifically, one of the Southern Terriotries." She pointed to one are on the southern edge of the map. "In this region, the explorers found traces of an unusual mineral, a type they couldn't classify."

"I know that area." Jenice commented. "Its said to be the site of one of the earliest human settlements on the planet. Not that anyone has ever found anything."

"I know. But the presence of this unusual mineral in that area is significant." She continued. "Especially as we know it was a center of Hydra activity during the war."

Levisha looked straight at her. "And you think that this mineral is connected to that?"

"It may be." Levisha replied. "Certainly, I feel that it is worth investigating." _Because I know that you will leap at anything that my have a connection to Hydra, Jenice._

Jencie looked straight at her. "Levisha? What is up with your eyes?"

She blinked in surprise. "Oh, sorry commander." She replied, removing her glasses. She left her right eye shut. "I took a minor hit during the fighting. Nothing severe that you need to worry about."

"Well get yourself cleaned up." Jenice replied. "And when you're done, we'll discuss what you've found."

"Thank you, commander." She replied, and left. Not wasting any time, she walked straight to her quarters. While she did need to get cleaned up, she had other, more pressing concerns. There were people who needed to know about this development.

"Levisha, are you all right?" Sturm asked, passing her on the way to her room. "Your eye-"

"It's nothing, really." She snapped back. "I'm fine, really."

"But-"

She smiled at him. "Ask me that in an hour." She added. "I'm sure I'll be better by then."

Sturm nodded, and walked off. Waiting till he was gone, she stepped into her room, making sure to shut the door behind her. Like most of the other Red Claw 'officers' (She used the term lightly) she had been given a small, cramped single room with an en-suite bathroom. It was nothing on her quarters on Pinnacle, but it was far better then what the grunts got. Not wasting any time, she grabbed a case from under her bed, pulling out her portable computer.

She took it into the bathroom, propping it up on the sink before finally looking up at the mirror and opening her right eye. Looking over it, she could see no damage; it was its normal self. All Floyd had done was dislodge her contact and maybe made it sting a bit. For a moment, she looked at herself, considering how she looked; one eye fiery red, the other neon-green. _Not a bad look, _she thought. _Nicely scary._

She had more contacts, so it wouldn't be a problem. The only real issue was that she didn't want to let the Claw in on her true nature; at least, not yet. So for now, she remained the terrifying red-eyed girl.

_Enough of this. I have real work to do. _She opened up the computer and switched it on. A minute later (and after passing several security checks, she entered the information that she had gathered from the survey maps. The computer analysed her results, and delivered a conclusion, the one that she had expected.

_This is a very interesting development, _she thought. _Very interesting indeed. _There were people who would want to know about this.

oOoOo

Floyd looked over the wreckage of the fish-like Zoid that had been left abandoned in the middle of the battlefield. "Aaah yes. BZ-007 Diploguns, Fishamajig type." He commented. "A free-range flying gun with a boomerang head. Quite a bizarre design, yet rather amusingly efficient."

"So its another Chimera?" Rayvenne asked.

"Oh yes." He replied. "All the Zoids you guys thwacked today, save for that poor Blatar were."

"But I thought that Chimeras were uncontrollable." Jason commented. "They just attacked anything they saw."

"Normally, yes." Floyd explained. "However, these ones were clearly under control of something else. There are certain types of Zoids that can be used to direct the actions of the Chimeras and control them in battle; think of it as being a puppeteer." He glanced over the wreckage. "The machine you saw taking off was a Lord Gale, one such Zoid. Its a freaky, flying scarecrow batwing thing type, but its also very effective. One of those guys can control a veritable swarm of Chimeras."

"And the Claw have one." Althiea replied. "Which means that they could soon drastically expand their ranks." The thought of an army of mindless monsters under the Red Claw's control scared her. Such mahcines would be cruel and merciless, doing whatever their leaders ordered. And she knew what the Red Claw wanted. With those machines under their control, nobody would be safe.

"Yes... it is a problem." Floyd stroked his beard. "I wonder if they know how to..." He trialed off.

"Floyd?" Althiea asked.

"Nothing, really." He replied.

"So why did the Claw attack a Geology Lab?" Jason asked as he examined the wreckage of one of the Shellakrn. "It doesn't make sense for them. I fail to see what they would have gotten out of it."

"Well what about givin' these Chimera thingies a test run?" Leanne asked. "They managed to do a lotta damage with 'em."

"There is that, Lee." Jason commented. "But why here?"

"I think I know." Floyd spoke up. "The lovely Levisha was rather interested in certain maps that a friend of mine was working on. Apparently, he'd found something she was after but bad."

"And that was?" Althiea asked.

"No idea." He commented, then grinned. "But it means we have a lead. Anyone want to find out?"


	26. Allegance

While Althiea's Iron Kong had managed to defeat Red Claw's Chimera Zoids that had came at it, the huge machine had been left badly battered by the conflict. The enemy Zoids, with their single-minded determination to destroy their target, had managed to do a surprising amount of damage to her Zoid. It had meant that the team had a lot of downtime while she and Floyd began work on repairing it.

During a break from working on the Zoid, Floyd had called the team together to discuss their next move. He'd set up a folding table, and then rolled out a map on it. "Okay, folks, gather around." He called out. "Here's your big chance to get in on the Claw's likely next move. Get a move on, this offer won't last."

"Hey, if I join now, do I get a free set of steak knives?" Rayvenne jokingly added as she walked up to the table.

"Certainly." Floyd replied. "Just give us your full name, address, credit card number, bank account number, driver's license number, cup size, date of birth and your mother's secret choc-chip cookie recipe, and you're set."

"My mum couldn't be arsed baking cookies." She replied with a shrug.

"Is it a hereditary trait?" Leanne added as she joined them at the table.

"Score." Floyd commented with a grin.

"Okay, you guys, knock it off." Jason interjected. "What do we have, Floyd?"

"This is a geological survey map, generously provided to us by my good friend, Doctor Neville Slade of the Imperial Geological Institute." Floyd began. "Its the same one as the lovely Ms Towne took off with, one that she was rather interested in."

"So what is it?" Rayvenne asked. "A treasure map?"

"Given her interest in it, you could say that." Floyd replied. "From what I can tell, there's something very unusual down here, something that the Red Claw wants. And if that's the case, then we can draw two conclusions from it. The first is that we have some idea of what their next move will be. The second is that we don't want them to have it, whatever it is."

"So that what's the plan?" Jason asked.

"We go after them." Althiea spoke up. "We can try to stop them here, away from any civilisation. That way, there's no risk to anyone else."

"Seems fair to me." Rayvenne commented.

"I haven't got any problems with that." Jason added. "And any opportunity to take out the Claw is good with me."

"Y'all are forgetting one thing." Leanne spoke up. "This place is in the Southern Territories. We're all gonna freeze our arses off down there." She eyed Rayvenne, who was in her usual attire of baggy pants and a bikini top.

"Good point, Leanne." Floyd replied. "In which case, I will have to ask a favour of you, as well as both Mr Simons and Ms Rayvenne."

"Being?"

"Tomorrow morning, run into town and get us some winter woolies." Floyd replied, beaming broadly. "I want us all rugged up and ready to go by tomorrow evening. Sure as heck, I ain't gonna let this one get away."

oOoOo

**Alleigance**

oOoOo

"I repeat, this is Paladin Winters of the Zygra Empire. Stand down now or else I will open fire!" Nathan called into his communicator. Watching from the Godos' command cockpit, he waited fro a reply from the two Zoids he had been facing. Hopefully, they would see sense.

Unfortunately they didn't. The two Zoids, a Stang and a Kreep, continued to advance towards his own machine. Neither enemy pilot had made any direct attempt to identify themselves or communicate in any way. This left him with only one alternative, one that he would rather not pursue if he had any alternative.

The enemy Zoids didn't allow him that much. The Stang opened fire with its tail and back-mounted beam cannons, spraying shots at his Zoid. The Kreep charged forwards, also opening fire with the quartet of cannons mounted on its head. Nathan reacted quickly, the Godos twisting sideways out of the enemy Zoids and their line of fire.

Before either pilot could react, he opened fire with his own weaponry on the other Zoids. The Godos' main beam cannon spat shots at the Stang, ripping through the weak armour on its side. The smaller cannon mounted opposite it capitalised, punching a hole through its armour and tearing into its innards. Despite this, the Zoid remained standing and still active.

The Kreep bought itself around to follow him, charging forwards at his Zoid while still firing. The enemy pilot didn't seem particularly skilled or responsive however, the shots easily missing Nathan's Zoid. He twisted the Godos around, the Zoid's foot slamming into the side of the Kreep while, at the same time, the tail-mounted cannon opened fire again on the damaged Stang.

Both attacks went better then he expected. The foot caught the Kreep under its side, literally lifting the caterpillar-like Zoid into the air. The Zoid flipped over, then crashed down on its side, its wheels spinning in the air. At the same time, the beam cannon smashed through the Stag's cockpit, shattering the canopy.

To his surprise, however, neither enemy Zoid was out of action. The Kreep continued to wriggle, trying vainly to right itself, while behind him, the Stang kept coming despite the damage it had sustained. A quick glance at the enemy Zoid told him why; the cockpit was empty. The enemy Zoid hadn't been disabled by his attack because it didn't have a pilot.

"Interesting" He commented as he swung around to face the Stang, figuring the Kreep to be harmless for the moment. The enemy Zoid opened fire again, narrowly missing his Godos. Nathan wasn't about to let it hit him either. He ducked to one side, again opening up on the Stang's damaged flank. The shots tore into the Zoid, blasting apart the damaged Zoid's structure. The Stang let out a loud screech, then crashed to the ground, its flank a smoking wreck.

Spinning the Godos around again, he raised the Zoid's spear, then stabbed it into the Kreep's exposed underside. The weapon dug into it, impaling the Zoid through its relatively exposed belly. The Kreep shuddered, then slumped down, out of action.

After scanning the area for any sign of other hostiles, and convinced that it was secure, he opened up a command channel. "Winters to team. Enemy Zoids neutralised."

"Affirmitive." The pilot of his supporting Tank replied. "Were these Red Claw?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I want to investigate further. Bring the Tank up so we can take a look at it."

"Yes sir." The pilot finished.

Nathan turned to look over the two Zoids. It was clear that both machines had seen a lot of action, both being rather worn and battered. He suspected that they had been out here in the desert for some time, possibly lying buried before being reactivated. The question was, what had reawakened them, and how had they been operating unmanned? If they were sleeper Zoids, then they wouldn't have strayed too far from whatever they had been protecting; yet there was nothing around for miles.

He re-opened the channel to his Tank. "Have the tech crews go over the destroyed enemy machines; there's something very unusual going on here."

oOoOo

Levisha patiently waited by the Mesa, her Lord Gale couched down and doing its best to hide. It wasn't easy; the large, pumpkin-coloured Zoid was very distinctive and easily recongisable, and anything but inconspicuous. Her best hope of hiding it, she figured, was to pick a place like this where few people were likely to come. Even then, she had taken precautions against the off chance that she was discovered.

Within minutes of her arrival, a dust cloud appeared on the horizon. She instantly knew who this was; it was very unlikely that anyone else would be out here. She relaxed as the Sandspeeder pulled up alongside her, its pilot quickly dismounting. "This had better be important." Jaeger began as he removed his helmet and goggles. "I had to take a lot of risks coming out here at such short notice."

"Trust me, it is." She replied as she pulled out a noteputer from her hip pouch. "I've found something that will be of incredible use to us."

"Do tell." He continued, impatiently.

"Its all there." She continued, a smug tone in her voice. "I came across this while on a trial run of the new Zoid." She continued, indicating to the Lord Gale. "I didn't find exactly what I was after, but I think that this will more then make up for it."

"Geological surveys of the Southern Territories?" Jaeger asked. "I fail to see the relevance."

"Remember that sample that you acquired from that Hydra ruin six months ago?" She continued.

"Yes?" He began, a suddenly interested tone in his voice.

"Check it out." She explained. "If I read that right, there may be a potentially unlimited supply of it down there. You do know what that means."

His eyes widened as he continued to read. "If you're right..." He began. "Then this changes everything."

"I know." Levisha commented, a smug tone in her voice. "Imagine what it will do for our forces." She smiled in a knowing way. "We were worried that the situation was accelerating well beyond what we had accounted for. Now, if this is what we think it is, then we will be able to move a lot faster and respond in kind. And rather then the few scraps we currently claim, we will be able to raise an army."

"An army like none that has ever walked this planet before." He finished. "What do you want, Levisha?"

"Jenice is mounting an expedition to the area on the premise of hunting for Hydra relics." She explained. "I'll use it as cover to gather a sample up for you. If it proves to be viable, then you can do with it as you want."

"And the Red Claw?"

"I'm sure I can contrive some reason for the escalation that you wanted." She continued. "In truth, I think that Jenice is spoiling for a chance to unleash her new arsenal on the Empire. After this little trip, I believe that I can easily prod her into the sort of action that you want." She glanced over at the Lord Gale. "The new Zoids have proven to be most useful so far."

"I suspected that you would begin a personal recruitment drive." Jaeger commented.

"Indeed." She continued. "I've already created a sizable cadre within the Claw who would be loyal to myself rather then Jenice. But the addition of the Chimeras means that I have a lot more strength."

"That I understand, but I worry about some of the other weapons that we gave to the Claw." He continued. "What if we need to face them ourselves."

"I don't think that will be an issue." She shook her head. "Paladin Trogdor has a certain... affection for me, shall we say." She didn't need to be any more explicit then that. Jaeger knew first hand about her tastes. "But I think that it goes beyond that. He has already betrayed the Empire. I don't think that betraying Jenice will be too much of a step for him."

"You think you can rely on him?"

"More then that." She continued. "I think that, when the time comes, he could become one of us."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Definitely." Levisha nodded. "It's not like bringing in an outsider is completely without precedent."

"Well, no." He admitted, knowing exactly what she meant.

"And you've seen how much use they can be. Now imagine having all the insider knowledge that a Zygra paladin possesses on tap. It would be an incredible asset to us."

"More so then a ranking Blackstar?"

She gave him a wry smile. "Now did I say that?"

"Of course." He finished. "One last thing. That other asset we discussed."

"Oh yes." Levisha finished. "It has resurfaced. More to the point, its resurfaced piloting an Iron Kong, and showing a degree of piloting skill and tactical adaptation far beyond what I'd have expected. This is most certainly the one we're after."

"Good." He nodded. "Because if events are to unfold as we plan them, then we will need her."

"I am sure that can be arranged."

"Good." She commented, then pulled out her own noteputer again. "Oh, I'll need this."

Jaeger looked over the pad. "I see. This will be… difficult to transport, to say the least."

"I can send someone for it." She shrugged. "Or something. But if this is what I think it is, then we will need it."

oOoOo

The groups Travels had bought them closer to the eastern fringe of the Empire, an area dominated by large expanses of blasted wastelands, painful relics of the war that had reshaped the planet. Around here, most of the towns were relatively small and basic; farming was the primary industry of the area, but many preferred to avoid it altogether. The small town that Leanne, Rayvenne and Jason walked into was one such place.

"Wow." Rayvenne commented as she set down her Sinker. "This place redefines basic. These guys look like they probably haven't ever seen a Zoid before, let alone something exotic like my machine." She added as she clambered out of her Zoid, still dressed in her causal clothes.

"You're not worried about your identity?" Jason asked.

"Heck no." She replied, dismissively. "These guys have probably never even heard of the mysterious Sinker pilot, and even if they had I doubt they'd make the connection. This place doesn't look like they get out much."

"Yer real nice, you know that?" Leanne added as she walked over to the pair of them. "Not everyone in a small town is a brainless hick, y'know."

"Yes, Leanne." Ravenne replied. "And you do so much to counter that popular stereotype."

"Hey!" She snapped. "Why I oughta-"

"Okay, you two." Jason began, stepping between the two women. "Lets just stay calm and focus on our job, okay?"

There was a brief pause. "Sure." Leanne muttered, then walked off. "I'll look after clothes. You two handle food and stuff."

"Gee, all right." Rayvenne replied as she watched Leanne go. "No need to be so grouchy."

"Don't complain aobut her." Jason commented. "You've been unnecessarily antagonising her since we got here."

"I'm just having fun, Jase." She casually replied. "Don't let it get to you."

"You could be hampering our effectiveness as a team." He added.

"Like I said, it's all cool." Rayvenne casually continued. "Now I'm going off to get some more food. You go handle, um, camping stuff and other cold-weather gear." She smiled sweetly at him. "See ya, Jase."

She walked off before he could reply, leaving him standing in the middle of the street. Spying a store, she stepped inside, scanning the shelves for something edible. Tinned food seemed to be the in thing around here, and even then not that much of it. Half the store looked to be bare, as if someone had gone through and picked out all the least inedible stuff around.

"Huh." She commented. "Not much of a shop."

"Can I help you, miss?" Came a voice from behind her. Whirling around she spotted a young, skinny man dressed in a shirt and tie that seemed too large for him, standing behind the counter. She must have missed him when she came in, or maybe mistaken him for a broom or something.

"Yeah." She replied. "Um, I know that this may sound a little pretentious of me but... where's the food? I mean, you've got shelves but nothing on them." She glanced around. "I didn't wind up in the Drakken Empire by mistake, did I?"

"No, maam." He replied. "You're still in Zygra."

"So where's the food?" She asked. "I've got a small army to feed and there's nothing here to feed them with."

"That's what the couple of guys who cleaned out the store said." He replied with a weak attempt at humour.

"Guys?" She asked. "What guys?"

"I really couldn't say, maam." He replied, a slightly nervous edge colouring his voice.

"You couldn't?" She asked, pouting. "That's a shame."

"Sorry, maam."

"Awww..." She walked over to him, swaying her hips as much as possible. "Sure there isn't anything you remember about them, any little thing that was interesting?" She leant forwards on the counter, resting her chin on one hand while letting him have a generous view of her ample cleavage. "I'd love to know who would want to buy up everything in the store."

"Well, there were these two guys and they were saying something about they had an army to feed and they sorta cleaned off the shelves and they paid for it all by cheque and I was kind of nervous about taking it but they looked mean and they had guns on them so I kind of let them." He blurted out. "And they left a few minutes ago, saying that they had more stuff to get."

"Cool beans." Rayvenne replied as she straightened up. "Thank you very, very much."

"You're welcome, maam." He replied, clearly following instructions. "Um, have a nice day." He added as she dashed out the front door.

Now that she was out in the street, she looked around for some sign of the two men. People who had just cleaned out an entire store couldn't be too hard to track, she figured. Glancing around, she looked for anything in the main street that was out of the ordinary. And then she saw it. She could see two pairs of metal spikes sticking out from around a corner, the sort of thing that belonged on a Zoid.

_Score, _she thought. _Now let's see what's in there. _She cautiously approached, keeping an eye out for anyone watching her. Peering around the corner, she could see that she was on track; there were a pair of Connects parked there, both with cargo crates on their back. Lying near them was a trio of shopping trolleys. Glancing further around, she could see a man standing by the fronts of the two Zoids, a bulky rifle in his hands. _Yeah, he is so a Red Claw member, _she thought to herself. Even though she couldn't see anything on him that looked like an insignia, it was pretty obvious to her from his bearing and the way he held his gun.

_All righty. We've got them now. _She smirked to herself as she thought about how simple this had been. Floyd and Ali had been going on about tracking them down and trying to stop whatever agenda it was that they had and trying to get inside the Claw's head's. All she needed to do was show a little boob and she could get the same result. It was perfect.

_And the best part is, neither Ali or Lee could ever manage that, _she sniggered to herself. Neither girl had anything on her.

She studied the soldier, looking for an opportunity to strike. Glancing at him, she figured him to be as sharp as a watermelon. _Easy. _She pulled out her pistol, ready to act.

The sound of a loud crash behind her caught her attention. Spinning around, she could see a man lying on top of a pair of rubbish bins, trying to disentangle himself. _What the... _she began, but was cut off by a shout from behind her.

"Hey you!" The guard called out. "Hold it right there!"

Rayvenne didn't want to hang around the man with the machine gun. She ducked around the corner just as he opened fire at her. Bullets tore into the wall where she had been, shredding brick and sending chunks of it flying. Squealing, she dashed away from him as fast as she could go, desperately trying to get away from him and his fire.

She squealed as she ducked around a corner, hoping that she was out of the line of fire. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was very, very afraid of getting hurt. It was easy when she was in her Sinker; she was in no direct risk of physical harm, thanks to the Zoid's reasonably armoured cockpit. Even then, she knew that, should something catastrophic happen to the Sinker, she could still escape via its detachable cockpit.

But here on the ground, things were different. Here was nothing between her and the bullets, nothing to protect her if they came tearing towards her. A single bullet could kill. A single bullet would kill. The last thing she wanted was to take that single bullet and end up dead. She'd been confident while the guard wasn't paying attention, but the instant he regained his focus and started shooting... she was terrified.

The guard had stopped firing. However, she was too scared to look and see what he was up to, incase he started shooting at her again. Holding her gun, she nervously waited, in case he came near her. Hopefully there would be something else going on that would distract him... like whatever had happened with the guy on the bins.

As if to answer her unspoken prayer, there was a second loud crashing noise from across the street. Glancing around, she could see what it was. Leanne swung around, her booted foot catching a thug in the side of his head, sending him reeling and slamming into a post. A second guy was already down, slumped near the mess of overturned garbage bins.

The thug picked himself up and, in a surprisingly smart move, decided to break into a run, sprinting away from her as fast as possible. The second man was clearly not so smart, again picking himself out of the bins and lumbering at Leanne, swinging at her with a meaty fist. She ducked, his arm sailing through the air where she had been only a moment before. Seeing a chance, she slugged him hard in the guts, doubling him over. A second blow hit him in the back with a loud thud, sending him staggering back.

Another pair bolted out form a different store, running across the street at speed. A moment later, Jason ran outside after them, a pistol in each hand. He stopped and opened fire, the shots going way past either man. Pausing for a moment, he spied her. "Rayvenne!" He called out.

"What?" She asked, apprehensively.

"Don't just sit there! These guys are Red Claw! Get after them!"

She wanted to say that it was what she had been doing, but a burst of gunfire cut her off. Instead, she hid further around the corner, trying to get as far away from the rest of the violence. Glancing around, she could see several thugs running through the streets, apparently away from Jason and Leanne. _Yeah, that's it, you guys handle them, _she thought ot herself. _That should be-_

A loud shot filled the air, a beam scorching the middle of the street. "Damn it!" Jason yelled out, suddenly running back the other way. "Get to your Zoid, now!" She couldn't tell if he was shouting at her or Leanne, but took it as a good cue. Getting up, she sprinted to her sinker as fast as she could go. As she ran, she glanced around and saw what was happening. One of the Connects was in the middle of the street, its gun trained on her two companions. The second one was scurrying out of town as fast as it could go.

She leaped into the Sinker's cockpit, hastily pulling on her bandanna and helmet as the Zoid powered up. The Sinker took to the air, skimming along the streets. It buzzed over the two Connects, distracting them and, more importantly, giving Leanne and Jason a chance to get to their Zoids. One of the enemy Zoids opened fire on her, ineffectually spraying shots after her.

"Not a chance, sucker." She replied, trying to do her 'Sinker pilot' voice and failing. "You're not even close."

She looped around, looking to come back after the Connects and make another pass on them. She didn't want to open fire on the enemy Zoids as yet, due to the fact that they were still in the middle of the town and there were too many risks involved. Her aim was instead to scare them away and force them out into the open.

Her sensors beeped as she climbed, warning of another pair of Zoids nearby. Curious as to their identities, she turned the Sinker towards them and dived down to take a look. As she approached, she spied them; a Brox and a Krok, both waiting on a ridge outside the town. "Ah hell!" She shouted out as she pulled away from them. "It's more Claws, it's gotta be!"

The enemy Zoids answered any questions as to their identity by opening fire on her, shots sailing through the air behind her Zoid. As she sped off, the pair of them broke into runs, heading after her machine. "Jase, Lee, there's a pair of Claws outside the town." She called out. "They look like they're trying to support their buddies."

"Right." Jason called back. "You keep them occupied and away from the town. We'll join you as soon as possible."

"Sure thing." She replied, the Sinker coming around and diving towards the two enemy Zoids. The twin beam gattling cannons under the Zoid's wings opened fire, spraying shots at the two Zoids. While neither seemed to be severely damaged from the attack, they certainly seemed a little more apprehensive. The Brox backed off, while the Krok scampered away, looking for cover from her next attack.

"Yeah." She hissed out as the Sinker came around for another pass. It was strange; as Rayvenne, she was a coward, shying away from physical harm and danger. However, as the sinister Sinker pilot, she was an adventurous risk taker. And right now, the risk taker was wining out. The Sinker opened fire on the Brox again aiming to take the smaller Zoid out. "Come on, lets see what you've got." she added, grinning behind her mask.

oOoOo

The Tank assigned to support Paladin winters had been equipped with a mobile command and control center in its trailer, in essence a small field headquarters. One of its key features was an extensive communications system which not only would allow a commander to keep in contact with his entire unit in battle, but also allowed long-range communications. At the present, Nathan was seated in front of the main communications console, patiently waiting.

"Sorry to keep you, Paladin winters." The female voice on the other end of the communicator began. "I have both Paladin Dezalg and General Wrightfield for you now."

"Thank you." He replied as the screen activated, two separate images on it. Paladin Dezalg was on the right, while, at a separate location, Wrightfield was on the left. Nathan knew that each of them would also have a split screen with himself and the other party. "I am sorry to interrupt the pair of you, but I felt that you would want to hear what I had to say immediately, rather then waiting for my report."

"I understand." Dezalg began. "Go ahead."

"I believe that I have a lead on the rash of wild Zoid sightings and attacks that have been occurring in the last few weeks." He explained. "Earlier today I encountered a pair of wild Zoids and was forced to destroy them. However, both Zoids were left relatively intact, which allowed my technicians to inspect both Zoids."

"I discovered something very interesting in the cockpit of these Zoids." He continued. "It was a piece of computer hardware that I had never seen before. At the same time, it was evident that it had been there for some time, rather then being a new addition. I wanted you two to see it, in case either of you recongised it."

He placed the object on the table in front of the camera, an oversized circuit board printed with a garish yellow logo. Dezlag and Wrightfield exchanged worried looks, as if they were in the same room. "And you say that this was in the cockpit of one of the destroyed Zoids?" Caro finally spoke up.

"Yes."

"That is a piece of Hydra technology." Dezalg began. "One I have not seen since the war."

"I am to assume that it is some sort of control unit, then." Nathan asked.

"Correct." Wrightfield answered. "Hydra used it to remotely control Zoids; issuing them orders and setting them to attack targets. During the war, they used legions of such machines as shock troops; often having killed their pilots with neutron or biological weapons first."

"Most of these Zoids were destroyed during the early years of the war, having been thrown against the surviving UZN or Draken forces." Dezalg continued. "The rest just... stopped. After the Orbital War, whatever that was, the machines controlled by the chips all shut down, whatever controlled them having apparently been deactivated or destroyed."

"So then what's controlling these Zoids?" He asked. "It cannot be something local; we've had reports of wild Zoid attacks across the Empire, as well as in the UZN. And there are unsubstantiated reports that similar events have occurred in the Draken Empire."

"And all have occurred since the battle of Lyra." Dezalg added. "I have to wonder if the two events are related."

"How so?" Nathan asked.

"Remember that the Trinity Liger was in fact, a modified Liger Zero." He continued. "Such a modification could have had its origins with Hydra."

"First a Hydra Zoid, then a Hydra weapon." He commented. "I can see the connection."

"This is a very grave matter." Wrightfield spoke up. "I have to wonder if there may not be more to the Red Claw then we initially believed."

"Yes sir." He added. "What then would you have me do?"

"Continue your investigations." Dezalg began. "But expand on them. I will send you additional troops and resources to assist you in your operations, Paladin Winters. Your task will be to seek out and destroy the Claw, wherever they may be. If there is indeed a connection to Hydra, something that we cannot afford to rule out, then the situation is a very grave one indeed."

oOoOo

Drake's Snipemaster sprinted across the plains, kicking up a cloud of sand and dust behind it as it ran. The slender machine moved at full speed, not letting anything get in its way as it charged towards the town. Inside the cockpit, Drake nervously watched both his navigational display and his sensors for any sign of the reported enemy.

"Remind me again why you're calling the shots here, Drake." Gwen snapped over the communicator, anger colouring her voice. "Why are you in charge and not, say, me?"

Drake sighed and shook his head. As much as he loved his older sister, she could be incredibly dense and incredibly trying some times. "It's simple Gwen." He explained. "Levisha appointed me as her second, and thus Jenice's third in command while she's away. And as Jenice is busy and Levisha is off gathering information for us, that makes me the one in charge."

"I know that." She hissed. "The question is... why you?"

"She explained it all to me, Gwen." He continued. "She says that I have special qualities, ones that set me apart from other members of the Claw. It's these special qualities that make me the best to run the team."

Gwen was silent for a moment, clearly upset that Drake had outwitted her. He knew that his sister didn't like Levisha, which was probably actually colouring her opinion of him and his position. He also suspected that she was more then a bit jealous of both his newfound role, and his special qualities that made him ideally suited for it. _Poor girl, _he thought. _Not all of us can be special, you know._

"I still don't see why she gets to decide all this." Gwen muttered. "We've been in the Red Claw far longer then she has."

"Yes, but she's also an expert tactician, a skilled trainer and has a lot of sources of information." He explained. _And she is so very, very attractive, _he mentally added. "She's done a lot for the Red Claw."

"Whatever." Gwen hissed in reply, seemingly admitting defeat. "So why exactly are we running out into the middle of nowhere today?"

"I decided to be pro-active and send some of our men out to gather supplies for the Claw." He explained. "And they ran into that group that we've had so much trouble with."

"What?" She snapped. "You mean that Glass is there?"

"Well, I don't think he-"

"And that Sinker too?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Excellent." Gwen replied. "Drake, your Pro-Active plan has done very well for us."

"How so?"

"Use your head, dumbarse." Gwen snapped. "We have a chance to eliminate that group that have been giving us so much grief. Think of what that will do for us. We'll look good to Jenice, better then Levisha or Sturm or anyone else. Us, the originals who were swept aside will have been able to do what nobody else in the Red Claw could."

"Oh yeah." Drake commented. "You're right." A grin spread across his face from ear to ear. "Come on then. Let's deal wit these losers."

"Of course I'm right, Drake." She grinned. "I'm your sister. I've got just the same special qualities as you do." She opened up the throttle, her Redler soaring away across the empty desert sky.

oOoOo

Within the nightmarish industrial hell that was the Blackstar City, only one building challenged the city's massive reactors for dominance of the skyline. That building was the citadel, the heart of the Blackstar army and, by extension, their entire society. A towering, slab-sided edifice, its stark lines towered over the clutter and mess below it. Yet, at the same time, it seemed to be just as much a part of the city; its exterior was caked in pollution from the factories around it, and other structures still clustered around it, as if they were reaching up to drag it down with them.

However, the true heart of the building wasn't in its lofty heights, but rather in its depths. Down there existed, a single, subterranean, well-concealed, well protected command center that was the core of all things Blackstar. And inside it was a single, smaller room from which the entire city was controlled.

A dozen figures were seated around a table, their black uniforms blending into the dimmed room while their features were hidden by the enshrouding darkness. Only their eyes, the signature bright green of the Blackstars, were visible, and even then, not entirely. A single figure, a woman, stood out from them. Her eyes did not have the same brilliance as the others, and were instead hidden in the darkness.

The center of the table sank into the floor, a projector activating. Within seconds, a figure emerged, a three-dimensional, semi-transparent image, coloured in solid green, but otherwise accurate to a surprising degree. "Captain Thorne." The dull-eyed woman began in a flat tone. "You have been summoned before this conclave for a very important reason. Before we continue, you must understand that what is said here will not go beyond this meeting."

Thorne nodded, her virtual hair swaying as she straightened. "I understand fully."

"You have been summoned here on a matter of the utmost importance, captain." Another figure, a man began. "You have been chosen by us because, of all our forces, you are the one who has the most experience in this matter."

"The Red Claw." Thorne stated.

"Correct." Another female figure spoke up. "They have re-emerged from their seclusion, not broken as we had initially had suspected. In fact, they are apparently stronger then before."

"They have acquired a Controller Zoid." Another figure continued, seamlessly taking over from its predecessor. "With it, they have raised a small army of Chimeras from across the wastes."

"This alone makes them a danger to us." Another speaker took over. "We can no longer stand back and watch the Empire's futile efforts to defeat them. We must take action now."

"These wild Zoid attacks are a troubling sign." A female figure spoke up. "Your report describes methods and technologies used by Hydra. Their sudden reappearance may be connected to the Claw. If that is the case, then we must destroy them. Hydra nearly destroyed us; we cannot risk that happening again."

"What would you have me do?" She asked.

"Simple." The dark woman spoke up. "You are to do everything within your power to end the menace of the Red Claw. If you need to, venture into the Empire and seek them out there. If they try to flee, hunt them down and eliminate them. We will not remain idle while their threat continues to build. We will destroy them."

"I understand." Thorne replied. "I will not rest until I have ended the threat of the Red Claw."

"Very good." The woman continued. "Go now, Captain, and fulfill your duty for the future of our people."

Thorne saluted as her image faded, then vanished.

oOoOo

Inside her field command post, Thorne blinked as she pulled the headset off from over her eyes, then disconnected the cabling form her neural interface. Such conferencing was standard Blackstar procedure for transmission of orders. What she hadn't expected was to be called before their ruling council. That alone was a rare enough event for someone of her rank. For her to be charged with such a duty was even more unexpected.

What had caught her even further was the fact that they had entrusted her with this duty. Given her background and her obvious failings, she found it rather unusual. The only reason she could think of was that she had a lot more experience with the Red Claw then most other members of the Blackstar army. _Yes, that would explain it all. _She'd face them on several occasions, including fighting their leader once. She'd almost gotten the better of them too.

_And I would have, had I not been recalled. _It still burned her that her commander had ordered her to stand down. Now, of course, things would be different. His authority had been superseded by a higher power. They had ordered her to do whatever she could to stop the Claw, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Her only real disappointment was the destruction of the Claw's Trinity Liger. She'd very much wanted to face off with the so-called legendary Zoid and destroy it herself.

_But I cannot let my own personal needs get in the way of my mission, _she thought to herself. Of course, she had her own problem; since their near destruction, the Claw had gone to ground and, save for one attack, had remained hidden. Nobody knew where they were or what they were planning. And while she could simply raze every hiding place she could think of, she knew that it wouldn't achieve much.

What she needed was more information. She suspected that the Red Claw had a reason for raiding a Geological survey lab and, as a result, whatever they had found would give her more information on their objectives. All she needed was access to that information.

_But where to get it from? _She asked herself. From the report she'd read, that small group of independent operatives had taken part in the battle and would likely know. But they were both elusive and unreliable, which meant that they were not going to be of much help. On the other hand, the Zygra army would know a lot more about what had gone on there.

She walked out of her command tent as an idea began to form in her mind. "Your orders, captain?" Her second asked as he approached her.

"We will hold our location for the moment." She replied. "But prepare to break camp and move out. I have matters to attend to." Before he could give a reply, she walked off, clambering into the cockpit of her Zoid. The cockpit hissed shut, sealing her off in its familiar and comforting darkness. Waiting a moment, she activated the communications system, seeking out a particular unit on a particular command frequency that she shouldn't have normally had access too.

oOoOo

"Get after 'im!" Leanne shouted as her Gunsniper sprinted out of the town. The Zoid opened fire with its twin gattling cannons, spraying fire at the enemy Krok. The Zoid took several hits on its armoured flank before scurrying away, firing back with its twin top-mounted beam cannons. "Don't let 'em get away!"

Jason's Iguan sprinted past her own Zoid, firing its cannons at the Krok. To his annoyance, the shots went wide, narrowly passing over the low-slung Zoid's body. The enemy pilot continued to push his machine forwards, sprinting away from his fire. Jason grunted in anger as he continued to charge forwards. "Someone get that damned Zoid!"

"Don't look at me!" Rayvenne called back. "I have my own issues to deal with!" Her Sinker swerved as the Brox opened fire on it with its twin back-mounted cannons. The shots narrowly missed the sinker, sailing off into the air. She looped around, coming at the enemy machine from the side, opening up with the smaller cannons in he Zoid's nose. The shots scraped the Zoid's armour, not doing much in the way of damage to it.

"Damn it, these two are good for Red Claws." She muttered as she pulled away. The Brox turned as fast as it could, but its shots went well wide of her own Zoid.

"Save the praise for later." Jason continued. "Right now, we have to worry about taking them down!"

Leanne nodded to herself. If they could capture at least one of the enemy pilots, then they would have a considerable lead on locating the Red Claw's current base. And she was not about to let this get away from her. The Gunsniper surged forwards, firing its chest-mounted launcher at the enemy Zoid. The shot struck it in the flank, carving up the armour.

Seeing a chance, she surged forwards, the Gunsniper hissing at its prey. The Zoid's toe claw scythed through the air, lunging at the Krok's damaged flank. The enemy Zoid spun around, snapping at the Gunsniper with its heavy jaws. The Gunsniper skittered backwards, hopping out of the Krok's way.

"Jason!" Leanne called out. "This guy's sharp. Get 'em!"

"Sure thing Lea-"

"Look out, both of you!" Rayvenne called out. "Incoming!"

The two Zoids ducked to each side as a loud screech filled the air. As the moved, a purple blur passed between them, only narrowly missing the Gunsniper. The enemy Zoid climbed away, then looped around for another attack.

"What in the heck?" Leanne called out.

"It's that damned Redler!" Rayvenne shouted out. "Hold on, guys!" Climbing away from the Brox, Rayvenne's Sinker closed in on the larger Zoid. "I'll look after him, just you guys… hell!"

"What is it?" Jason called out as he swerved his Zoid around, tracking the Redler with the twin head cannons. The shots narrowly missed the Redler as it came around again.

"There's another Zoid out there!" She called out. "Its closing in on us fast."

"Crap." Jason muttered. "And we've still got these two clowns to deal with." The Iguan turned back to the Krok, opening fire on the other Zoid with his Impact cannon. "Rayvenne, try to keep the Redler busy at least. Leanne, let's try to take out these two before the third one arrives."

"What about the damn Connects?" she called out as the Gunsniper turned towards the Brox, opening fire on it. "They're gonna get away!"

"They're not a threat right now." He replied. "We can take them out after we've got the main Zoids out of the way!"

"I guess…" She sprayed another couple of rounds at the Brox, which galloped away at speed. As it retreated, the enemy Zoid fired a pair of shots at the Gunsniper from its twin cannons. One of them struck a glancing blow on the Gunsniper's leg, shaking the Zoid but not stopping it. "Heck! Damn him!"

"Give me a second." Jason snapped back. The Iguan twisted around to face the Krok, opening up with the impact cannon again. This time the shots struck home, blasting apart the missile launcher on its back. The enemy Zoid let out a loud bellow, then burst into a scampering run, its pilot clearly shaken by the destruction of his main weapons system. "There! Now hurry up with that Brox."

"Yeah, yeah." The Gunsniper surged forwards, its more confident about the Brox now that the Krok was out of the fight for the moment. Furthermore, unlike its partner, the Brox lacked any melee weapons, giving her another advantage over the enemy Zoid. "I'm gonna get ya now."

The Gunsniper's next burst hammered into the Brox's back, tearing into the smaller Zoid's armour and causing it to momentarily stumble. "That's the trick." Leanne called out. "Now I've gotcha!" Her Zoid belted forwards, closing in on its prey.

Before she could reach it, however, a burst of fire peppered its flank. The Gunsniper staggered, wavering on its feet as Leanne struggled to regain control of the Zoid. "What in the heck was that?"

"Good to see you again." A voice called out. Looking over to its source, Leanne could see another Zoid approaching. She instantly recognised it as being a Snipe Master, the same machine that she had run into several times before. "Give it up now. You're outnumbered."

"No way." Leanne replied. "Yer goin' down." Leaving the Brox for the moment, she turned towards the Snipe Master. The Gunsniper hissed as it charged forwards, its twin cannons spraying fire at the enemy Zoid. In reply, the Snipe Master fired its boosters, leaping out of its line of fire.

"Leanne!" Jason called out. "Watch out for-"

He was cut off as both the Krok and the Brox turned their attention to his Zoid, opening fire with their weapons on the Iguan. Firing the boosters, Jason leaped away from the two enemy Zoids, the Iguan landing nearby in a crouch. He spun around and opened fire again on the damaged Krok, managing to carve up some of the armour on its foreleg.

Suddenly more confident with the arrival of reinforcements, the Krok surged forwards, firing with its twin back mounted cannons. One of the shots scored armour off the Iguan's flank, the other managing to go wide of the Zoid. Jason swerved to one side as the Brox opened up with its triple-barrelled chest cannons, the shots narrowly missing his Zoid. Spinning around, he turned his attention to the Brox for the moment, trying to put it out of the battle.

He opened fire with the Iguan's cannons, blasting into its chest and side. One of the shots seemed to have penetrated the armour, however, as the Zoid stumbled back, smoke streaming from the gap in its side. As it turned, Jason could see that one of the barrels on the cannon had been ripped open, knocking the weapon out of action. _One down, _he thought to himself as he turned back to the Krok.

As he turned he glanced around at Leanne. Her Zoid ducked away from the Snipe Master's line of fire, dashing away while firing one of its own cannons back. The shots skimmed across the enemy Zoid, marking the armour on one of its boosters but not too much else. The enemy Zoid broke into a run, chasing after her. The Zoid slewed both of its boosters towards hers, opening fire with the two beam cannons on its back.

Leanne fired her boosters, leaping away form her pursuer onto a nearby rock. The Gunsniper turned around, opening up with its chest-mounted launcher. This time the shots had more effect, the Snipe Master getting struck in the side, wavering in its stride. The enemy Zoid shook for a moment, then regained its footing. Firing its own boosters, it leaped up after Leanne's, closing in.

Seeing a chance, she kicked at the enemy Zoid as it approached. The Gunsniper's hooked toe claw swung at the enemy machine, however, the other pilot seemed to be ready for her. He twisted the boosters, the Zoid leaping out of her way as she struck. The Snipe Master landed nearby, hissing as it opened fire with its cannons.

This time its shots struck home, blasting into the Gunsniper's damaged leg. The Zoid suddenly shook, then stumbled, slumping sharply to one side as the leg buckled underneath it. "Damn it!" Leanne called out as she struggled ti regain control of her Zoid. "Jase, I'm in trouble here!"

"Give me a sec!" He called out. Sprinting away form the Krok, he fired his boosters. He just hoped that his Zoid was fast enough.

oOoOo

As soon as she had completed her initial pass, Gwen circled the Redler around, looking for her prey. Sighting the Sinker, she opened up the boosters and sped straight towards it, not wanting to let it get away. Out here, there would be no place for the enemy Zoid to run or hide. Unlike their last two conflicts, this time there would be no escape.

Lining up the enemy Zoid, she opened fire with the twin booster cannons. To her annoyance, however, the smaller machine twisted out of her way just before the shots made their mark. The enemy pilot dived away from her Zoid, dashing down towards the desert floor. "No you don't!" She called out as she powered after the Sinker, opening up the throttle to close the distance as quickly as possible.

Seeing a chance, she opened fire again, this time confident of her shot. This time, one of the cannons made their mark, blasting armour off the Sinker's wing. Black smoke billowed out form the enemy Zoid as it desperately weaved and twisted to get out of her way while Gwen continued to fire, filling the air around it with shits form her cannon.

"Now this is more like it." She leered as she closed in on her opponent. "You're dead meat now, fishboy. You're going to wish you joined the Claw when I gave you the chance." The Redler surged forwards, stretching out its forwards claws. She wanted to get in and finish the enemy machine off with them, wanting to have the satisfaction of seeing its destruction up close.

The Sinker twisted then plummeted, entering a steep dive towards the desert floor. Gwen could see what was going on here; a desperate attempt to escape her. _Well, its not going to work,_ she smirked to herself. She pushed the stick forwards, diving after the Redler. Her Zoid picked up speed, further closing the distance between the two machines.

Her target levelled out, skimming across the ground at high speed only a meter or so above the surface. Regardless, she continued her pursuit, aiming to take the enemy machine out. She closed in, the Zoid's talons outstretched and ready to strike. She could already savour the vicotry, and knew that it was only a matter of time.

Except the other pilot did something completely unexpected. They killed their throttle, the Sinker suddenly coming to a dead stop in the middle of the desert. Unable to do the same (at least, not without transitioning to hover mode first), Gwen shot straight over it before she could react. Desperately pulling back on the throttle and trying to loose speed, she watched as the Sinker suddenly burst into action again.

As she slowed, the enemy Zoid closed, then opened fire with the two gattling cannons mounted under its wings. The shots tore into the Redler's back and tail, carving up the armour. She pushed open the throttle while pushing back on the stick, trying to climb away from the Sinker and its line of fire as quickly possible. The Zoid soared away, while the Redler remained moving, barrelling along just above ground level.

_You tricked me there, _she thought. _But I won't let you get me again. _Watching as the Sinker turned and sped away from her, she looped around then prepared for another attack run. _This time you're mine._

The Sinker seemed to be almost completely unconcerned about her, instead speeding off in a different direction. For a moment, she wondered if the enemy pilot was fleeing, or maybe had lost track of her. Shrugging to herself, she dived towards the Sinker, getting ready for another pass.

And then she realised what it was. The Sinker sped towards the two heavily-laden Connects, opening fire on the pair of them with its cannons. The shots blasted through the cargo packs on the backs of the two Zoids, blasting them apart. The Sinker buzzed over the two Zoids, then came around again.

"Damn you!" She called out. All of a sudden, everything had fallen apart. Their whole reason for being here was to gather supplies; with those destroyed, then this battle became suddenly pointless. And with no sign of Glass, there was nothing here to make up for it. _No, we can still keep going, _she thought. _We can still beat these-_

Alarms went off in the cockpit as the Redler shook. Looking down, she could see the Iguan opening fire on her with its twin beam cannons, the shots narrowly passing over her Zoid. A glance over her status board told her that he'd already hit her once, slicing into the tail and capitlalising on the damage the Sinker had done earlier. Looking down, she could see the Brox and Krok springing away from the battle, both of them clearly badly damaged.

"Drake!" She yelled out. "We're getting out of here!"

"What?" he called back. "But I've almost-"

"Now!" Gwen snapped. "We've got to go!"

"Right." He replied rather meekly. "Withdrawing."

Gwen opened up the throttle on her Zoid, speeding away from the battlefield. As she left, she spied the Sinker below her. _You can laugh now, _she thought, _but one day, I will get you. _She knew that she had special qualities that the enemy pilot lacked. For him, it was just a matter of time.

oOoOo

"Ah hell." Leanne muttered as she looked over the damaged Gunsniper. "Its always the dang legs, isn't it." She kicked the machine's side, then glanced up at the mess that was the Zoid's knee.

"Could be a lot worse, actually." Jason looked over it. "Give Floyd an hour or two and I'm sure it will be fine."

"Well, at least we chased the Claw off." She finished and sighed. "Just wish we coulda got one of the bastards."

"I didn't want to leave you behind, Leanne." Jason explained. "Especially with that Redler around."

"Speakin' of which..." She began as Rayvenne's Sinker pulled up. The Zoid stopped and its canopy opened, Rayvenne climbing out. She looked rather unusual, wearing her helmet and visor, but still otherwise dressed in her casual clothes. As she approached, she took off her helmet, then pulled down the bandanna. "Hey." Leanne began. "Y'all did good there today."

"It's nothing, really." Rayvenne shook her head. "In fact, I think that you did a lot more then me."

"Me?" Leanne asked. "How so? All I did was get shot up."

"Back in town." She explained. "You two took on those Claw guys on the streets while I was busy hiding. I was so afraid of getting hurt that I didn't want to stick my neck out at all while you guys were doing all the work." She sighed. "I wanted to say sorry to you guys for hiding like that, and especially to you, Lea. I, uh, I guess I shouldn't have antagonised you like that earlier."

"Ah, its fine." Leanne replied. "You made up fer it with what you did with that Redler. That was pretty gutsy."

"I guess." Rayvenne replied. "Hell, I was just trying to stay alive."

"Well, you still did a good job." Jason added. "Both of you did, actually."

"So what's the plan from here?" Rayvenne asked as she sat down next to the pair of them.

"I guess we'll call Floyd for a pickup." Jason commented. "And then try to figure how we failed to get what we were after."

"Look on the upside, Jase." Rayvenne smirked. "At the very least, this was a lot more fun then some boring shopping trip."

"Well, yeah." He commented, then smirked. "I guess it was."

"Y'know, that's the first time I've heard y'all laugh." Leanne spoke up.

"It is?" He asked.

"Yeah, you're right, Lea." Rayvenne commented. "Maybe he ain't so bad after all."

"Probably." Jason admitted. "Yeah, I guess so."

oOoOo

Nathan winters waited by his own Zoid, watching, along with the rest of his men as two more groups of Zoids arrived. A pair of Tanks, each accompanied by several smaller Zoids pulled up, stopping in front of him. A shadow passed overhead as a black and grey Pteras swooped down, landing in front of him. As it came to a rest, Nathan noted the CP-06 Bomber Unit attached to its legs and wings; until recently, such an upgrade would have been considered illegal, the weapons only available through the black market.

Nearby, the sand shifted, a second Zoid appearing out of the ground. He could instantly recongise the distinctive form of a Snakes, a rare choice for an imperial pilot. At the same time, he could understand the Zoid's appeal given the circumstances. Like the Pteras, the Snakes also sported a Bomber unit.

The two pilots, one male, one female, disembarked from their Zoids and approached him. Both were dressed in the distinctive uniforms of the Zygra Paladins, yet at the same time they looked very different from each other. "Paladins Jocasta Trabe and Iskandar Naxos reporting as ordered, sir." The female Snakes pilot began. Short and slim, she had a boyish face with light brown eyes and short-cropped, light-brown hair. Her companion was larger and heavily built, with dark, almost olive skin and thick black hair.

"Thank you both for coming so promptly." He replied. "Now if you'll follow me, we'll discuss the situation."

"Of course." Iskandar continued. "But when we're done, we have something for you."

Sturm shot him a surprised look. "I'm sorry?"

"You may have noticed that our Zoids are now carrying additional weapons." He continued. "We've bought similar equipment for your own machine."

"I see." He commented. He suspected that it was a CP-13 Wild Weasel unit, a weapons system that many Godos had mounted during the war. It was also the same weapon that Sturm had illegally used when he went renegade. The Irony of the situation struck him; if he had the chance, then he'd be using the same weapon to deal with Sturm. _Again you force us to change, _he thought. _This is all a part of your plan, isn't it?_

The three of them entered the mobile command unit, walking over to the main briefing table. A large map of the Empire's southern territories, once an independent nation before the Hydra war, was laid out on the table. "As you are all aware, the Red Claw recently raided a geology lab. Initially, we were unable to ascertain their exact motivations. However, following interviews with several of the staff, specifically one researcher who the Claw directly threatened, we have been able to find a few interesting things."

"Apparently, there is some form of unusual mineral deposit in the area, one that is found nowhere else in the Shelflands." He continued. "It appears that the Red Claw, for some unfathomable reason is interested in this deposit. Given the remoteness of the area and its sparse population, we suspect that the Claw will move to secure this area for themselves."

"So we know where they're going then." Jocasta commented.

"It would appear so." He replied. "And, as we have no idea where hty are currently hiding, then this is our big chance. If the Red Claw continue to act how we've seen, then either their leader, or at least one of their ranking officers, will be in charge of whatever they have planned for this region."

"My plan is to head them off and force them into a confrontation in this area." He continued. "With no population centers to threaten, they will be unable to divide us like they did with Lyra. Furthermore, I very much doubt that they would be expecting to confront a Zygra force here. Our objective is to cripple or destroy as much of their force as possible, while trying to capture their pilots. That way, not only will we derail their plans and destroy a portion of their force, but we can learn the location of their new headquarters."

"It sounds risky." Iskandar spoke up. "The Claw are very unpredictable."

"I understand that much." Nathan replied. "But at the same time, I feel that this is our best option. This way, we will not be facing the entire claw, but instead a potion of their forces, one that we can more readily deal with. Furthermore, this time I very much doubt that they will be expecting any sort of a trap."

"It does look good to me." Jocasta finished. "We'll need to go over the specifics once we find what exactly it is that's down there, but I don't see any reasons not to go ahead with it."

"Good." Nathan nodded. "Because-"

"Excuse me, commander." A technician spoke up as he stepped into the trailer. "We've detected... something approaching. a single, Zoid, and a large one at that."

All eyes in the room turned to him. "Is this a part of your plan?" Jocasta asked.

"No." He replied. "In fact, I have no idea what's going on." He walked out of the trailer, peering off into the distance. The sun was only just on the horizon, and soon would completely set. _Good time for an ambush_, he thought. "Right. I will investigate this matter. You two-" he indicated to two of his support pilots "-will come with me. The rest of you will remain here until I cal for you."

Within a minute, he was in his Godos, heading towards the location the intruder had been reported while two smaller Zoids, a Hidocker and a Gorgodos, followed alongside his machine. For various reasons, he didn't believe that this intruder, whatever it was, would be hostile. In fact, if the sensor readings he was getting from the Gorgodos were correct, the Zoid had essentially halted and was patiently waiting.

Which suddenly gave him a good idea of what was going on. "Wait here, you two." He began. The Godos slowly walked forwards, its pilot able to make out a shape on the horizon, a blob of blackness against the red sky. He knew that it was another Zoid and, more to the point, knew what type it was. The presence of a second cannon mounted on its back also told him which particular machine it was.

He stopped in front of the Darkhorn, barely able to make out the pilot standing by its food. Deciding to reply in kind, he opened the Godos' cockpit and clambered out of the Zoid, walking across the desert to where she stood. "So what do you want?" He asked, deciding to cut the pleasantries. He knew that none would be offered anyway.

"The Red Claw's destruction." Thorne dryly stated. "The same as you."

"So why have you come here?" He continued. "You are well outside of the Blackstar territory. By all rights, I should ask you to return to your homeland."

"I want the information you have." She replied. "You know what the Claw took from that research facility. I need to know what that is so that I, like you, can fulfill my duty. I also want free passage through your territory."

"You make a lot of demands." He shook his head, trying his best to remain calm. "Why should I agree to them?"

"Because I can offer you something in return." She stated, glaring straight at him, her green eyes strangely bright in the darkness. "Something that your empire cannot hope to match."

"Which is?"

Around them, the ground erupted into clouds of dirt and sand as a trio of sleek, sinister shapes burst forth, green eyes glowing under their dull canopies. Behind Thorne's Zoid, a green form glowed as it stepped forward, a pair of eyes glaring down at them.

"I can offer you the firepower you need to destroy them." She finished. "So, Paladin Winters, do we have a deal?"


	27. Long Road

Despite his somewhat wild and spontaneous nature, deep down, Floyd Glass knew that there was nothing he liked more then a good plan. It was just that much more rational to think things through then to just throw yourself naked into a situation, hoping that you'd think of something when it happened and wondering where your pants were. So now that they had a chance to get at the Red Claw, he was determined top think things through.

Their last big shot at confronting the Claw, the battle of the Lyra Pit, had been a spontaneous and poorly thought-out affair. They'd thrown themselves at the enemy, hoping that the shock and awe of the situation would be enough to throw a spanner into Jenice's plans. Certainly they hadn't really figured on what they were going to do when they met the Claw, just that they were going to do _something._

This time around, he was going to have a plan.

"Ladies and gentlepong." He began as he spread out a map of the Southern Territories on his camp table. "This is Exhibit A, the Southern Territories. This, friends, is where we are expecting to find the Red Claw and, with a bit of luck, sock them one right in the kisser."

"It's awfully big." Leanne commented. "And there ain't much of nothing down there. How in the heck are we gonna know where they're at?"

"Because, my dear, I have an idea how Jenice thinks." He grinned.

"And I think I do too." Althiea spoke up. "May I?"

"Please, by all means." He grinned. "Altheia, if you would please grace us with your Theory on the Whys and Wherefores of the Red Claw and their plan vis a vi this Great Southern Land."

"Sure." She began. "This map reveals the presence of an unusual mineral deposit, one that does not appear to exist anywhere on this continent." She indicated towards one area of the map. "The Red Claw seem to have an interest in... esoteric technologies and artifacts. The presence of a mineral with the unusual properties that you described would be a key draw card for them."

"So they're heading for this area." Jason commented. "So that narrows it down a lot."

"But there's more then that." Althiea spoke up. "I did some reading on the Southern Territories. There's this one area, this one place that has always been a mystery to the outside world. There have always been strange stories about this place, things that have happened there. Most of it has never been more then the stuff of legends... but there is one thing. This area is in the middle of the deposit."

"And we know that the Claw likes freaky crap." Rayvenne spoke up. "So a freaky-arse place in the middle of this weird mineral..."

"Will draw 'em like flies to fertiliser." Leanne finished. "Yeah, I can see it."

"Such a charming agricultural metaphor." Rayvenne spoke up.

"Charming or not, Leanne figured that Althiea figured what I figured." Floyd spoke up. "That's the spot where I suspect that the Red Claw will go. Janice, bless her cotton socks, will not be able to pass up such a place, and any mysterious red glop she finds there will be all the more attractive for it. Heck, the place couldn't be more of a sucker draw for her if it has a giant Hydra Logo plastered all over it."

"So that's the plan then." Jason finished. "We head there and figure that the Claw are doing the same. So what do we do after that?"

"We fight 'em." Leanne commented. "An' we won't stop until we've knocked 'em flat."

"And how do we propose to do that?" Rayvenne interjected. "They have us outnumbered a zillion to one, remember?"

"Well, I figure two more things." Floyd continued. "One is that it isn't going to be the whole Claw. They're gonna be a bit more canny after what happened at Lyra. But there will be a good number of their Big Cheeses present."

"And the other?" Rayvenne asked.

"Three words. Big robot monkey." He indicated to the Iron Kong. "This little baby can reduce the average Claw Zoid to road kill faster then you can say 'My god, that is a HUGE Aaack!'" He grinned. "We know they have Chimera Zoids, and we can take steps to deal with them. And I know that our pilot is ready to face them, right?"

Althiea nodded. "I am." She simply stated. "We will stop them, whatever it takes."

oOoOo

**Long Road**

oOoOo

Levisha Towne sat patiently on the edge of her bed in her quarters, checking her watch. She'd spent a lot of time preparing for what she was about to do, and had to make sure that everything went just right. While she normally wore her flight suit around the Claw's base, tonight she was actually wearing her dress for a change. She figured that it would have a far, far better effect for what she wanted.

There was a short, weak knock at the door, which she immediately knew was who she was expecting. Standing up, she calmly walked over to the door and opened it. Drake was standing outside, a grin on his face that managed to make him seem even more witless then he normally was. He was dressed in his usual wear, but had made a rather lackluster effect to smarten up; he'd slicked back his hair and removed his goggles, for starters.

"Thank you very much for coming, Drake." She began, a seductive purr in her voice. "I wanted to talk to you about a very, very important matter." She closed the door, then sat down on her bed, gently patting the covers next to her.

Getting the message almost instantly, he all but leaped onto the bed next to her. "What is it, Levisha?" He asked. While she would normally dislike his lack of formality, it worked in this case.

"Drake," she began in a much softer tone then she would normally use. "I have something very important to ask of oyu. Something that i feel that only a man of your... capabilities, a man with your qualities can do."

He nodded, swallowing loudly. "What... what is it?"

She sighed. "You've heard of Jenice's expedition to the Southern Territories by now." She began. "As you can imagine, she is taking a lot of key personnel with her. In fact, after she's left, then you and your sister will be the highest-ranking members of the Red Claw left behind; you'll be in charge of everything that happens here."

"I understand." He replied. "What is it that you want me to do?"

She nodded, then glanced around. "Drake, I'm... I'm rather worried about what my happen in our absence." She began. "I know that you are a very, very capable leader but, well, I'm worried that there may be certain individuals who may try to take advantage of the situation and use it to their own ends."

Levisha took Drake's hand in her own, looking straight into his eyes. "I don't want to pressure you but... I think that your sister may be planning something, possibly to take advantage of our absence to try and gain more power for herself."

"I see..." He nodded. "What, um... what should i do?"

"Drake, I am going to need you to be very careful, and keep a strict eye on things." She explained. "Do not allow any operations outside of the base unless you have personally heard from Levisha or myself. One false move could give away our location and ruin everything... especially if what I suspect is true." She looked away for an instant. "Drake, I don't want to turn you against your sister... and I hope that what I've heard is wrong... but, for all our sakes, will you do this much for me? Keep an eye on things, make sure that nothing happens here and tell us if anything does."

Drake nodded. "Don't you worry at all about it." He replied. "Levisha, I will make sure that nothing happens while you're away. You can rely on me."

"Thank you, Drake." She finished. "I knew that I could rely on you."

"You don't have to." He shoot his head. "I'd gladly do anything for you... or the claw."

Levisha noted the way he worded that as he gently held her hand. "I had better turn in now. I have a very big day tomorrow. But I know that I can sleep easy with you in charge."

He stood, then walked over towards the door. "Of course. Sleep well, and have a good trip too." He finished, then quietly slipped outside, shutting the door behind him.

"Oh, I will." Levisha finished, then smiled. "I most definitely will." She sat on the bed for a moment, smirking to herself. She liked Drake, simply because he was so easy to manipulate. He had a massively over inflated opinion of his own worth as well as a helpless crush on her. Both of these meant that she could pretty much lead him around and make him do whatever she wanted. And forming a rift between him and Gwen was currently on her agenda.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. Surprised, she stood and walked over to it. "Who is it?" She asked, a neutral tone to her voice while she tried to figure just what was going on.

"Its Sturm." The reply came. "I just wanted to see you."

She opened the door, grinning at him. "Well why didn't you say so?" She asked. "Come on in."

"Why thanks." He commented as he stepped in, then shut the door. "This is a little unusual for you. Wearing a dress? I didn't see you as the type."

"Well, I do prefer the fatigues." She admitted. "But I do have my moments of weakness, and a desire for something a little more... civilized."

"It's just not what I expected, that's all."

"Well then..." She walked over to him. "If you don't like it, then you can get me out of it."

"Now that... that I like." He finished with a pleased grin.

oOoOo

Despite being very early to rise, Nathan Winters was surprised to see that he wasn't the first member of their little combined team to wake. As he emerged form his tent, he could see a single figure nearby, exercising in the early dawn light. He didn't even need to look to know who it was, however. Somehow, he already knew.

"You're up early." He commented as he approached her.

"I know." Thorne replied as she worked through a stretch. "Your point?"

"Nothing, really." he commented. She looked like she had been up for a while, and was clearly fully dressed and ready to go. He had to wonder if her altered physiology meant that she needed less sleep, or if it was a simple matter of pride and not wanting to be seen waking up after him that propelled her right now.

"As soon as we're all ready, we can go." Thorne continued. "I was hoping that your men, including your two Paladins, would be ready by now. I am a little disappointed"

"We can't all be as perfect as you are." He quipped.

To his surprise, she turned and glared at him, as if he'd just regarded her with a mortal insult. For a moment, there was a tense silence as her brilliant green eyes stared straight into his. Then she simply turned and walked away. Wondering what exactly he had said and done, he followed after her as she walked over to her Zoid.

"I have to admit, there is one thing that is bothering me." He began as she stood next to it. "You seem to have a certain... _passion _for hunting the Claw. It's not something that I had expected. I thought that you would be very impassive about them, seeing them as yet another enemy of the state that needed to be eliminated."

"The Red Claw are a threat to us, Paladin Winters." She commented as she walked around to the tail. "I want to see them eliminated, pure and simple."

"That is another matter that I will admit that I do not fully understand." He continued. "Given the long and colorful history of the relationship between your people and mine, I find it interesting that you would put so much effort into the pursuit of what is, strictly speaking, a Zygra problem. The Claw don't operate inside Blackstar territory, nor do they directly threaten your government or people. So why are you so determined to stop them?"

He glanced over at the other four Dark Zoids in their camp. "I don't believe for an instant that there is a genuine, altruistic desire to help the Empire. I know your people never do anything without an ulterior motive."

"It's simple." She stated. "We want peace and stability, that is all. The Red Claw are a threat to you, and as a result, a threat to what we want. An unstable Empire threatened by a large, well armed bandit group is the last thing that we want. Remember, while we are our own nation, we are still embedded within yours. If something were to happen to topple your government, then we would be surrounded."

"That much I can understand." He commented. "But why now? Why have you waited this long before directly intervening. I've read the reports from Freedom; your forces were pulled back and all but allowed the Claw to escape."

"That was a mistake, and it has been dealt with." She snapped. "It won't happen again."

"But the question is, why now?" He continued. He was determined to get to the bottom of this matter, and discover the truth, regardless of what it took.

"Because the situation has changed." She explained. "The incident at the Lyra pit altered our perspective of the situation somewhat."

"The rinty Liger, right?"

"Correct." She turned around. "You know what that Zoid represents, correct."

"It is a Hydra Zoid." He replied. "We don't know for certain, but it appears to be the case."

"We cannot allow what happened in past to happen again." She explained. "We cannot allow a group, anyone, to possess the technologies that created that machine, the same ones that Hydra used. Such a force is a danger to us all, and must be destroyed, regardless of what it takes."

He noted her Darkhorn, and wondered if she appreciated the irony of what she said. The same technologies that created the Trinity Liger would have created it. But he decided to let it rest for now, given that he was making genuine progress. "I still don't understand. Hydra is long dead. If there was anything left of them, then we would have seen it by now."

"Hydra nearly destroyed us, Paladin Winters." She explained. "Very few know this, but we lost far more at their hands then anyone else on this planet. What we are today is but a fraction of what we once were, what Hydra took from us. We did not come to be where we are today by our own choices. Where we were once strong, we are now weak, cast down upon this damned continent and surviving only at the mercy of others."

Thorne looked back at her Zoid,. "I cannot let that happen again. We will destroy them, regardless of what it takes."

He began to understand what she was saying. The devastation Hydra had unleashed upon the world was unimaginable, but there was more to it then that. The Blackstars had suffered particularity badly, and their current society was a reflection of that suffering. While others had the luxury of rebuilding from what they had left, the Blackstars had nothing of what they once were.

"Besides, I am not the only one to have their own agenda here." She commented.

"How so?"

She turned around, her usual scowl replaced with the smug look that he had seen on only a few, very unpleasant occasions. "I know that Paladin Trogdor was more then just a comrade in arms to you, Paladin Winters. During our interrogations, he counted you amongst his closest friends. I would suspect that the feeling would be mutual."

Nathan was unprepared for this, not expecting a lecture on personal relationships from her. "This is true. Sturm and I were good friends."

"And yet he betrayed you." She commented. "Now, while you have your duty to hunt down the Red Claw for your Empire, it goes beyond that. You feel his betrayal that much more, and see it as a personal duty to stop him. Not just because of what he knows or what he was, but because of how you feel. Because for all he has done to the Empire, he has hurt you more."

"And you, of course, would know all about such betrayal."

"Such a thing could never happen to me again." She stated. "I was betrayed once, long ago. By eliminating the Claw, I can prove myself and overcome the stigma of those events." Thorne turned and walked away from him, heading towards a group of black clad individuals that he knew were the other members of her squad.

_What is this? _He asked himself. _What has happened here? _While he would admit that he knew next to nothing about the Blackstar officer he had been assigned to work with, he began to wonder what had happened to her, and why she had some need to prove herself. _It would explain a lot about her. Even by their standards, she is driven and ruthless. But what is it?_

He glanced over at the group of Blackstar pilots. Like her, they were all tall, fit and attractive, dressed in form-fitting, revealing clothes designed to show off how _perfect _they were. Thorne looked to be just another one of them, no different from any other Blackstar. And that was what puzzled him.

_If she has her own agenda, I need to know. _He thought. _Because I suspect that, whatever it is, it will be a danger to this mission. _Blackstars hid the truth, that much was a given. But that one pilot seemed to be hiding more.

oOoOo

"Wandering Desert Loonie Zoo Crew!" Floyd called out across their communications channel. "Operation Icy Cold Red Claw Spattering! Mooooove out!" His Gustav clanked into action, lurching forwards before settling into a comfortable roll, its two trailers stacked high with supplies. Next to it, both Leanne's Gunsniper and Jason's Iguan stepped forwards, both moving into casual walks alongside it. Rayvenne's sinker took to the air, zipping over the convoy before heading into the distance.

Inside her Iron Kong, Althiea waited a moment before starting. She slowly opened the throttle, a soft thud filling the cockpit as the Iron Kong's knuckles hit the ground one after the other. The Zoid lurched forwards, taking its place at the back of the convoy behind Floyd's Gustav.

For a moment, she had been apprehensive about starting, as if she had expected something bad to happen to them as soon as they set out. But now that they were underway, she felt, if anything, more determined then she had been last night. There had been one difference; last night, she'd had the nightmare again for the first time since she encountered the Trinity Liger. This time it had been a lot clearer then it had been in past, letting her make out a lot more fine details. It still didn't tell her anything; at least, not yet.

But it did make her want to find out what was behind it. All she knew was that it had something to do with the Red Claw. That alone was enough to drive her on, to make her want to see them defeated, if only so she could discover what as the connection between them and her dreams. For now, however, she had to concentrate on the task at hand. She couldn't hope to defeat the Red Claw if they never got there.

"So what can you tell us about these Southern Territories?" Rayvenne asked nobody in particular across the commas channel. "As far as I can tell from the map, it looks like nothing but rocks and snow."

"A little presumptuous, my dear Rayvenne." Floyd replied. "The Territories used to be an independent nation prior to the last war. Well, less a nation and more of a collection of allied stated under a single semblance of a government. But you get the idea."

"You say used to be." Leanne began. "What in the heck happened then?"

"During the war, Hydra occupied the territories to use them as a staging ground into both the UZN and the Draken Empire." He continued. "They also wanted access to some of its more unusual mineral reserves; there used to be these funky blue crystals there that had some esoteric properties. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if our mystery red glop is related to them in some surreal way."

"Floyd... get on with it." Jason growled.

"Let him talk." Althiea spoke up. "Its not like there's any rush or anything. It'll be days before we get there."

"Thank you, my dear." Floyd spoke up. "Hydra was probably after the minerals there as well, but they had their own priorities. They pretty much seized the country, flattening anything that resembled local authority. Most of their forces were dregs, mercenaries and bandits that they had culled from the wastes and pointed in the right direction. They were a crude mess, but they worked no less."

"At any rate, the battles weren't the pushover that Hydra had expected." He continued. "There was this one guy who stood up to them, a man called Corvus."

Althiea let out a sudden gasp. That name meant something to her, but she couldn't figure what. "Who was he?" She asked.

"A strange man." He replied. "He was allied with those in Krupp who opposed Hydra, but wasn't one of their own. He fought Hydra with his own Zoid, some funky dark beastie or some such. He vanished during the latter days of the war, but not before doing a lot for the good guys."

"Sounds like a real mystery man." Rayvenne commented.

"That he was." Floyd added. "But at any rate, because there was no real authority left for good or for bad in the Territories, they were absorbed into the empire. The climate changes started by the war meant that much of what had been prosperous farmland was quickly becoming snow and ice; a good portion of the population simply left and moved north. Nowadays, there's scarcely a soul there."

"Its like… a ghost town, really." Leanne added.

"That it is." He finished. "So its very possible that some little nut of fun may have survived in some dark corner of it. We shall have to take a looksee... and make sure that Jenice doesn't get her paws into it."

"That we will." Althiea finished. _And maybe I can discover more about myself in the process._

oOoOo

From her vantage point in the cockpit of her Lord Gale, Levisha Towne looked down at the column of Red Claw Zoids crawling across the desert floor. While it paled before the force that had been assembled to take the Lyra pit, it was still an impressive formation, and certainly a force to be reckoned with. Their plan was a simple one; while the Claw would travel the fringes of the Empire, they would be ready to deal with anyone who tried to cross them. The force had a pair of hidden aces that made any attempt to cross them a danger.

The column was headed up by the red Command Wolf that Jenice had temporarily used before switching to her new Zoid, the one that Levisha's efforts had kindly provided her with. Jenice's own Zoid was well ahead of the formation, using its speed to clear a path if needed, and to act as a hidden reserve. Any would-be attacker would likely miss her and go straight for the Command Wolf; a mistake that would likely prove to be their last.

Behind it was Bart's Gustav, its trailers stacked with the two Chimera 'kennels' that Jenice had constructed. Much like Jenice's own Zoid, the Gustav was there to provide a nasty surprise to anyone who would dare to cross them. Levisha secretly hoped that someone did, simply so she would have a chance to unleash the Chimera Zoids again on an unsuspecting foe. They were quite exciting to watch in action, given their relentless, brutal natures.

The rest of the column was far less interesting to her eye. A quartet of tanks followed the Gustav, two hauling the McNeil brothers' Cannon Tortoises, the other two trailing regular troop transports. A collection of smaller Zoids rounded out the group, the most distinctive of which being the Evo Flyer that Sturm had used until recently.

A shadow passing over her own Zoid caused her to glance up for a second. She smiled to herself as she saw the shape of Sturm's replacement machine, flying n formation above her own Zoid. Much like Jenice's Zoid, his was to act as a hidden reserve against any attack. _Of course, its better if we don't use them, _she thought. _That way, they'll be far more of a surprise when we unleash them against the Empire._

"How's it going?" Sturm asked across their communications channel.

"Good, thanks." She replied as she checked her instruments. "It seems that we're clear for at least the next hundred kilometers. Frankly, I'd be surprised if there's too much else around here aside form us."

"Not likely." He replied. "Especially not to your right."

"Hmm?" She began as she glanced around. Looking down, she could see what Sturm was referring too. The shattered form of a massive fortress jutted out from the rock, seemingly struggling to stay above the grasslands that were slowly reclaiming the area. The top of it was shattered and had caved in, while around it she could still see signs of long destroyed fortifications and defenses. "I see... You're right. I doubt that there'd be anyone near here."

"Yeah." He commented. "I've noticed that people generally tend to avoid ruins and the like, as if they're afraid of them." Sturm paused. "It's like there's some collective fear that exploring the past will reawaken it. It's like people are afraid that they'll reawaken Hydra or destroy the world again."

_Yes... it is a weakness of the collective psyche. And one that you have nailed spot on, Sturm. _She smiled to herself as she considered his words. "Not everyone feels like this, you know." She began. "I, for one, think that we need to not only explore our past, but embrace it. You remember what I said about refusing to run from the past and wanting to embrace change?"

"I do." He began. "You have your own very strongly held beliefs, ones that, in the empire, at least, would be conspired dangerous."

"This is a part of it." She said. "I want to find this place, Sturm, find whatever it is that is hidden down there. I want to know our past. I want to use it to create a better future, not this pathetic existence we have now. I don't want us to end our days on this world scratching in the dust while running in fear from every ancient ruin or wrecked Zoid. And that is why I am here."

"So what are you going to do?" He asked. "I know that Jenice shares some of your beliefs. She seems to embrace technology."

_And here we go. _"She and I are not the only ones." Levisha continued. "There are other people, those who feel the same as I do. Those who think that we should be changing our lives, using the technology that so many are afraid of to better ourselves. I think..." she began. "I think that you would understand them, Sturm. You and I think alike, and I know we both have the same goals, to affect change. They do too."

She paused for a moment, waiting to see how he would react. Finally, he spoke up. "Interesting." He began. "I think... I think that I would like to learn more about this."

Inside the cockpit of her Zoid, Levisha grinned to herself. Even if all else failed, she had already achieved one of the goals of her trip so far.

oOoOo

Henrich Jaeger listened intently to the recorded conversation between Towne and Paladin Trogdor. He was impressed by what Levisha was saying; it was a very well constructed and well thought out appeal to elements of his nature. It was also one that she knew intimately herself; Heinrich had used it on her a very, very long time ago.

_And look at where we are now, _he thought to himself. Events were progressing faster and faster now. They were now so close to their goals, but at the same time, they were running the risk of being left behind. The events of the next few days would be vital; not only for their own goals, but for the planet as a whole.

_She is right. If we do not act now, then we will be scratching in the dust. _You didn't need to be particularly informed or intelligent to see what was happening to human civilization on the Shelflands. While the events of the Great War had been horrific, the war was long over. Yet it seemed like humanity was still in shock, as if they still hadn't recovered. This fear of change, and fear that technology may bring back the horrors of the last war was not just holding humanity back, but slowly dragging them down.

Only the Blackstars seemed to stand against this, but it was merely a stance. They were letting themselves stagnate, remaining rigid and unchanging in the face of the world around them. He knew that, at one point years ago they had seen their future, and seemed to be against it. _It is a pity. In many ways, they are what we aspire to. Perhaps we may yet be able to reason with them. _The alternative was too horrible for him to think about; if humanity was reduced to a nontechnological waste, then the Blackstars would be their overlords.

_Not a desirable outcome by any standard, _he finished. That was why Levisha's work was so important. "Is that it?" He asked his communicator.

"Affirmative." The voice on the other end replied.

"I see." He considered this for a moment. "Keep monitoring them, but remain discrete. And inform me if anything occurs."

"Yes, sir." The voice on the other end began. "Forty-three, out."

Jaeger knew that agent Forty-Three, codenamed Feurfuchs, was one of their best trackers and stalkers. He possessed one of the most powerful Zoids in their arsenal, one that was ideally suited to his talents. He had no doubt that the pilot would be able to follow the Red Claw all the way to their destination, and all the way back if needs be.

Right now, however, he had his own mission to fulfill. Levisha had given him an opportunity, a chance to strengthen their ranks. He had assessed her candidate, and agreed with her choice. Now it was up to him to present the case for a new inductee.

_And if events move the way we see them, then he will be sorely needed._

He climbed onto his Sandspeeder, starting its engine. The small vehicle dashed across the desert, heading through the wastes south of the Blackstar city. After several hours travel, the machine neared its destination; a canyon in the middle of the wastes. Not too far outside of the Blackstar's territory, it was comfortably away from it and their forces. Instead, it was located in the midst of a stretch of particularly barren land. This had once been a part of the Wastelands, a long dry stretch were nothing would grow. Even after the war, even with all that had happened, it still remained dry and dead.

The Sandspeeder dashed into a canyon, slowly cruising along its length. Here and there, bits of metal debris jutted out of the ground, the last remnants of a forgotten battle. He ignored them, instead watching for the singular noteworthy feature that made this canyon such an ideal hiding place. It was another site like those Levisha had mentioned, a technological site that people shied away from because of their curious collective phobias.

But not him, or those who dwelt within it. He looked up at the rusted, pitted hulk of the long-dead Whale King as he approached it. A place like this was the perfect hiding place, one that nobody would dare come near. It was a place where one could theoretically hide anything.

oOoOo

Checking her map display, Rayvenne could see that they were nearing their destination at last. Personally, she couldn't have been happier. To her mind, this whole trip had been as boring as Zabatcrap. Spending all her time cooped up inside of her Zoid's cockpit was far from her idea of a good time. And while Lea or Ali might have found the whole 'discovering a new land' thing to be cool, she didn't.

The problem was, to her mind, that the Southern Territories were flat out _boring. _There was nothing to see but endless miles of rock and snow. Sure there had been some temperate grasslands when they started, and even a few forests but… they were pretty damned dull to her, and certainly nothing to go crazy over. And, s far as she could see, there was nothing but more rocks, more snow and more ice for all eternity.

Frankly, she'd be glad when she was out of it.

"Hey, Rayvenne!" Floyd called over the communicator. "How's things looking from up there?"

"Great." She commented. "If you like ice and snow. And I, for one, don't."

"Well keep your eyes open." He called out. "Jason just found a bunch of Zoid tracks. We figure two to four Tanks, a Gustav and a mess of smaller perils are afoot. Doesn't take a genius to figure who that is."

"That sounds like the Claw all right." She sighed with a degree of reluctance colouring it. "So where are we heading?"

"We're more or less on course." He replied. "But with the Claw afoot, we want to get a better look at the sitch. Y'all wouldn't mind heading on a bit to take a look at the way that things are shapin' up, little lady?"

"Sure." She replied. "It ain't like I'm doing much else up here other then dying of boredom." She finished. "I'll take a look-see and tell you what I find."

Closing the channel, she opened up the Sinker's throttle then climbed away, heading above the cloud layer. She wanted to see a wider area while, for now, making it harder for the Claw, or anyone else, to spot her. As she traveled, Rayvenne looked over the landscape below her. _Rocks and snow. Thrilling._

After about half an hour, she noted a pair of things. The first was a large ridge that formed in an almost perfect circular pattern if her navigational radar was anything to go by. The second was that there was a dense fog bank settled over the ridge, but not spilling out anywhere else. "We'll that's weird." She muttered. She dived down, heading towards it. "Hey guys," She began over the communicator. "I think we've found our target."

"Say what?" Floyd replied, a crackle of static punctuating his voice. "What was that?"

"I said, I think I found our… wow." She paused as she sighted something looming up form out of the mist, a single grey stone. She at first thought that it was a mountain peak or similar, but as she approached, she could see that it was in fact anything but. It looked like the peak of a temple, like something one would expect to find on top of a pyramid.

"Okay, everyone." She called out. "I think we've found our target area." Checking her navigational radar, she could see that the area underneath her was of wildly varying terrain. It looked like there was a mess of hills and valleys down there, with a number of large peaks reaching up towards the sky. On examination, she figured that these were the massive stone temples that she was passing over.

"Good show, Rayvenne." Floyd replied the hiss of static even louder now. "Keep an eye on the area and tell us what happens. We'll meet you in there as soon as we can."

"Roger that." She replied, a slightly apprehensive tone in her voice. "I'll let you know. Out."

She engaged the Sinker's autopilot, setting the small Zoid to slowly circle the area for the moment. Looking down, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go down there, alt least not until the others had arrived. For some reason, she was afraid of what may be lurking down there. And it wasn't just the Red Claw that bothered her. The whole place seemed to give her the creeps.

Reaching into a storage box on one side of the cockpit, she pulled out crumpled shirt and a helmet. Disengaging her safety harness for a moment, the managed to pull herself into the shirt, then stuff her hair into the helmet. Finally, she grabbed the bandanna from around her neck, and tied it over the lower half of her face.

It was a far from perfect transformation; she still had her regular pants on with their provocatively low cut, and even with the baggy shirt it would be hard to mistake her gender. But, at the same time, it made her feel a lot better about herself. Rayvenne was afraid of what was down there, but at least the mysterious Sinker pilot would be a little braver.

oOoOo

An hour after Rayvenne's report, the rest of the team reached the base of the ridge she had described. At first sight, it was a rather intimidating place; a huge wall of rock that loomed over their Zoids, dwarfing even the massive Iron Kong. Snow lay along the ground around it, while more coloured the rock wall. And while it wasn't snowing now, it was probably just a matter of time.

"Well, we're here." Leanne began. "What in the heck do we do now?"

"Whatever the Claw are after, it's inside there." Althiea spoke up. "I can feel it. There's something in there… Something I can't quite put my finger on."

"Well that's nice." Jason began. "But the question is, how do we get in there? We can't just walk up the walls."

"This ain't all of it, you mailbox head!" Leanne snapped. "There's gonna be more of it. We just gotta look around and see if there's a tunnel in or something like that." Her Gunsniper looked around at the cliff face, as if it could find something up there. "Heck, if those tracks we saw are anything to go on, the Claw probably came by here not too long ago either. All we gotta do is look out fer some sings of where they've been."

"A superlative suggestion, Ms Wilds." Floyd finished. They'd avoided directly following the tracks in case the Claw had anyone watching their back for pursuers. "So you heard the girl. Everyone, spread out and take a look around for anything that might indicate that our roguish adversaries have been past here, okay?"

"And if you run across any of the claw, yell." Jason called out. "If we can bag 'em before thy get to this place, it's even better for us." His Iguan turned and walked away from the Gustav, heading around the rim of the massive ridge.

"Right. And be careful everyone." She Althiea added. "We don't know what's around here." _What is it? _She asked herself._ There is definitely something wrong here, something out of place. But I have no idea what it could be._

The massive Iron Kong knuckled its way around the base of the ridge, its head sweeping form side to side as she searched for any sign of an entrance. Nothing immediately came to her attention, which made her feel even worse. It was bad enough that they had the Red Claw to worry about, but this place seemed even worse to her. If only she knew what it was.

She continued looking over the area, trying to find any sign of the Red Claw or an entrance. She couldn't imagine that they'd come this far and then turn back. Rather, she knew that they were nearby. She couldn't say why… but it was something that she didn't doubt.

"Over here, guys!" Leanne called out over their comms network. "I think I found us somehtin'!"

Within minutes, they were all gathered around her Zoid. In front of her was a mess of tracks, the same as those they had passed earlier. They weaved their way across the snow, before heading into a cave in the side of the mountain. More importantly, they didn't come out, which suggested that it was a tunnel rather then a cave.

"Okay cats, this looks like it." Floyd began. "Nice work, there, Leanne. Now, would you do the honors and lead the way with your oh so capable Zoid and its incredibly capable radar?"

"Sure thing…" She began. The Gunsniper cautiously advanced into the tunnel, looking around as it entered. As it disappeared inside, a silence fell over the rest of the team, as they waited patiently to see what would happen next.

"Wow." Leanne began over the channel. "Y'all should see it in here. It's like… this tunnel that's well big enough to fit most of our Zoids in. And its all natural… with these weird blue crystals juttin' out form the walls and ceiling."

"Can you see an exit?" Jason asked.

"Not yet. There's a lotta twists an' turns in here." She replied.

"How about my Zoid?" Althiea asked. "Will it fit in?"

"Uh…" She paused. "Heck I don't think it will. I'd say its both too tall an' too wide."

"Damn it." Jason snapped. "So what now?"

"Hmm…" Althiea looked up at the cloudy sky and the rock ridge looming over them. "How's this for a plan. You guys go through the tunnel, and I can climb over the ridge. The Iron Kong is designed for mountain combat, and I've got the boosters as well. So I could easily make it over the ridge."

"Go for it, Ali!" Floyd replied. "And we'll meet you on the Reverse Side."

"Sure thing." She finished. "See you there."

The Althiea waited until all three Zoids had entered the tunnel before she turned to the cliff face. She was amazed by just how big it was; her massive Zoid was tiny before it. But, at the same time, she could see a way up there. Looking over the cliff, she figured things through in her mind. Then, after taking a deep breath, she stomped down on the footpedals that controlled the Iron Kong's massive thrusters.

There was a bust of flame and a massive roar as the Zoid's long-dormant boosters reactivated. The Iron Kong leaped into the air, propelled by twin pillars of flame and smoke spewing form its backpack. The Zoid came down on the side of the cliff, its massive firsts grabbing onto chunks of rock as it landed, the whole Zoid stopping with a bone-jarring thud.

After pausing for a moment to regain her breath, Althiea opened up the throttle, pushing the machine forwards. The Iron Kong's AI systems correctly intepritated her actions, the Zoid beginning the long slow climb up the side of the ridge, cautiously moving from one rock to another as it pushed forwards.

After what seemed like an eternity (but was, in fact, no more then ten minutes) the Zoid reached the top of the rim. Althiea paused there to observe her surroundings and plot her next move. The area was just as Rayvene had descried it; a large circular rim around a valley that was hidden entirely by a thick fog bank. As she looked around, she could see the peaks that their pilot had mentioned; they were clearly man-made structures.

"Hey Ali!" Ravenne called out across the comm channel, her Sinker passing overhead. "What are you doing up here?"

"We couldn't find a route that this thing could fit through." She explained. "So I went over."

"Right." She replied. "What should I do?"

"Head down there and join the others." She commented. "I'll be with you in a few minutes."

"Sure thing." Rayvenne replied. "See you down there." The Sinker circled around again, then vanished below the cloud layer.

She waited a moment to have one last, long look over the area, before opening up the throttle. The Iron Kong slowly lumbered forwards, knuckling towards the ledge. With a grace that belied its massive size, the Zoid carefully turned and began to clamber its way down the edge.

The ledge quickly vanished into the fog, visibility diminishing to only a few meters. Fortunately for Altheia, the Kong's Composite Sensor Unit was able to see where it was heading through the clutter, the Zoid able to continue descending as if unimpaired. As it descended, Altheia found the cliff to be easing, changing more form a sheer surface to a much more manageable slope. Dropping through the fog layer, the Iron Kong turned around so its pilot could get a better look at her surroundings, and plan their next move. What Althiea saw, however, amazed her.

The interior of the bowl was covered with a thick jungle, a literal sea of green that covered the ground and crawled its way up the cliffs. Massive stone pyramids jutted out form the trees, many of them partially covered by the greenery. She had no idea what this place was, but one thing was clear; it was ancient.

"What… where are we?" She asked herself.

"Like it?" Floyd interrupted her. "Take a good look around, people. We're here."

oOoOo

After what seemed like an age of slashing a path through the jungle, and fording a surprisingly thick and fast-flowing river, the Red Claw's expeditionary force arrived at the complex of buildings that were located at the center of the bizarre place they'd found. As she surveyed the area from the relative comfort of the Lord Gale's cockpit, even Levisha had to be surprised by what they had found here.

"This is incredible." Jenice spoke over their communicators. "This is… this must be it. This place reeks of power. I can feel it in every cell of my body, every fiber of my being. There's something amazing here. Something that we must find."

Her Lord Gale settled down near the head of the column, next to the red Command Wolf, its pilot examining the area. From what she could see, the other Red Claw pilots were just as amazed as she was at what they had found. Up close, the jungle was if anything even more amazing then she had expected. Under their feet was a layer of stonework that the jungle had literally grown through, all but obscuring the original works.

There was more, however. The massive temple complex (for want of a better term) was just one of numerous other structures around. Most of them were collapsed from age, many more were vanished into the jungle. Statues abounded, depicting humanoid shapes, giant heads or even the forms of seemingly fantastical beasts.

And there were Zoids. The Jungle was a literal graveyard, with the wreckage of machines strewn around the place and being slowly reclaimed by nature. There was no set period, no definitive age to them. One side of the courtyard in which they'd arrived was dominated by the ancient hulk of a Giant Zrk which appeared to have been there for nearly as long as the temples around it. Opposite it was the mangled corpse of a Geno Flame, only partially covered by vegetation, seemingly a newer arrival.

Jenice's own Zoid had headed further into the jungle, heading for the temple proper, while Sturm's machine was still circling overhead, waiting in reserve in case any others entered the valley. The rest of their force waited with her, as if they were fearful of what may lurk within the green depths.

_And not without reason, _she thought. _There is definitely something here. And not only what I had come for. _She shook her head, regaining her focus. "What are your orders, commander?" She asked.

"I will take the center temple." Jenice called back, almost as if she had forgotten the rest of her troop. "You and Bart will investigate the secondary temples. The rest of you will fan out, and scour the area for anything else. Anything you find, whatever it is, is to be reported and returned to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, commander." She replied. A chorus of additional voices chimed in, adding their acknowledgements.

"Harry, you and Malcolm will redeploy near the river crossing." She continued. "You will act as our advance warning, and will serve to slow down any others who dare to invade this place. Notify me if anything occurs or any other groups arrive; I do not want any interruptions to our work here."

"Yes, commander." The pair of them replied, a touch of apprehension coloring their voices. Levisha couldn't blame them. There were few people who would care to be alone in a place such as this.

Glancing down at her own tactical display, Levisha compared the geographical data she had with the local area. As near as she could tell, the mineral stream permeated the area, but was centered on one of the secondary temples. "I'll take the left structure, commander." She spoke up.

"Very well." Jenice finished. "Bart, take the right one then. To work, all of you."

The Lord Gale tromped into the jungle, using its lances and claw to slash a path through the greenery. As she approached the temple, she noted a large hole in its side, near ground level. Levisha quietly smiled to herself; she couldn't have planned things better if she'd arranged it. Her Zoid's sensors told her just what she wanted to hear; the source was inside.

Stopping the Lord Gale, she clambered out and walked towards the gaping hole in the building. As she approached, a shape nearby caught her eye. Looking over it, she realized what it was; a Demonshead, long dormant, its body partially covered in vines. Like this, the bizarre Chimera looked like some sort of ancient guardian statue, set to ward off superstitious primitives. _I wonder if there are any other Chimeras here, _she thought to herself. _And how many of them could be salvaged…_

She stepped inside the temple, vanishing into its murky depths. For several minutes, the jungle was still, with no signs of life save for the Lord Gale staring down its disabled counterpart. Eventually Levisha emerged, a deliberate stride in her step. She vaulted into the Lord Gale's cockpit, leaping into her command couch and hammering several commands into her system, the orb on her Zoid's forehead glowing for a moment. What she had just seen was everything she had hoped for.

A lone Flyscissors dropped below the fog layer, circling around before landing in front of her own Zoid. The smaller chimer let out a bizarre chirping noise as it looked up at the larger machine. Levisha couldn't have cared less for the smaller Chimera, however. She was instead interested in the large box it was carrying under its body. In response to an unheard command, the box dropped from the Zoid's body, landing with a soft thud. The Flyscissors hopped away from the container and over to the Lord Gale, waiting for its pilot to emerge again.

"Stay here." She told the smaller Zoid as she issued it more commands. "And be ready to collect this box on my return." Levisha climbed out again, looking around to make sure that there was nobody else present. Confident that she was in the clear, she shrugged her way out of her form-fitting bodysuit, then clambered out of her Zoid, stripped down to only her bra and briefs, the massive black dragoon tattoo on her back clearly visible. She found it amusing that there were many men - Drake in particular - wanted to see her like this, and yet the only audience was single drone.

Approaching the box, she pressed several buttons on a control panel on the side, then stepped back. With a loud hiss, the box's sides opened, revealing an unusual form within. The seated form was vaguely humanoid in shape, with no clear head, massive shoulders and thick, stubby limbs.More interestingly,a collection of tanks and drums jutted from its back, not serving any clear purpose. Walking over to it, Levisha pressed several buttons on one shoulder, again stepping back. Sections of its body swung open, like some exotic flower in bloom.

Levisha stepped inside the suit, lowering her body onto its, sliding her own slender, graceful limbs inside its thick, chunky ones. The suit closed shut around her, sealing her in with a loud hiss. Then it stood, slowly lumbering towards the hole in the side of the temple, before plunging straight in.

A pair of lights on the suits head activated, illuminating the path ahead. Levisha saw the place for what she had suspected it to be; a simple stone passageway with glyphs adorning its walls, nothing too interesting. However, that was not the only thing down here; far from it. Her brief recon had revealed that there was far more to this place.

The suit stepped through a partially collapsed wall, its thick hand bashing several bricks aside to clear its path. Emerging from the ancient stonework passage, Levisha strode confidently into a vast chamber, one composed mainly of flat, metal panels. In the center of the room was a wide pit, her objective for this operation, rimmed by several displays. She neither knew what they did nor if they functioned, but at the same time, she didn't care. She had her objective.

The suit stepped onto the ledge of the pit, pausing for a moment. Then it turned, heading down a ramp built into one side of it. It was barely wide enough for the suit to fit, but Levisha was confident that she could easily negotiate it. _After all_, she figured, _it was probably built to accommodate a unit similar to this one_. Reaching the bottom of the ramp, she paused to look around.

The pit was full of a thick, red liquid, one that radiated intense heat. The air around it was baking, yet the suit's systems kept its pilot cool inside. _At least, for now. _She thought. _Now let's see just how good this thing is._

The suit lumbered forwards, then simply dropped into the pit. It bobbed around in the liquid, remaining afloat. Checking its systems, Levisha could see that she was safe; at least, for now. _Well then, no sense in waiting. I have work to do._

A command activated a number of ports across the suit's arms and hands, small vents opening up with suction fans behind them. The suits systems hummed to life as it began to draw in the vicious liquid from the pit, channeling it through its body and into the massive storage drums on its back.

_Well, Heinrich, you wanted a sample, _she smirked to herself. _I think this should suffice._

oOoOo

"So this is it." Thorne commented as she stood in front of her Zoid, looking over the scene before her. "This is what the Red Claw have come after. I can't say that I'm overly impressed so far."

"This is a very interesting place, Commander." Nathan added as he stood next to her. He was dressed in a thick logncoat over his regular Paladin's uniform, and he still felt cold. Thorne, for comparison, had merely thrown a black leather coat over her suit, and even then hadn't bothered doing it up. He had to wonder if her 'improved' body was more resistant to cold, or if she was just too pigheaded to admit a failing.

"It's a wall of rock." She replied. "In the far end of the planet. It's not much. Certainly I can't see why they would have come here, of all places."

"Jencie isn't the type to do something without a motive." Nathan explained. "I'm sure she has her reasons."

A black and green Heldigunner, a massive Shot Cannon slung over its back, stomped towards the pair of them, its low-sling body kicking up a cloud of snow behind it. "Commander, we've found something!" Its pilot called out as she approached, the Zoid stopping near Thorne. The Heldigunner's cockpit opened, the blonde-haired, high cheek boned pilot standing up. Like Thorne, she seemed to have made no concessions to the weather. "It's a cave or a tunnel, and there are Zoid tracks heading into it. Lots of them."

"I see." She replied, then began walking back to her Zoid. "Nathan, call your men. We may have found what we're after. Perhaps this isn't a total waste after all." He wanted to protest the way she was giving him orders, but realized that it was futile. Instead, resigned to his fate, he clambered into his Godos and followed after her.

Within minutes they were clustered around the site; a clear tunnel in the side of the wall. It looked to be natural, but the tracks around it were anything but. There were plenty of different Zoids there, he noted, as well as a number of tanks and Gustavs. "That looks like them all right." He commented. "So let's see where this leads."

His Godos stepped into the tunnel, slowly heading in. As he ventured deeper, pinpricks of blue light caught his eyes. Around him, the cavern's walls were studded with blue crystals which gave off their own light, illuminating the cave in their own way. It was actually quite beautiful, he thought, and like nothing he'd ever seen before.

Peering around, he could see a trail of Zoid tracks on the floor of the cave. "They definitely came in this way." He continued. "And in large numbers too."

"I think we have a problem, however." Paladin Trabe spoke up as her Snakes pulled up next to his Zoid. "I don't think that we'll be able to fit a Darkhorn or Deadborder in here. Certainly not with enough room to move easily. And if the tunnel narrows any, then we'll be in real trouble. I'm not sure if they'd be able to back out at all."

The Godos turned back to the Dark Zoids waiting outside, looking over the largest two of them. The Deadborder towered over the other Zoids in the group, while Thorne's Darkhorn possessed a lot more bulk then a normal Zoid of its type. Both would be very hard to get in or out easily.

_At the same time, I have to wonder of this is necessarily a bad thing, _he thought. _While we do need their firepower to deal with the Claw, I have to wonder if we may not be better off without them. _It wasn't that he distrusted Thorne or expected her to turn on him. It was simply that he knew that she wouldn't bother with restraint once a battle got started. She wouldn't be happy until every last Red Claw pilot in there was dead. _A situation that I would rather avoid. I want prisoners and a resolution, not a mountain of dead bodies._

"Captain Thorne, it would appear that you and your second will have to wait outside." He began. "Either that or find another way in. I don't think that this passage will be able to accommodate either of your Zoids."

"That won't be necessary." She replied. "Paladin Winters, I suggest that you and your men clear the tunnel now."

"Captain?"

"I think that while, for now, the tunnel may be a bit too small, we can improvise a solution." She commented. "But it is one that will require you to evacuate it… for now." The Darkhorn moved way from the entrance to the tunnel.

_What's she up to now? _He asked himself. _Still, if she has a solution, then it is best to let her employ it. _"All units, fall back and regroup with the Blackstars." He commanded as he bought his own Godos around. "And await further instructions from captain Thorne." The Godos trooped out of the tunnel, the other Zoids accompanying it.

"I would suggest that you all stand well back from the tunnel." Thorne continued. "For your own safety."

_What's she up to?_ He asked himself as he complied with her suggestion, the Godos and others moving further away. As if in reply the sinister black form of the Deadborder stepped past him, turning towards the tunnel.

"Captain?" The Deadborder pilot began, a hollow rasp to his voice.

"Begin the operation." She simply replied.

The Deadborder's chest illuminated in a bright green colour, while the air around it seemed to shimmer. The ice and snow around the Zoid's feet began to melt, then boil, while, to his surprise, small plants began to shrivel and die. Then, for an instant, the tubes on the Zoid's back flashed green, the air in front of the Zoid distorting. The edge of the tunnel cracked, then shattered, the rocks being simply blasted apart by some unseen hammer. There was a small rain of dirt, stone and blue shards, but most of it seemed to have been simply compacted, as if shoved out of the way.

"In the case of a barred door, we have a certain style of delicate lockpick, Paladin Winters." Thorne commented. "As you can see, it is very effective." She turned back to her fellow Blackstars. "Continue the operation. Blast our way through."

All of a sudden, Winters began to wonder if the Red Claw were the greatest danger he would face inside.

oOoOo

Jenice had chosen to explore the central temple of the complex herself for a reason that went beyond just simple pride or its prominent location. While, as the leader of the Red Claw, she could simply have used her position to claim the temple for her own or, alternatively, send someone else up there. At the same time, by taking it herself, it served to reinforce her position as the Claw's leader.

She'd chosen it for none of those reasons.

Instead, there had been something else, something far beyond her rank and position. To her, those were mere, petty concerns that were far below her. No, instead she had been drawn towards the temple by something that she alone could sense. Something had called out to her, leading to this one place in the heart of this vast, seemingly impossible forest. Something that only she could hear, and nobody else.

In many ways, it was a vindication of her position. Only she had these abilities, these extraordinary senses. Nobody else in the Claw could do the things that she had, achieve the things that she had or sense the things that she did. That alone was evidence of her superiority, and why she was their leader. Her time as a knight had shown her that she was similarly unique there; not a single member of the Imperial army had demonstrated any of her skills.

There was, however, one other thing… that one girl, Glass's seeming disciple. She had the same abilities and had demonstrated a mastery of their use. If anything, she may have been more skilled then Jenice was, a thought that both terrified and intrigued her. She had wondered if that girl had followed her here, and was now being drawn towards the same source. It would be intriguing to find out.

Stepping between a pair of guardian statues, she started up the long stairs that headed to the temple's peak. They were overgrown, in places completely obscured by the rampant greenery. Fortunately, they were still easily navigable and, more to the point, completely intact. Glancing around, she could see that the buildings themselves showed no signs of wear as such; while they had suffered some combat damage, they seemed to be structurally as good as new. If stripped of their greenery and cleaned up, she suspected that they would look just as their creators had left them.

_Whoever they were, _she thought to herself. She wanted to know who had made this place, and why.

While this temple wasn't the biggest of those she had seen, it was the largest here in what appeared to be the single largest concentration of buildings in the forest. More importantly, it was at the center of the valley. Levisha's survey of the area had confirmed this fact which, to her mind, made the place all the more important. Its placement, she figured, was no coincidence. It was up to her to find out why.

The climb to the top was a long and arduous one. She quickly lost track of time as she scaled the steps, determinedly pushing on. To her, it felt like this place had been built on a greater scale, meant for colossal beings far greater then mere humans. Things like these steps, she imagined, were a later feature, one that had been added for the convenience of lesser species.

Eventually she reached the top, pausing for a moment to catch her breath and look around before she continued. Turning around, she looked back over the valley and smiled to herself. Below and all around, she could see her men, the Red Claw's soldiers, milling about the site like ants, stripping it for all that it was worth. However, she knew that whatever prizes they found would pale before what lay within.

She turned back, then took a deep breath before committing herself to this place's deepest secrets. It was not that she was afraid; far from it. She wanted to be ready to confront whatever it was that lay within, and embrace it. Mentally prepared, she sized up the small room that topped the temple, and then stepped into the darkness that lay inside it.

Her eyes took a few moments to adjust to the darkness within before she could make out details. When she did, she almost staggered back at the realisation of what she had discovered. _This is amazing, _she thought to herself as she walked forwards. _Even if we find nothing else, this alone will make the trip worth it. Even if all that this ruin contains is junk and centuries dead Zoids fit only for parts, then this will more then make up for it._

She approached the far wall, which was dominated by a trio of humanoid figures that stood against it. They were human sized, but covered by centuries of moss and plant growth that made their forms indistinct. None the less, Jenice knew exactly what they were. These were the strange voice she had been hearing, the thing that had been driving her own. This was why she was here. Jenice reached towards the central statue, and wiped the moss away form its head. She stood back to look at it, her face reflecting off its perfect golden skin.

oOoOo

Despite its impressive bulk, the Whale King carcass sprawled across the end of the canyon was the merely a front. Anyone who intruded into it would find only junk and debris, the decaying remnants of whatever generations of looters hadn't already removed. That was, of course, the point. The King's true secrets lay below the surface, hidden from sight.

One of the ships dorsal Zoid elevators still worked, despite the fact that it should have had nowhere to go, the base of the ship's hull resting on the floor of the canyon. Instead, it descended into the ground, leading down to a massive complex hidden well below the surface, hidden from any prying eyes. The place was a technological haven, an island of advanced science and reasoning in a sea of ignorance, fear and regression. To its occupants, this place represented the future that the Shelflands had abandoned, a future that may yet be regained one way or another.

Jaeger strolled through this facility, heading towards its heart, the Ops Center. It was from this place that everything within this facility was controlled, as well as the actions of its agents in the outside world. This place had been nicknamed the 'god complex' for the simple flow of information through it; being here gave one the impression that they could indeed see and control everything.

As he entered the room, he glanced over a number of the displays to get a better idea of what was currently going on. Several of them were displaying current troop dispositions of the various nations on the Shelflands, while others showed live feeds from various remote sources. One in particular caught his eye; it was showing the orbit of various satellites and other bodies around the planet; a particular debris cluster was currently highlighted. From the information at hand, he could see that it had again begun to move.

He passed it by, heading towards the center of the room. He had been called in here for a reason, and didn't want to delay his arrival any longer. He entered the central hub of the room, ascending the flight of steps towards the workstation at its heart.

"Agent seventy-three reporting as ordered, sir." He began, turning towards a man seated in the room. That man had his back to him at the moment, and was analyzing data on a screen.

"Thank you for your punctuality." The man replied. "Please, be seated. I won't be a moment."

Jaeger took a seat as instructed and patiently waited. He knew that this man was very busy, and that it didn't do to interrupt him when he was working, especially given how valuable his work was. Instead he quietly thought over the events currently unfolding, and tried to figure his exact role in them.

"Sorry to have kept you." The man finished as he turned around. The moist immediately striking thing about the man was his face; the right side of it was partially covered with a metal plate, a clearly artificial eye the centerpiece of it. A mass of scar tissue protruded around it, which only seemed to accentuate his harsh, lined features. His left eye was steel grey, while his hair was white with age. He looked to be in his late seventies, but Jaeger knew that he was, in fact, a lot longer. Like most of the other people in the room, he was dressed in only a simple plain grey jumpsuit.

"You do not need to apologise to me, sir." He replied.

"Nonsense. Your time is just as important as mine." He shook his head.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" He asked.

"I did." He replied as he turned back to his display. "Jaeger, you have been invaluable to our organisation. For your entire life, you have worked for us towards our goals. For that, I cannot thank you enough."

"I live only to serve."

"Your own recruit, agent fourty-two, has done well." He continued. "She has achieved an incredible amount for us in such a short period of time. You picked well when you chose to bring her into our organization."

"It was a logical choice, I felt."

"Indeed it was. And now she has also made a logical choice in her own recruitment efforts." He glanced at a screen, which was showing a live feed from Feurfuchs' Zoid. At the moment, he was watching the Red Claw as their soldiers investigated the site. "Paladin Trogdor will be immensely useful to us, both for his knowledge and his piloting skills. Both you and her are to be commended for your efforts in this case."

"Thank you, sir."

"This site is an interesting one." He observed. "We ransacked it not too long after the organization was formed, but found not much of interest. While I'm sure that the Red Claw might find plenty of junk and crow over their victories, they will remain unaware of the true treasure it contains. I find it amusing that the solution to our needs was there al along, and that we passed on it decades ago."

"We must have missed it back then."

"Probably. Maybe the seepage that fourty-two discovered was caused by damage from the war, or possibly something that occurred since. However, if this is what I think it is, then the benfits for us will be considerable."

"Understandable. With Zero Point's recent activity, things are definitely advancing faster then we had anticipated." He looked again to the board displaying the orbital movements. "We need to be ready."

"And we will." He replied, switching over his monitor to a different display. This one showed row upon row of glass vats under construction. "More then eighty years ago, one man dared to try to take humanity beyond its limitations and free it from the prison of this world. He failed, but at the same time, he inspired us to go on."

He stared intently at the row of vats. "When the time comes, the Kuroryu Kai will be prepared. We shall seize the future, and make it our own."


	28. Jungle Drums

"This place..." Althiea began as her Iron Kong strode through the dense jungle. "Its amazing. I can't believe that something like this actually exists here." To say that it was improbable was an understatement. Their Zoids were marching through a warm, almost tropical jungle that was surrounded entirely by ice and snow, a place that shouldn't by any rights exist. Yet the fact that they were in the middle of it would seem to underlie the implausibility of it.

"You ain't the only one." Leanne added as her Gunsniper followed the Kong. "I mean, this is amazing. I ain't seen nothing like it." The small Zoid looked around as they continued, its pilot trying to take in everything around her. "I mean... I ain't even seen a normal jungle before, let alone something like this."

Jason's Iguan plodded along behind it, a partially stripped tree-trunk in its clawed hand. "This is...this isn't what I expected." He admitted. "I don't know what I was expecting but, well, this wasn't it."

"Admit it, Jase." Rayvenne called out, her Sinker well above them, holding a pattern just below the cloud layer. "You're completely gobsmacked by all of this."

"And you aren't?" He asked.

"I've been taking it in from up here." She replied. "I've been too busy trying to find out just what's going on to spend my time gawking at the scenery. But trust me, I'm impressed." She had slipped completely out of character now, not bothering to conceal her voice.

"As well you should be." Floyd interrupted. "For we are standing in an ancient and mighty place, a place of great power that was built by beings that would make us seem as mere infants. Or something like that."

"Who are they?" Althiea asked. "I mean... were they? Who created this place?" She was suddenly excited.

"Well... I couldn't say for certain." He replied. "But let us take a look. Over by the side of this beaten trail, what do you see lurking in amongst yonder shrubs?"

She peered ahead, looking through the growth for what Floyd mentioned. Then she saw it; a portion of wall that was partially concealed within the greenery. It was overgrown and clearly little more then a fragment of what had originally been there. Yet, at the same time, it was strangely fascinating.

"Give me five, guys. I'm going to check it out." Floyd continued. The Gustav pulled up next to the wall, its cockpit opening. Floyd got out, then walked over to it. "Yes, I see." He commented, rubbing his chin. "Interesting. Very interesting." He kneeled down next to a chunk of wall, running his hands over its surface.

"_Argewal Hakkar Sel'jin Jubuwai." _He said. _"Gurubashi Zul'farrak Al'tari Zul'grub."_

"What... what is that?" She asked.

"I have no idea." He replied as he walked back to the Gustav. "But It's an interesting start."

"I see..." She looked around, taking in the details of the forest around her. Between the trees, she could see more signs of other ruined structures that were largely concealed within the undergrowth. But that wasn't all; there were Zoids in here, ones that had been long dead and reclaimed by the jungle. "What is this place?" She asked herself.

"Heads up, guys." Rayvenne called out. "We're definitely not alone." In fact, I'd say that this place is pretty much swarming with bad guys."

"Okay gang." Floyd spoke up. "We know what we came here for. Lets groove." He climbed back into the Gustav, starting the Zoid up. With a loud clank, it crawled off, heading further into the forest.

"Sure." Althea replied as she looked around. For some reason, she felt like there was something out there, something watching her... something that she couldn't name.

oOoOo

**Jungle Drums**

oOoOo

The sound of vegetation being crushed underfoot or brushed aside was a constant background to Nathan Winters as his Godos marched deeper into the jungle. While small as Zoids went, his machine was still easily large enough to brush aside or simply squash most of the smaller foliage that blocked their path. Of course, the fact that he was in the middle of a jungle was something that he hadn't planned on.

After the Blackstars had cleared a way through the tunnel (much to his displeasure) he hadn't been sure what to expect on the other side. His assumption would have been a simple valley, perhaps one that featured an abundance of the blue crystals he'd seen in the tunnel. That they had come out in the middle of a jungle was a complete shock to him and his men.

The Blackstars, however, hadn't seemed to care. Thorne simply ordered her troops to push on regardless, smashing their way into the jungle towards its center. Her Zoids had plunged into the jungle, simply obliterating anything that stood in their way. When he'd asked her why she was taking such a direct action, she'd simply stated that it was the best way to get to the Red Claw's forces, and that was what she was here for. The fact that they were standing in the middle of a jungle that shouldn't theoretically exist didn't seem to bother her at all.

Paladin Naxos and his two wingmen, Knights Zale and Hoff, hadn't entered with the rest of them. Instead, they'd flown over the rim of the valley to get a better look at it. An initial sweep hadn't reveled anything; the valley appeared to be completely enshrouded in dense fog that prevented them form seeing anything from the air. It went some way as to explaining how this place had avoided detection; there was no indication of it from the air, and very little to see from the ground. And very few people would even come down here.

A second pass, this time below the could layer, had evaluated the existence of numerous buildings scattered across the jungle. Particularly noteworthy was a cluster of what looked like pyramids at the dead center of the jungle, which there were a number of Zoids scattered about. "I haven't gotten a good look at them." Naxos reported. "But given that thy are definitely intact and active, I'd say it's a fair bet that its the Claw."

"I see. What sort of numbers are we looking at?"

"I can't give you a good estimate without another pass." He replied. "And they'd likely spot us. But there was a Gustav there, as well as a few Tanks."

"That sounds like them." Nathan finished. "Withdraw to above the Cloud Layer, and remain on station until we need you. I don't want to risk tipping them off any more. If we can catch them by surprise, then we may have a chance to take them out."

"Roger that."

Glancing ahead, he could see that Thorne's troops had sped up their path through the jungle. His Godos pulled alongside the modified Darkhorn at the front of the group. "Captain Thorne." He began. "Are you certain that this is the best course of action?"

"Definitely." She replied. "We came here to destroy the Red Claw, so my men are beating a path straight to them."

"Aren't you... concerned that they may be ready for us?"

"None of their Zoids stand a chance against the ones in my unit." She simply stated. "We can afford to simply wade in and take them out at our leisure."

"Need I remind you that not all of our Zoids are that powerful, captain." He replied, trying to keep calm. "By doing this, you risk my men."

"Then your men can fall back and support mine." She simply stated.

He should have expected a response like that from her. "There is another issue..." He continued. "This place is, well... its strange, to say the least. A jungle, full of ruins in the middle of what should be a barren icy wasteland."

"It its, yes." She replied, casually.

"Captain, by just charging in, you run the risk of destroying this place before we know anything about it." He explained. "We need to limit our actions to preserve as much of this place as possible for study."

"I have my orders, and I will do all I can to fulfill them." She stated, a determined tone in her voice. "The destruction of the Red Claw is what I came here fro. I don't care about this place, were it come from or what is in the ruins. Everything else is secondary. Now you can either aid me in that, or stand back and watch. It's your choice, Paladin Winters."

He glanced at her Zoid, and realised that there was no reasoning with her beyond that.

oOoOo

The McNeil Brother's two Cannon Tortoises waited patently in the jungle, concealed in amongst some overgrown ruins. The cover was rather effective serving to disguise the pair of them from both the ground and the air; you'd need to be right in front of them in order to see them. Their composite sensor masts stuck up from the nearby walls, however, scanning the area around them for any sign of enemy activity.

Form the cockpit of his Cannon Tortoise, Harry McNeil studied the area around him while he kept one eye on his sensors. The ruins weren't that interesting to him; he could see nothing on them that looked to be valuable, and certainly thy were too big for him to try and cart off himself. What had caught his attention was the dismembered Zoid head that was lying nearby, partially overgrown by moss and weeds. As far as he could tell, It had belonged to a Genobreaker (or one of those many Geno derivatives Hydra had built), but left behind when the original owning Zoid was destroyed. Whatever had killed it had left the head sitting neatly on the jungle floor, seemingly grinning at him. It gave him the willies.

But he had other concerns right now. He watched his scope as several blips appeared, moving slowly through the jungle. He couldn't make out their exact types, but he knew enough to know that they definitely weren't friendly. "Hey Mal." He quietly began over the communicator. 'I'm getting some stuff here. You got anything over there?"

"Yeah." Malcolm replied. "Looks like, um, four Zoids. Dunno what types, but they're moving slowly."

"I'm getting a lot more then that, bro." He replied. "Looks like we've got two groups here... and I don't think they're connected."

"They're not?"

"Naw, otherwise they'd be heading through in a single organised mob. It's what I'd do if I was headed into a strange, spooky jungle."

"Oh." Mal continued. "So what do we do?"

"Well, for starters, we let the boss know." He began. "Then we sit tight, and hope that they don't come to us."

oOoOo

Jenice delicately wiped more of the moss away from one of the statues, revealing its silver face which stared impassively back at her. Almost reverently, she continued, studying the statue as she worked. To her mind, there was no mistaking what it was. They were no statues, but rather examples of the greatest technological achievements in the history of the Shelflands, ones that dwarfed anything that humans had achieved. The question was, why had it and its two brothers been bought here?

From what little she knew of the technology that had created these machines, they were likely still fully functional. The secret, she figured, would be to restore them to life. It was certainly a task that would require all of her skills and knowledge to achieve, one that she would have to devote a considerable amount of time to once they got these machines back to her headquarters.

"Magnificent." She commented to herself as she examined the face of the figure. "Truly magnificent."

A beep from her communicator interrupted her thoughts. "Jenice here." She began. "What is it?"

"Commander, we've got a problem." She could recongise Harry's voice. "Two groups of Zoids have entered the Jungle and are heading towards our location." He paused for a moment, as if he didn't want to say the next part. "Thing is, well..."

"Get on with it!" She snapped.

"There's several big Zoids in amongst them. I mean, like, a lot bigger then most of the Zoids we've got here. I mean, like, Blackstar big Zoids."

_Blackstars? Here? _She considered matters. "Very well. I'll organise a withdrawal. You are to harass their forces and occupy them for as long as possible."

"Against Blackstars?"

"You have your orders, McNeil." She snarled. "And I expect them to be followed. I will not risk losing all that we have found here, understood?"

"Yes, commander!" he hurriedly replied.

"Good. Jenice out." She closed off the channel before he could reply. Turning back to look at the figures, she keyed in a channel to her other forces present on the site. "Bart, this is Jenice."

"What's up, boss?" He asked in his usual, incredibly slack tone.

"We need to prepare to evacuate immediately." She began. "I want you to recall all the collection crews; tell them to grab whatever they have and return to our base camp."

"Can I ask what's up, boss?"

"We've got company." She replied. "Two groups have entered the valley, one of which has a number of large Zoids."

"Right... um, do we know who they are?"

"No, but we can assume safely they're hostile." She explained.

"Great." Bart muttered, the displeasure clearly colouring his voice. "Anything else?"

"Yes." She finished. "Send a recovery crew up here. I've found some artifacts that we cannot afford to loose."

"Right away." He grumbled, clearly not happy with the way things were going. "Anything else?"

"No." She finished. "I'll be there soon."

oOoOo

The bulky environmental suit pulled itself out of the sludge mass of red liquid that filled the pool, slowly clambering up the side. It made a sloshing noise as it walked, the sampling tanks on its back filled to near overflowing. It left a trail across the floor as it walked, as run off slowly slid off its body and pooled behind it. Inside the suit, however, Levisha Towne couldn't be happier. She'd accomplished her mission and found what she had come for. Anything else the Red Claw dug up was secondary.

_Now to get this back to the proper people, _she thought to herself. _Who, if I'm right, will be even more glad to see what I've found then I was. _She knew that to the Claw, this pool meant nothing. But there were others for whom it would be very, very important.

She turned back to look over the pool, examining its layout again. Despite her work, the level of the liquid in it didn't seem to have decreased at all. As near as she could tell, even assuming that the source wasn't easily renewable, there would still be more then enough to fulfill their needs. _Perfect._

"Commander Towne? Are you in here?" A voice from behind interrupted her thoughts. "Commander Tow- Whoah!" The suit's audio pickup picked up the sound of a rifle's safety catch being switched off. "Who... what are you? Hold it right there!"

She sighed to herself and slowly turned the suit around. "At ease, Soldier. I heard you before." She began as she turned to face him. He was one of Jenice's soldiers, clad in the standard cheaply-made fatigues that were issued to all her infantry, and carrying one of those horrible Autorifles that many of them chose to use, which was currently leveled at her suit. Even though his face was concealed behind a bandanna, she could see that he was nervous and apprehensive. She could understand why; nobody here should have known about this suit, and she doubted that he had ever seen anything like it.

"Commander?" He asked. He should have been able to see her face through the canopy, but that still probably wouldn't have helped him much.

"What's going on, soldier?" She asked, trying to directly take control of the situation.

"There's enemy Zoids entering the valley." He nervously replied. "I was sent to get you."

"I see." She finished. "Thank you." _I hadn't expected this, _she mentally added. _However, it's likely that one of those groups is that one we have been searching for. Maybe this situation can be used to our favour._

"Commander?" He asked. "That suit... what is it? And where did you find it? And, um... what's all that red stuff running off it?"

Levisha sighed to herself. She didn't have time for this, and didn't want to risk anyone else finding out about what she was up to. That would lead to a lot of uncomfortable questions, especially from Jenice. She casually swung the massive, armored arm of the suit around, slamming it into the side of the soldier's neck. There was a sharp crack as it snapped, the soldier flopping to the ground lifelessly.

The suit walked out from the ruin, leaving the dead soldier behind it. As soon as she was outside, Levisha popped open the canopy, giving herself a moment to let the fresh air run in and cool her down. After a deep breath, she activated her radio. "Jenice, this is Levisha." She began. "I was exploring one of the ruins, when a soldier approached me. He was about to say something, however, when a section of the roof collapsed and killed him."

"We've detected two groups of enemy Zoids entering the area." She repeated. "How quickly can you get airborne?" If she cared about what had happened to the soldier, she didn't indicate it. But then, Jenice had no reason not to trust her.

"Very." She replied. "What's the plan?"

"We're certain one is Zygra, and the odds are that the other is that group." Jenice continued. "I'm organising a withdrawal from the site now, but we need to clear a path."

"Understood. I'll get to it." She finished. "Anything else?"

"Did you… did you find anything?" Jenice sounded hesitant but at the same time expectant, like she was expecting something but, at the same time, didn't want Levisha to find it.

"Regrettably not. I was planning to probe deeper, but I don't think that will be an option now."

"Well, if we clear the site, we may be able to come back later." Jenice explained. "But for now, we'll need to go."

"What about Sturm?" She asked. "Do we want to deploy him?"

"Negative. He's an emergency reserve in case all else fails. For now, I want to keep his Zoid a secret." There was a smug, almost gloating tone to her voice. "I have plans for him, ones that will work better if the Empire is completely unaware of its existence."

"Understood and out." Levisha closed the channel as she walked the suit over to the Flyscissors and the waiting pallet. She eased the Suit down, then deactivated its systems and activated the release. The suit peeled open, its pilot stepping out of it and backing off. A minute later, the pallete swing shut, resealing itself in a box.

Levisha clambered back into the Lord Gale's cockpit, activating the Zoid's systems. Turning to the Flyscissors, she opened a direct link to the Zoid's control system. "Collect the package, then return to where you got it from." She ordered. "Avoid combat. That package needs to be delivered intact."

There was a brief chirp of reply. Smiling to herself, Levisha switched the Flyscissors to a separate command circuit so it wouldn't be following the same general orders as the rest of her Chimeras. As soon as it was away, the Lord Gale took to the air, soaring above the temple complex. Keying more orders into the system, Levisha sent out a remote activation signal to the Chimeras that the Claw had bought with them. It was a simple matter; engage and destroy any Zoid that wasn't a part of the Claw's forces.

She looked back at the Temple she had been inside, remembering the overgrown Demonshead by the gate. _I wonder... if it was here, if there are any other Chimeras on site... and how many of them are intact. _She pressed a few more buttons, the Lord Gale letting out a gurgling shout as the orb on its forehead lit up. Watching her monitor, Levisha saw icon after icon appearing for more Chimers that were answering her machine's call. Most of them were machines operating only on reserve power; almost all of them were damaged in some way, and some were probably only good to draw enemy fire for a few seconds. Still...

She had an army of her own. An army that was lurking across this jungle, ready to strike out at anyone who they found. Grinning confidently to herself, Levisha opened up the throttle, heading back towards the entrance to the basin, the likely source of the intruders. As she flew towards it, the jungle erupted into life, Flyscissors leaping up form the greenery below to join her.

oOoOo

"Heads up cats." Floyd called out as his Zoid's radar rotated, its various dishes and antennas realigning themselves. "My Gustav-Sense is tingling."

"What is it?" Jason asked, glancing back at the large transport Zoid. He had been cautiously watching the trees around them for any sign of enemy activity, as if he was expecting someone to leap out at them at any moment.

"I'm not so sure." Floyd replied. "But I'm getting a sudden mess of activity. It would seem that our friends are moderately prepared for our arrival." He began.

"I ain't getting nothing." Leanne commented.

"Its more then just sensor readings." He replied. "I'm getting a lot of electronic noise; communications, sensor emissions... hold on, this one's interesting."

"What is it?" Altheia asked.

Jason continued to watch the forest, now as if he was expecting something to leap out at them. "FLoyd?" He asked. "What's going on?"

"Looks like some sort of multimode targeting radar, designed for long range search and target acquisition..." He began. "But more of a passive area scan then actively acquiring a target... so you can find a bunch of targets in an area, say. In fact, I'd say that it was probably like the sdort of composite sensors one would get on a Cannon Tortoise."

"Jenice has two of those." Jason replied. "Everyone! Scatter, now!" The Iguan broke into a run, darting off into the forest that it had been paranoidly watching just a moment earlier. "Get down now!"

"The heck?" Leanne asked, her Gunsniper glancing around. "Ah hell!" She opened up the throttle, the Gunsniper hopping away as well, trying its best to loose itself in amongst the trees.

A second later there was a loud explosion that tore up the middle of the path they had been traveling through. A shell slammed into the middle of the track, blasting it apart with a colossal explosion that showered their Zoids with dirt and stone. For a second there was silence, before Jason finally spoke up. "Everyone okay?"

"Well, I don't know if I'll ever play the violin again." Floyd replied. "But otherwise all is good."

"Do we know where that came from?" Althiea asked. Too big to take shelter, the Iron Kong had simply weathered the blast. It appeared to be fine, however, having come through with little more then some scuffing to the armour.

"Not yet." Floyd called back.

Jason watched the forest around him, as if he was expecting a follow through attack at any second. "Well they definitely know we're here." He continued. "So everyone keep your eyes open and get ready. The rest of the Claw could be on us at any moment."

"Ah heck." Leanne muttered. "There goes our element of surprise."

"Rayvenne!" Althiea called out over the communications channel. "Can you see any sign of the enemy forces?"

"Sure." She replied. "There's a whole bunch of them milling about the central pyramids."

"Can you send me targeting information?" She continued. "I want to try and break them up a bit."

"Sure thing, Ali." She finished. "On its way."

"Good." Althiea paused for a moment as the Iron Kong's forehead-mounted sensors lit up a bright red. "Okay everone, stay under cover. I'm going to see if I can do something about the Claw's forces..."

Jason knew what was about to happen, and he didn't need to be told to take cover twice. The Iguan scampered further into the jungle, its pilot still keeping an eye on the Gunsniper. At the same time, Floyds Gustav peeled away from the main path and smashed its way into the jungle, attempting to find some cover from any further artillery fire.

For its part, Althiea's Iron Kong remained in place, digging its twin knuckles into the ground. The twin tactical missiles on its back belched smoke before streaking off the launch rails, soaring off into the misty skies, heading towards the center of the jungle.

Jason watched the two missiles vanish over the treeline. "Nice work there. Whoever's at the-"

"Heads up, cats!" Floyd called out. "Our Charley's opening fire again!" The massive Iron Kong broke into a run, using its bulk to smash its way into the jungle to get away from the main road. A second later, a volley of shells smashed into the ground where it had been, shredding the path and the jungle around it in a massive fireball. Debris rained down on the Kong's armoured back, bouncing off the thruster pack.

"You okay there, Althiea?" Jason asked.

"Yeah." She replied. "Nothing beyond light armour damage so far."

"Good." He finished. "Let's keep going then." The Iguan continued to bash its way into the jungle, its pilot determined to reach the Red Claw and shut them down for good.

oOoOo

A pair of loud explosions shattered the relative silence of the jungle, followed by a caophany of noise as birds suddenly took to flight in alarm. Nathan Winters' Godos looked around, as if its pilot was searching for the source of the noise. Thorne simply studied her sensors, examining the information that her Dark Horn's radar had collected and displayed back to her.

"That was a pair of heavy tactical ballistic missiles." She calmly replied. "They were launched from somewhere north of our position, and they appeared to be directed at the Red Claw forces near the temple proper."

"Do you know who launched them?" He asked.

"No, but its clear that they're on our side." She offered. "All forces, press ahead. We strike while they're disorganised and recovering!" She pushed open the Darkhorn's throttle, the bulky Zoid charging further into the jungle, smashing a path through the dense foliage towards the temple proper. At the same time, she kept her eyes on the scope, watching for any sings of enemy activity.

There. Several blips appeared on the edge of her screen, which her system quickly identified. _There they are, _she thought. _Now to end their threat. _"Black two, remain with me!" She ordered over the comms channel. "Black three and four, remain hidden and cover our flanks. Black five, hang back and provide fire support." A stream of affirmative replies filled the channel as the Darkhorn surged forwards, the Deadborder only a few steps behind it.

"What are you doing?" Nathan demanded.

"I am fulfilling my orders and destroying the Red Claw." She stated, simply. "Your troops can either support us or stay back. Either way, I am not going to let them escape again."

There was a pause as Nathan considered matters. "All units, move in and support the Blaskstar troops." He ordered. "Paladin Trabe, see if you can get around them and try and cut them off. Paladin Naxos, you and your wing will provide air cover to our forces."

Thorne smiled to herself as she heard the orfders. She'd managed to force the Zygra troops to follow her lead and to fulfil her objectives, which was a minoir vitory in and of itself. In past, outside ofrces had furstrated her attempts to deal with the Red Claw; now she was trniung the situation ot one that she could control in its entitrty. Glancing around, she could see the Zugra Zoids following behind her, trying their best to keep up with her lead. _Perfect._

The Darkhorn crashed into a clearing, a group of Red Claw Zoids and troops in front of her. Many of the infantry milling about looked to be tyring to haul somehting out form the jungle, as if htye were recovering something from in there. She didn't care what it was; they could investigate the matter after the Claw's forces were desotryed.

The Darkhorn's powerplant lit up with a sickly green light as it absorbed and channeled power into its weapons systems; around the Zoid, the greenery of the jungle seemed to wither and die. "All froces, attack! Desotry the enemy!" She called out as the Hyperbeam Cannon fired, the brilliant beam searing through the forest and striking a Claw Unenalgia as it turned to face her. The shot ripped through the smaller Zoid's body, lierally tearing it apart.

No sooner had it hit the gorund then she had selected another target, opening fire on an enemy Krok with the Hibilt Vulcan cannon. The brilliant green shots smashed into the Zoid;s body, shredding its armour beofre simply blasitng the Zoid apart.

The Deadborder stepped out of the jungle, the plants aroiund it shrivelling and dying as it channeled power into its graoivty cannons. The twin weapons fired, the air around the Zoid shimmering and distorintg. The blasts struck an enemy tank Zoid in the side, smashing it in as if it had been struck by a massive invisible hammer. The smaller Zoid was lifted off the ground flying a short distance before crashing to rest.

The Claw infantry on site reacted as she'd expected, suddenly breaking and running rather then standing to face their forces. A pair of Zygra tanks rushed past her Zoid, halting to discords their own load of Zygra and Blackstar infantry forces to hunt down and destroy the enemy infantry. _All is going to plan, _she thought. _I can defeat the claw, and cleanse-_

A warning beep form her sensors interrupted her thoughts as a pair of missiles tore out form the jungle, striking across the clearing. They slammed into the side of the Zoid, rocking it but not penetrating its dense armour. "The hell?" She called out. "Who was that?"

The Darkhorn's radar replied by identifying the source of the attack; another Zoid hidden in amongst the jungle on the other side of the clearing. She swung her Vulcan cannon towards the unseen attacker and opened fire, spraying shots into the foliage, shredding trees as she sought ought the target. A moment later, there were a series of dull explosions, followed by a sloe hiss and a loud crash of something collapsing.

"What was that?" One of the Zygra pilots asked.

As if to provide a reply, the jungle around them erupted into life as a small swarm of Zoids burst out form cover. The machines were bizarre, mismatched creatures that seemed to be made from parts of various animals slammed together. Many of them, Thorne noticed, were very worn and battered, and looked like they had been here a while. The Darkhorn's targeting computer identified them as being Chimera Zoids, unmanned drones that the Drakken Empire had used prior to the Hydra war.

A Demoshead charged across the clearing, barreling through both the Red Claw and Zygra infantry alike, all but ignoring their presence. She turned the Hyperbeam Cannon to face it and fired, the shot literally blasting the Demonshead in half. The Zoid's upper jaw tore loose, crashing to the ground behind it. No sooner was it stopped then another one leaped over it, charging at the Zygra force.

The Demonshead leaped at an Elephantus, impaling the smaller Zoid on one of its massive lances. Before the Zygra pilot could react, the Demoshead crashed its jaw down on it, crushing the Zoid's strucute between its teeth. The Elephantus' body shattered and broke as the Demoshead continued to attack it, irrespective of the fact that the Zoid was already disabled.

A quartet of shots blasted into the Demoshead's side, tearing apart its body. The Damaged Zoid bellowed, then collapsed, the twisted wreckage of the Elephantus crashing to the ground next to it. Glancing around, Thorne could see Paladin Winters' Godos standing by the Zoid, the gun barrels of its Wild Weasel Unit smoking.

Before she could say anything, a shot blasted into the ground next to her Zoid. Turning to face the attacker, she could see a Diploguns barreling towards her. A second one, its railgun little more then a twisted stub followed behind it. Opening up the throttle, she charged across the clearing, opening fire with the Vulcan cannon gain. The shots smashed into the Dirploguns, slamming it out of the air.

The second Zoid managed to avoid her fire, however, and instead launched its head at her like some sort of missiles. Twisting the controls, she managed to twist the Darkhorn out of the weapon's path. Instead, it flew straight past her, slamming into a Zygra Garius and neatly taking its head off. The weapon swung around, before being clipped by fire form some of the other Zygra units ands crashing to the ground.

Undeterred, the now headless and unarmed Diploguns charged forwards at her. Before it could strike home, however, a pair of blasts struck its side. Smashed out of the air, the Diploguns flopped to the ground, flailing around like a fish pout of water before coming to a rest. Thorne turned to the Deadborder next to her, nodding her thanks toi the pilot.

"There's too many of these things." Nathan commented. "We have to fall back, or else we'll be wiped out."

"No." She replied, sternly. "I will not let the Claw escape." Glancing around, she saw an opportunity; a path cleared through the Chimeras by her initial attacks. "All units, cover me. I'm going in."

"What?" Nathan shouted. "You can't just... abandon us like this!"

"The rest of my force will remain here to protect you, and follow me up if possible." She continued. "I will deal with the Claw myself." Before he could reply, she turned the Darkhorn back towards the jungle. The Dark Zoid crashed into the forest, charging through the growth towards the central Temple Complex.

oOoOo

"I'd love to provide some support." Paladin Iskandsar Naxos called over the channel, "But we have some issues of our own here." Instead of the single blip he'd been tracking, his screen was lit up with a multitude of blips, which were coming form seemingly all around him. What was worse was that they all seemed to be heading straight towards his location.

"Incoming, multiple airborne targets; unknown type but likely Fliscissors Chimeras." He called back to his two Pegasuros wingmen. "Keep going and avoid closing in at all costs." Even though the Flyscissors had no ranged weapons, they could easily crush their Zoids with their massive mandibles, something he wanted to avoid. "So keep your eyes peeled!"

His scope identified the lead Zoid in the formation, a lone Lord Gale. While he'd never faced one before (and had never expected to either), he knew of the sinister-looking Zoid. It was far more powerful then the Flyscissors were and, more importantly, was likely controlling them. _So eliminating it will destroy their ability to work as a unit. Perfect._ "Hoff and Zale, I will engage the enemy leader. You two cover me."

The Pteras' weapons locked onto the enemy Zoid, a loud whine filling his ears as the missiles indicated that they had their target. He squeezed the trigger, the two air-to-air missiles on the Pteras' back streaking away from the Zoid at high speed. For an instant, it looked like they were headed straight for the Lord Gale, likely to cripple or at least wound it with the first strike. Before they reached home, however there was a sudden blur of orange in the air before the Enemy Zoid, followed by an explosion.

"What the..." He began, and then realized what it was. One of the Flyscissors had flown in front of the Lord Gale, using its own body to protect its leader. The Gale's speed suddenly dropped, letting the Flyscissor swarm overtake it and close in on their enemies. "Incoming!" He cried.

The two Pegasuros opened fire with their missiles on the incoming swarm. One of them was lucky, managing to blast apart an enemy Zoid before it could close in. The second one was less so; its target broke clear, then peeled away from the incoming weapons. Undeterred, the Pegasuros pushed on, continuing the attack with its trio of cannons. The beams reached out, slicing into the body of an enemy Zoid and cutting it apart.

_So far so good... only a few dozen left to go, _he thought to himself. Glancing around, Naxos sighted the Lord Gale, now within the heart of the swarm of Chimeras. _Like they're protecting it, _he grimly figured. _This will not be easy. _Fortunately, he had one advantage that he doubted that his enemies had counted on. The Ptreras dived towards the Lord Gale, opening up its engines to full. "Cover me!" He called out over the channel. "I'm going after the leader!"

The two Pegasuros dived in, making slashing attacks on a pair of Chimeras to draw them away. The ruse worked, the enemy Zoids breaking off and pursuing their attackers, exposing a gap in the Lord Gale's defenses. Seeing his chance, Naxos opened up the throttle and dived towards the enemy Zoid.

"For the empire!"

The Pteras was wreathed with smoke and flames as the Bomber Unit disgorged its contents into the swarm of enemy Zoids. Missiles flew away from his Zoid, twisting and scything through the air as they sought out their targets. A quartet of Flyscissors were blasted apart, reduced in an instant form dangerous war machines to rapidly expanding balls of smoke... and leaving the Lord Gale an open target.

He pushed the stick further forwards, the Pteras diving towards its target. For its part, the lord Gale seemed to be unimpressed by its attacker. The enemy pilot actually sped up, heading straight for it. Naxos lined up his opponent, but was thrown off as the Gale fired first. Streams of weapons fire leaped from its claws hand, tearing straight towards his Zoid. Pulling on the controls, he swerved out of the Gale's way, ruining his pass on it. As he pulled away, the enemy Zpoid sped up, hading after him. Still, he had a chance...

"Hit the Gale now!" He called out. "While he's chasing me!"

The two Pegasuros fired their boosters, pulling away from the enemy Chimeras and instead heading straight for their commander. Both opened up with their triple cannons, brilliant red streaks slashing through the sky at the enemy machine. However, the enemy pilot seemed to be aware of what was going on and had already reacted. With a strange grace that belied its horrific form, the Lord Gale twisted and weaved in the air, managing to dance between the enemy weapons.

As the Pegasuros sped away to prepare for another pass, the Gale reacted. The Zoid spun around, opening fire with the cannons mounted on its claw arm. The shots ripped into the back of Hoff's machine, shredding the wing as it tried to escape. The Zygra Zoid rolled over in the air, black smoke billowing form the gaping rents torn in its body. Clearly out of acti0on, the machine plummeted towards the jungle floor.

Before Naxos could do anything about it, a loud a screech filled his ears. Glancing back, he could see one of the Flyscissors right behind him, flailing around with its mandibles as it tried to catch his Zoid. It had already torn the empty missile rack from its body, while a second swipe came distressingly close to the Pteras' neck.

"Damn it!" He called out. "Zale, where are you?"

"I've got my hands full here!" He called back. "There's too many of them!"

Naxos grunted then opened up the throttle, trying to push away from the Flyscissors. Glancing behind him, he could see that the enemy Zoid was falling back, slowly loosing ground on him. _That's it... _his confidence boosted, he glanced around again for the Lord Gale. _If I can take him out, then we can end this quickly._

Before he could strike, however, a black shadow passed over the cockpit. Looking up, he could see another Flyscissors diving towards him at speed, its mandibles wide open to strike. He pulled on the stick, the Pteras rolling and trying to dive as far away form the incoming Zoid as possible. Irrespective, the Flyscissors accelerated, closing in on him for the kill. The Zoid reared back, opening its mandibles for the kill.

Out of seemingly nowhere, dozens of shots tore into the enemy Chimera's body, ripping through its armour and structure. The Zoid let out a sudden high pitched squeal, before simply blowing apart in mid air. "The hell?" Naxos called out as he searched around for what had happened. Then he glimpsed something, another Zoid passing him by. While he was able to recongise it, he was still somewhat surprised by its appearance.

The Sinker steered close to his machine for a moment, then wobbled in the air for a second, as if it was waving to him. Then it dived towards another Flyscissors, opening fire with the two gattling cannons mounted under its wings.

"Paladin Winters." He began over the channel. "I just encountered another airborne Zoid up here, besides the enemy Chimeras. It was a Sinker and, more importantly, it seemed to be helping me."

"I know of that Zoid." Nathan replied. "And I had expected it to show up. It's on our side."

"And I am very glad of that." He finished, a confident smile on his face. "Right. Let's see what we can do up here."

oOoOo

Jason sprinted across the jungle as fast as the terrain would allow, opening fire with the Iguan's Quad cannon as he went. The shots largely missed their targets, however, instead blasting apart the trees around him. Cursing to himself, he twisted the controls, veering away from the enemy Zoid before it opened fire again.

The Twinhorn that he had been shooting at reared up its trunk, then belched flames into the forest where Jason had been. A rolling ball of fire blasted through the forest, only narrowly missing the fleeing Iguan. Instead it consumed a clump of trees, instantly setting them ablaze.

Pushing his Zoid forwards, Jason ducked it down behind a ruined wall. Pausing a moment, he popped up and opened fire again with the Iguan's head cannons. One of the shots missed his attacker, instead slicing through one of the few trees spared from the Twinhorn's assault. The second one was more successful, scoring armour off the enemy Zoid's side. Now with a better idea of his location, the enemy Zoid turned to face him, ready for another strike.

A burst of fire hit the Twinhorn's other flank, peppering its armour with shots. The Red Claw Zoid trumpeted loudly, backing off as it opened fire with its back-mounted cannons. Leanne's Gunsniper, the barrels of its wrist vulcans smoking, ducked back behind cover, waiting for a chance to open fire again.

A loud roar of thrusters cut her off as a Hellrunner sailed overhead, its foot-mounted thrusters firing like crazy. The small Zoid came down near Leanne's, hitting the ground before bursting into a frantic run through the undergrowth. It spun around its beam gattling cannon, opening fire on her Gunsniper. Several shots hit the Zoid's flank while the Hellrunner continued to make its mad dash away. The Zoid leaped onto the ruined wall that Jason was hiding behind, then fired its boosters, sailing away beofre either he or Leanne could catch it.

As the Twinhorn shirked backwards, a Diloforce popped up from seemingly out of nowhere to support it. The small Zid hissed as its jaws sprung open, he particle cannon inside opening fire. "DOWN!" Jason called out as he pushed his Iguan's throttle, the small Zoid ducking for cover. The shot blasted through the wall, blowing it apart and showering his Zoid with debris.

Muttering to himself, he propped his Zoid back up, opening fire with the quad cannon as soon as he could see the enemy Zoid. Before they could strike home, however, the shots simply exploded in the air as the Diloforce popped up its energy shield, stopping his attacks dead. Before he could open up again, the small Zoid broke into a run, looking for some other space to fire from.

A series of shots tore through the growth, hammering into the Diloforce's shield which wavered and shattered under the impact. The Zoid was rocked, flailing back and crashing to the ground on its tail. Jason opened fire, his shot only narrowly missing it as the other Zoid got up, then took off as fast as it could.

Glancing around, he could see the massive bulk of Althiea's Iron Kong following behind him. "Thanks for that." He called out over the communications channel. "That guy almost had me."

"It's okay." She casually replied. "Looks like they're withdrawing..."

"Ah hell!" Leanne called out. "Dangit, does this mean we're gonna get shelled again?"

"I don't think so, cats." Floyd commented. "I'm not getting their long-range targeting radars on my scope."

"Maybe we scared 'em off then." Leanne continued. "I mean, what with Ali's monster Kong and all."

"No... I think its something else." Floyd continued. "Hang on... I'm getting something else here. It's a wide-band, low-frequency broadcast, spreading all over the place. Hmmm..."

"Rayvenne, what's happening up there?" Althiea asked over the channel.

"I'm hip deep in those crazy little swarming but things!" She yelled back. "Them and our friend the freaky gargole thing. So if you're looking for any help, well... sorry. Me and what looks like a couple of Zygra guys are completely tied up here."

"Zygra?" Althiea asked.

"Yeah." Rayvenne continued. "A Pteras and a Pegathingy. And it's not looking too good."

"Hold up." Floyd interrupted. "A swarm of those bug things... and the freaky gargoyle..." He pressed a few buttons on his console. "Everybody! Keep your eyes open for more of those little Chimera Roadkills. I think that's their control signal."

Almost as if on cue, a pair of Diploguns burst forth from the bushes, opening fire with their railguns on Althiea's Zoid. One of the shots went wide, the other scraping across its shoulder. Before she could react, more Zoids burst out form cover, a small squad of the Chimeras.

Swinging around, she opened fire on one of the Diploguns with the wrist cannon, the shots spitting out and slamming into the Zoid's side. The Diploguns burst apart in mid air, the parts crashing to the ground before her Zoid. The second one swerved out of the line of fire, only to fly straight in the path of Jason's Zoid.

The Iguan opened up with its Quad cannon and head cannons, the shots blasting into the oncoming Zoid. The shots ripped apart the Diploguns' head, but didn't seem to deter the rest of the Zoid. Its headless body continued on, opening fir with the Railgun at Jason. Twisting the controls, he leaped to one side of the Zoids path, the impact cannon firing into its side. At the same time, Leanne opened up on it with the Gunsniper's chest gun, striking it from the other side. Badly damaged, the Diploguns suddenly blew apart in mid-air, the front and rear halves both crashing separately to the ground.

Streams of gunfire tore across the clearing, peppering the two Zoids' flanks with shots. Both the Iguan and Gunsniper fell back, firing as they went on the advancing Shellkarn. The Zoid took numerous hits to its heavily armoured shoulders, seemingly shrugging them off.

"This is insane." Jason added. "Cover me!" He charged forwards, running at the enemy Chimera as Leanne continued fire at it. Activating the Iguan's jets, he leaped into the air then came down on it, smashing his Zoid's foot into its face. The force of the blow crushed the Shellkarn's jaw, and sent it keeling over backwards. Before it could recover, he shoved the quad cannon itno its gut and fired off at point blank range, the shots tearing into its relatively exposed core blox.

A loud bellow from nearby caught his attention as a Demonshead charged out from cover, running at his Zoid with its lances swung forwards. He fired the jets again, leaping away from the charging Zoid as fast as he could. The Demonshead swerved to follow him, only to be shot through by Althiea's Zoid. Mortally wounded, the unmanned Zoid crashed to the ground on its flank.

"Thanks for that." Jason began.

"Sure." Altheia replied as she looked around. She was still feeling that certain... something that was calling out to her form in here. But now it seemed different, stronger, more insistent. Something was happening here, something she couldn't put her finger on. Glancing over the downed Chimeras, she could somehow tell that it wasn't them. Nom, it was something else, something older, something more powerful.

"Ali!" Leanne called out. "Cover us! We're gonna push back."

"Sure." She replied, suddenly focused again on the current situation. She would worry about whatever it was later; right now she had to concentrate on keeping herself and her friends alive

oOoOo

Jenice closed the cockpit of her Zoid, checking over its systems as it powered up. To her annoyance, she could see that the Zoid's main cannon was registering as offline; the weapon had been damaged at some point in he past and, despite all her best efforts to repair it, it had proven to be temperamental at best. Cursing silently to herself, she began to consider options for replacing it with something else.

The Zoid growled to indicate readiness as she checked over the last few systems. She opened up a channel to her commanders as she planned her next move. "Levisha, Bart, what's the situation?"

"Not so good, Commander." Bart began. "I got all our crap loaded up, but getting away is proving to be a bitch. We've gotta go around a mob of Zoids that includes a bunch of ferking Blackstars, which is not going to be easy."

"I've dispatched our Chimeras to slow down pour opponents, but they're are going through them at a surpising rate." Levisha added. "We are slowing them, and we've eliminated a number of Zugra Zoids, but the Blackstars are proving to be a lot tougher."

"Hold on a moment." Jenice began. "Blackstars and Zygras?"

"As unlikey as it sounds, the two forces appear to be allied." Levisha commented. "They're working together to a degree."

"It's clear that both factions consider us to be a threat." Jenice finished. "Maybe we can use this to our advantage."

"If I can interject, Commander." Sturm began, joining their channel. "A move like this would likely be at the suggestion of Paladin Winters. If that is indeed the case, then he would have gone to one of the few Blackstars that he has any sort of rapport with, being Captain Thorne. She's a particularly... disagreeable officer whom I've had several dealings with."

"So what can you suggest?" She asked.

"Nathan is relatively easy to deal with; he will 'play fair' and do his utmost to protect his men in any situation." Sturm offered. "Thorne is bloody minded and determined, and likely want to keep going at all costs. She may be easy to separate from the rest of her force and eliminate. With those two occupied or out of action, we should be able to slip past the remainder of the enemy forces and affect an escape."

"I understand." She finished. "Levisha, keep the pressure up with the Chimeras. We can expend as many of them as we need."

"Certainly, commander."

"Bart, collect our remaining forces and withdraw; I don't care how wide an arc you need to draw around the enemy force, as long as you can get out."

"You don't need to tell me twice." He muttered back.

"Sturm, you will remain in reserve. We will use you to cover our escape, but I do not want you to reveal yourself yet." She finished. "Your Zoid is our greatest weapon; I do not want its nature to be reveled before the right time."

"Yes commander." He responded. "If I may offer one suggestion, however."

"That is?"

"Send the Evo Flyer that I used to pilot against Winters' force." He explained. "If he even thinks that it is me, then that may be enough to occupy his attention and draw him away from our withdrawal."

"I concur. Remain on station until I call for you."

"Affirmative." He finished.

She closed the communications link, confident that her three lieutenants would execute her plan to the best of their abilities. While she had to admit that she hadn't achieved all that she wanted from this mission, she had done enough. Even if they lost everything else, the three mechanical figures that she had found would more then pay for it.

As she surveyed the area around her, she began to regret not bringing Drake with her. While her confidence in his abilities had fallen drastically over the last few months, in a jungle environment like this his Snipe Master would prove to be incredibly dangerous. Certainly it would be a good way to eliminate a Blackstar or two. As it stood, there were only three Zoids in her foce who stood a chance against one, and she was using one of them. Even then, in its current state, it was less then effective.

A burst of static filled her comms channel. "...need help!" A voice called out. "Blackstar... Darkhorn... attacking us!"

Her eyes narrowed as she traced the source of the signal; a recovery crew near one of the outer temple complexes. _That would be the Blackstar commander... _she thought. _And if they've separated themselves from the rest of their group... _An idea began to form in her mind. _A chance to take out a Blackstar. A chance to prove just how dangerous the Red Claw can be.. and a chance to effect our escape. _A part of her mind relished the opportunity for other reasons. Nobody had ever defeated a Blackstar in single combat before, and to do such would be a major accomplishment.

She threw open the Zoid's throttle, its advanced Drive system kicking into action. The Zoid all but leaped of, accelerating to top speed in a matter of moments. It pounded its way through the jungle, heading towards the enemy Zoid. _This has to be the commander that Sturm spoke of, _she figured as she analysed her scope. _Sending one Zoid in on its own a larger force fits with what he said._

As her Zoid burst out form cover, she could make out more details of the enemy Zoid. This Darkhorn mounted an unusual weapons array, with a Hyperbeam launcher mounted on its port side. _I recongise it, _she thought. _It's the one I faced in Freedom... the some one that almost defeated me. _She smiled to herself. _This will be good._

Her twin-barreled impact cannon fired, smashing into the unaware Zoid's already damaged flank. The Darkhorn bellowed in a mixture of surprise and pain, its pilot trying to see the source of the attack. Jenice was one step ahead of her, however, pushing the throttle all the way to its limits, she charged towards the Darkhorn. Her Zoids claw's raked across its side, slicing through its armour and raking deep scars across its body.

The Darkhorn turned to follow her, its Hybrid Vulcan opening fire as she passed. However, her Zoid's speed meant that she was gone before the enemy pilot could respond; the shots instead passed by her, tearing into the jungle around her. _Perfect._

She wheeled the Zoid around, coming back for another charge. While her Zoid lacked turret mounted weapons, she didn't really mind. Her plan was to keep up her current pattern of attacks, charging and then withdrawing before the other Zoid could retaliate. _Of course_, she figured, _if my main cannon was functional, then this would be all over... _she'd have to do something about it when they got back.

She again burst out form the clearing, rippling of shots from the impact cannon. Several shots struck the Darkhorn's side, causing the massive Zoid to stumble, its back legs wavering. Grinning to herself, Jencice closed in, again raking her Zoid's claws across the enemy Zoid's flank. Glancing back on it as she ran, several shots ineffectually passing her, she could see that one of its legs looked about ready to go.

_Good... third pass should finish it._

She was aobut to wheel around again, when the Darkhorn pilot retaliated. Instead of trying to hose her down with the Vulcan cannon, they instead spread shots form the linear launcher into the jungle around her. Loud explosions rang in her ears as the jungle around her exploded in a green haze of shredded foliage. The Zoid stumbled, struck by at least on of the blasts. Before she could recover, it crashed to the jungle floor.

Jencie shook her head, seeing spots before her eyes. The Zoid hadn't suffered any severe damage, but had been thrown by the combination of the force of the blast and its own speed. As she tried to get the Zoid back to its feet, she could hear the sound of the Zoid closing in on her.

oOoOo

Jaeger watched the events unfolding via a direct relay from Feurfuchs' sensory equipment. Rather then viewing it on a monitor, however, he was standing in the middle of a holographic projection tank that created a real-time three-dimensional image of the world that the transmitter was seeing. He saw Jencie's Zoid stumble and fall vanishing into the jungle, with the Blackstar Zoid aching to close in and destroy is attacker.

"Commander, I request permission for a direct intervention." he began, speaking through the communicator that allowed him to interact with the outside world.

"I have seen the situation, and I agree." The commander replied.

"Thank you." He keyed a button on his headset. "Feurfuchs; direct intervention. Protect the Asset."

"Affirmative." Came the only reply.

Jaeger reached out, his hand passing through the image of the Darkhorn. He cured it into a fist, as if he could seize and destroy the Zoid himself. _We shall not fail, not now. Not when we are this close._

oOoOo

Thorne turned towards the downed Zoid, glaring at it as she approached it. She could see a few hints of bright red amour through the dense foliage, enough to give her a good idea of where it was. The enemy pilot had made a good showing of themselves, using their own speed and agility to harry her. However, their effort had failed, and now she would end it.

"This is the price you pay for interfering with our business." She muttered to herself as the Darkhorn approached, its power system gathering energy for the weapons, while the jungle around her shriveled and died. "You and the rest of the Claw will not escape us."

A sudden shock threw her forward as the whole Zoid shook. Checking her displays, she could see that something had attacked her, ripping off a huge section of armour from the Zoid's rear quarters. Frantically checking her sensors, however, she could see no sign of the enemy attacker. "What?" She hissed. _A concealed Zoid? But what-_

A horrific tearing noise filled her ears as something raked across the Darkhorn's hind leg, slashing through the damaged limb. Red lights came on across her board as systems were ripped apart, the leg barely remaining functional. Glancing around, all she could see was a brief golden streak so something leaped away from her.

_What in the name of- _The Darkhorn rocked as further cannon impacts peppered into its side, coming form the same unseen attacker. She frantically looked around, her enhanced senses looking for any sigh of the enemy. Then something caught her eye; a blur of motion, a brief glimpse of golden fire from a beam weapon.

"There! I have you now!" She swung the Hibilt Vulcan in the direction of the blur, opening fire on her largely unseen attacker. The Vulcan unleashed a torrent of green fire on the enemy Zoid, ripping into its body. The air shimmered and waived as her shots tire into the opponent Zoid, tearing through its armour and systems. The Zoid's form resolved as more damage shut off its stealth systems; a sleek and streamlined red canine Zoid.

Bringing the Hyperbeam cannon around, she opened fire on the enemy Zoid before it could escape. The blast tore through its body, sending the Zoid reeling. It crashed to the ground, clearly disabled, much of its body a mangled mess. Lying inert for a moment, the Zoid suddenly exploded, ripped apart by some sort of internalised blast.

Thorne didn't care, grinning as she watched the destruction of the enemy machine. She laughed to herself, her eyes now practically glowing a brilliant green. She could feel the Darkhorn's anger and aggression building inside her, and she embraced it, using it to drive her forwards.

She turned back to the jungle, only to be greeted by a loud tearing sound. "What?" She began, her eyes darting across the console. In amongst the neon green displays, a single section lit up an angry bright red. She could see it was her damage monitor, showing that the right rear leg was all but out of action. As she watched, the Zoid stumbled and collapsed, its leg going down to one knee.

"No!" She screamed out, her voice a feral snarl. "I… will not allow this!" She slammed one fist into the console, hissing and snarling. Then, adroitly, the mindlink fed back to her; the Darkhorn's own pain entering her body, the risk faced by any pilot who went feral like she had. She screamed out in agony, her body seemingly on fire, before slumping back in her command couch.

oOoOo

The virtual world around Jaeger began to shimmer and shake, then abruptly dissolved into static. He knew what that meant; that the transmitter had likely been destroyed. If that was the case, then its internal self-destruct mechanism would have likely eliminated anything that was left of it. He knew that it meant that they had lost a good agent and a valuable Zoid. However, it also meant that they had maintained a valuable asset, one that, in the long term, would be worth a lot more then a single agent and their Zoid.

Issuing a few commands, he switched views to a boarder aerial view, one being created through feeds form the Lord Gale. Looking down, he could barely make out a bright red form daring through the jungle at high speed. _Excellent, _he thought. _Our gambit paid off._

oOoOo

Rayvenne thumbed her trigger, the twin Beam Gattling cannons spitting out streams of fire at an oncoming Flyscissors. The shots tore into the enemy Zoid's body, shredding its armour then blasting it apart. Veering away, she passed the still-moving pile of debris before it could hit her Zoid.

"Too close." She commented to herself, taking a second to hastily do up her bandanna. "Damn, these guys are insanely thick around here." The Sinker wheeled around, turning towards one of the Zygra Zoids as it weaved through the enemy swarm. She could see that they were managing to hold off, but she had to wonder how long they – and she – could last.

"Hey Floyd!" Rayvenne called out over the communicator. "Can you do some of your scientist mojo with their radios? I wanna try and call one of the Zygra guys."

"Sure thing, um, sir." He replied. "Put yourself on hold for a minute."

"That's a lotta time, Floyd." She hissed, switching voices mid sentence. "But I'll hold on for as long as I can stay alive."

She approached the Pteras, then almost immediately veered away as a Flyscissors tried to make a pass on her Zoid. Looping around, she forgot about the Pteras for now, instead concentrating on bringing down the Chimera that had tried to take her out. The Flyscissors, realising what was going on, tried to turn away from her, but Rayvenne was too quick for the drone AI. She pulled inside the Flyscissors' turn, managing to bring the enemy Zoid into her sighs.

"Gotcha." She hissed out as she opened fire, spraying shots at the smaller Zoid from her cannons. To her annoyance, however, the Flyscissors peeled way, her shots narrowly missing their mark. "Damn you…" She pulled on the stick, trying to follow the enemy machine.

"Hey Rayvenne!" Floyd cut in. "I got you onto their frequency now. Give them a yell."

"Right." She nodded, then began. "Zygra pilots. I'm here to help you."

"What?" A voice cut in. "Who are you and how did you get-"

"Never mind that." She hissed, keeping herself in character. "You'll need help if you want to take these guys out. You with me?"

"Can I trust you?" The Zygra pilot sounded doubtful, and understandably so.

"You can trust that I've already blown away a couple of those Chimeras." She stated. "I hope that's enough." She twisted the Sinker around, opening fire again on the same Flyscissors. Several shots scored its wing, but they weren't enough to knock it down.

"A fair point." He finished. "So what's the plan?"

"Simple." She continued. "Now that we're all working together, we can coordinate enough to launch a single attack. We split up, wheel around and come at it form three different sides. We get him in a crossfire and… that's it."

"Simple, but effective." The Zygra pilot conceded.

"Good. I'll go head on; I'm slower then you two, so it makes sense for me to use the most direct path." _And I've got a pretty good idea who's in that Zoid, _she mentally added. _Yeah you, crazy Pteras pilot. I know who you are. _"You two come from above on his flanks. Got that?"

"Understood."

"Good." She finished as another burst of fire raked across the Flyscissors' wings. The left wing broke apart, the Zoid loosing its control and simply plummeting from the sky. Grinning behind her mask, she banked around and then headed towards the Lord Gale. Looking around, she could see both the Pteras and Pegasuros climbing above her, ready to attack.

She opened up the throttle and pushed the stick forward, diving on the Lord Gale, bringing the Zoid into the center of her sights. "And now, you're mine." She began. "NOW!"

The three Zoids dived in for the attack, however the enemy pilot seemed to be more then ready for them. A trio of Flyscissors suddenly wheeled around, tnterposing themselves between the Lord Gale and is attackers. Rayvenne violently pulled back on the stick, only just managing to avoid the enemy Zoid's mandibles as they lashed at her. The Pteras pilot did the same, his Zoid using its acceleration to climb away, the Chimera on its tail.

The Pegasuros wasn't so lucky, however. The Flyscissors bodily slammed into it, smacking into its underside. As the two Zoids rolled away form each other, the chimera twisted its body in the air, bringing its head around. As she watched in horror, the Flyscissors lashed out with its mandibles, slicing across the Pegasuros' neck and decapitating the Zoid.

A second Flyscissors joined the first one that was chasing the Pteras, the pair of them closing in on the Zygra Zoid while hounding it, snapping at its heels as the pilot tried to escape them. She pulled around, trying to close in on them, only to have a third fly across her path, nearly ramming her. She banked away, desperately trying to evade them.

The Pteras weaved in between the two Chimeras, trying to evade them as they snapped at his Zoid. His Zoid managed to pull ahead of them, outdistancing its pursuers as they fought to keep up with him. However, the pair of them had managed to do their job; the Pteras pilot had been so occupied with them that he hadn't seen the Lord Gale itself approach until it was too late.

The sinister Zoid lunged at the Pteras, driving downwards with the two lances that made up its left arm. One of them smashed through the Pteras' cockpit, shattering the canopy before driving downwards and ramming through to the other side. The Gale then flicked the Pteras away, its body spiraling off into the jungle below.

"Damn you!" She yelled out, opening fire again on the Flyscissors in front of her. Shots smashed into its body, riddling it with fire. The enemy Zoid exploded in mid-air, disintegrating into a pile of parts.

She pulled around on the rudder, trying to close in on the Lord Gale and get a better shot at it. Twisting the stick, she weaved between a pair of Chimeras flying at her, instead heading straight for their controller. As she was about to fire, the Gale twisted around, opening up with the quartet of cannons mouted on its forearm.

Ravenne tried to swerve out of its line of fire, the Sinker twisting and rolling as she swerved around the shots while trying to keep it in her sights. Taking a chance, she opened up on the Lord Gale, all four cannons spitting fire at it. The enemy pilot twisted their Zoid around, its body managing to slip between the bulk of the shots.

The Gale lashed out, its claw arm swiping at the Sinker as it flew past. The claws dug into its right wing, then ripped into it, tearing the outer half of it away. Both the wing and the Gattling cannon fell away as the Gale flicked them off, while the Sinker began to slowly twist and roll over.

Unbalanced by the loss of the wing and suffering form a massive degradation in aerodynamic control, the Sinker began to dive, and then plummet towards the jungle floor. Ravenne frantically fought with the controls, trying to stabilize the Zoid or, at the very least, ease the crash.

"I'm going in!" She called out over the communicator. "Can't… keep this thing up!"

The Sinker's VTOL engines kicked in at the last moment; not stopping its fall but at the very least slowing it. The Zoid slammed into the jungle canopy, smashing through the dense foliage in a hail of branches and leaves. Slamming into a tree, it spun around and then furrowed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and leaves before coming to a halt.

oOoOo

Jenice kept the throttle open as she ran from the battlefield; she didn't know what had attacked the Darkhorn, nor did she particularly care. All that was important to her was that she was putting as much distance between herself and the Blackstar as she could. Again she opened up a channel to her troops. "Bart, Levisha. Status?"

"We're getting there." Bart called back. "But we got fringers attacking the tail end of our forces. I dont think its Zygra, however."

"The enemy's air cover is nearly depleted." Levisha added. "But our own is also neatly gone. I have only a few Chimeras left operational."

"Understood." She finished. "Paladin Trogdor, cover our retreat."

"Affirmative." He replied. "I will give you thirty seconds to get clear before I begin my run."

"Good. Jencie out."

She pounded though the jungle, heading back towards the rest of her force. It was regrettable that they had to loose so many chimeras and a few real Zoids, she decided, but at the same time the payoff would be well worth it. Besides, if what Levisha had said was right, then there were plenty more Chimeras for her to 'recruit' from beneath the desert sands.

Still, with what she had found, such machines may be... unnecessary.

To her surprise, the ground in front of her Zoid suddenly erupted into a cloud of dirt and foliage as something burst up form below. She only had an instant to sight her attacker before it opened fire, the Stealth Viper spraying her Zoid with its two head-mounted guns. Several shots pinged off the laser-resistant armour around the Zoid's neck, while a few more actually found their mark and did damage.

Jenice gritted her teeth and returned fire, the impact cannon blasting into the small Zoid at the base of its neck. The Viper reared up, only to receive another pair of blasts in its chest. Closing in, Janice leaped on the enemy Zoid with her own claws. They tore through the Viper's body, shredding its armour and structure, all but decapitating the Zoid. Damaged, the Viper flopped to the ground.

Throttling back her Zoid, Jenice came around to look at the downed machine. As she approached, she could make out an insignia on the side of its head. _A Zygra Paladin! This is a surprise. _A sudden plan formed in the back of her mind, one that would make this trip even more of a success. She bore down on the Viper, her claws slicing through the back of its neck, ripping the head free from the body. Stamping down on it to keep it in place, the Zoid dug its fangs into the side of the Viper's head, lifting it up and holding it in its jaws.

"Welcome to the Red Claw." She commented as she opened up the throttle again. "Don't worry; soon you'll release that you're lucky to be here."

The Zoid accelerated towards the tunnel, as behind it the jungle erupted into a massive inferno, fueled by flames pouring down from the sky above.

oOoOo

Nathan opened fire on the Evo Flyer, his shots narrowly missing the small Zoid as it circled around him. _Damn it, why did oyu have to be so good at what you did, Sturm? _He asked himself as he tried to draw a bead on the enemy Zoid. The Weasel unit fired again, its shots again narrowly streaking past it. _Although..._

There was something odd about the way Sturm was fighting. He had singled Nathan out and attacked him without considering any other targets. That much Nathan had expected. What surprised him was that Sturm was playing a lot less aggressively then the last time they had clashed. This time round, he'd remained in his bird mode, circling and making slashing attacks on his Zoid, rather then the close-in aggressive style he had favored before.

Nathan wondered if it was the Weasel Unit; with it, he had enough firepower to bring down the Evo Flyer in a single volley, which might make anyone nervous. Of course, he was also surprised that Sturm hadn't commented on it yet. By the fact that Nathan was using it meant that he was admitting that Sturm had a point, which the former Paladin would have seen as a victory.

The Evo Flyer wheeled around again, peppering the area with fire. A shot tore through the Godos' flank, shredding the armour over its arm and nearly blasting the limb in half. Grimacing, he stood his ground and returned fire with the array of weapons mounted on the Godos' back pod. A quartet of beams shot through the air, lancing out at the enemy Zoid. Sturm seemed to be ready, twisting the machine around and managing to evade the worst of it. A single beam, however, tore through the enemy Zoid's side, shredding its armour.

Belching smoke from its gaping would, the Evo Flyer abruptly climbed and pulled away from him. The Zoid fired its booster, speeding away form him and retreating above the forest canopy. Rather then chasing after it, Nathan instead immediately turned his attention back to the rest of his force. It was then that he realised how bad the situation was.

The enemy Chimeras had torn into his ground troops, cleaving a bloody path through them. He figured that maybe half the Zoids he'd begun with were still functional, and several of them were damaged. Of the Blackstars, he could see no sign. He knew that they had advanced further into the jungle, leaving his men on their own.

_I should have known that would happen, _he grimly thought as he turned to face another group of Chimeras. _But I will protect my men at all costs._

He leveled his weapons pods and opened fire, all eight barrels spitting shots towards the enemy machines. A quartet of blasts tore into a Demonshead, blasting it apart. Another four struck at Shellkarns, gutting the smaller Zoid and sending its right arm flying off. The Zoid struggled forwards, then collapsed on its face.

"Everyone, fall back behind m." He called out. "We will push forwards, and trey to hook up with the Blackstar units." The Godos strode onwards, beating a path into the jungle, heading after their allies. As one, the remnants of both his and Paladin Trabe's groups fell in behind him, following his lead. He cautiously advanced, keeping one eye on his scope. For now, things seemed to be quiet, the enemy having backed off - at least for now.

His sensors lit up with sudden spikes, detecting several objects putting out an immense about of energy. Glancing around, he could see that the foliage around him was withered and dying, as if the life had been sucked out of it. He'd seen this somewhere before... when the Deadborder and other Blackstar Zoids had opened fire. _This has to be them, _he thought. "Captain Thorne!" He began as he opened up a channel.

"She's not here." A male voice replied. "What do you want?"

He was about to begin his reply, when the worlds exploded around him.

The forest in front of the Blackstar group erupted into flames, the dry, withered plants catching alight in seconds. A massive, rolling fireball swept through the area around them, quickly consuming the forest, generating a veritable wall of fire. The intensity of the fire was such that it caused even the Dark Zoids, normally seemingly invincible weapons of terror, to step back from it.

"What's happening?" Somebody called out.

"We need to withdraw!" The Deadborder's pilot cut in over the channel. "All units, fall back now!"

"What about captain Thorne?" He asked. "As much as he disliked her and the way she acted, he was not going to abandon her. It was his duty to never leave a man behind, no matter who.

"She's on the other side." The Deadborder's pilot continued. "We can't get to her."

"We can't abandon her!" He shouted back.

"She knew her duty and went to fulfill it." He calmly stated. "I am not going to risk any furhter losses trying to retrieve her." The Deadborder backed off from the flames. "I will not loose any men for a... for one person."

_What was that? _He asked himself. _What is it... there's somehting aobut her, something he's not saying. _A pair of Heldiguners slithered past his Zoid, reatreating back from the advancing wall of fire. Glancing aorund, he could see that his own troops wre also falling back, wanting to avoid the flames. _We can't go on. I'm sorry, Ashleigh._

"All units, fall back. We'll try to find another way out of here!"

oOoOo

The wall of fire tore through the jungle in front of Floyd's cockpit, the Gustav only a few meters short of the fiery pillar as it blasted down from the sky. "Sweet Jeebus Flutie!" he called out as he suddenly threw the Zoid's throttle into reverse, desperately trying to avoid the flaming wall that had leaped up in front of him. The Gustav clanked loudly, then began to back up as the fire spread.

"Where the frelling hell did that come from?" Jason yelled out as his Iguan leaped way from the growing flames.

"I dunno!" Leanne called back, her Gunsniper joining his Zoid. "It just came outa nowhere."

Althiea desperately searched around, peering into the flames, trying to make out exactly what was going on. As near as she could tell, the entire world around her had suddenly degenerated into a single, massive inferno. Yet, somewhere out there was the fifth member of their team, lost in the midst of the hellish realm the once green forest had suddenly became.

"What do we do, Floyd?" Jason called out.

"Back off, obviously." He replied. 'Sure as heck I ain't gonna risk getin' fried in there."

"But... but Rayvenne's still in there." Leanne called out.

"And we can't get to her." Jason replied. "We'd bake as soon as we tried."

"But..." Leanne continued. "We can't just leave her there. I ain't about to abandon her."

"There's nothing we can do!" Jason continued. "We need to fall back now, before we go up along with the rest of the forest."

"But-"

"Wait!" Althiea called out. "I have an idea." She looked around the burning forest. "Everyone, back up towards the mountains. We can't get to the exit cave now, but maybe we can find some high ground or some other shelter."

"That's the trick, Altheia!" Floyd called out. "I can use all them fancy magnetic abnormally sensors and stuff that I never use." he sounded almost gleeful.

"Good." She continued. "Jason, Leanne, you two go with him."

"Wait a second!" Jason called out. "What about you?"

The Iron Kong turned back towards the forest. "I'm going back for Rayvenne."

"What?" Jason called out. "You're insane!"

"I can't leave her behind." She continued. "Go! Now!" Before either of them could add anything else, she pushed open the Zoid's throttle. The massive Gorilla Zoid lumbered into the jungle, then suddenly burst into a run, barreling towards the wall of flames. As it approached, its massive boosters fired, propelling the Zoid into the air. Stomping down on the footpedals, Altheia kept them running as long as she could before the Zoid finally came down with a bone-jarring thud.

Glancing around, she could see that she was on the far side of the wall of flames, but they were still spreading. Even inside the air-conditioned cockpit, she could still feel the heat around her Zoid rising. Checking her systems over, she opened up a channel to her downed teammate. "Rayvenne!" She called out. "Where are you?"

"I don't know!" The terrified sounding voice on the other end replied. "There's flames all around me, and they're getting closer!"

"Okay..." Althiea looked over her systems. "Rayvenne, keep the channel open. I'm coming in to get you."

"Please, quickly." She continued, a desperate tone coloring her voice. "I... I'm scared, Ali."

"I understand." Altheia calmly replied. "Anyone would be. Now stay still and don't panic. I'll be there in a minute!"

The Iron Kong broke into a run again, using its sheer size and momentum to crash a path though the forest, racing ahead of the spreading flames behind it. At the same time, however, Altheia could see that the flames were spreading to other parts of the jungle. Whatever had lit up the area in front of them had also torched several other areas. She couldn't begin to imagine why, and didn't want to speculate about it now. She had a job to do.

The Kong leaped up the side of a partially collapsed temple, then fired its boosters as it leaped away from it, sailing through the air before crashing into the jungle itself. Looking around, she could see signs of a recent battle here; damage that been caused by weapons, not by the fire. It made her wonder if there had been someone else here, a third party which had pushed the Red Claw to this course of action.

She felt the heat rising again as her Zoid began to close in on Rayvenne's location. Regardless, she pushed on, desperate to reach her friend before it was to late. As she advanced, however, she could see a second, far larger wall of flames ahead, one that was far bigger then the one she had first leaped over.

_But I must go on. Ravenne's life depends on it._

The Iron Kong thundered forwards, then fired its boosters again. The Zoid sailed up and over, then through the flames. For an instant, the temperature in the cockpit soared as the Zoid was immersed, then landed on the other side. Not deterred, she continued forwards, sighting the downed Sinker.

The situation was worse then she'd initially thought. The right wing of Rayvenne's Zoid was a mangled mess of torn metal, the Zoid clearly in no condition to fly. And the same time, the flames were also closing in on it. While the largest flames were behind her, the area was already insanely hot. Furthermore, it meant that she couldn't go back the way she came.

"Ali?" Rayvenne began. "I... I can't believe it."

"Okay, Ravenne." She replied. "Stay calm. I... I won't be a second." In truth, she realised that she wasn't sure what to do. Ravenne couldn't leave her Zoid; it was far too dangerous, and there were already spot fires starting on the ground around her. She glanced around, looking for an option. Then she thought of one. "This is going to get very bumpy, Rayvenne. Just... sit tight and don't panic."

"Sure, Ali." Ravenne finished, clearly nervous.

Nodding to herself, Althiea walked the Kong over to the downed Sinker. As gently as possible, her Zoid knelt down, picking the smaller machine up in its massive hands. Keeping it in its left hand, and tucking that as close to its body as it could, the Kong stood on its three remaining free limbs. "Ready?"

"Yep." Ravenne replied, trying to sound confident.

"Good. Hold on."

The iron Kong broke into a run, going as fast as it could without using its left arm. As it reached the wall of flames, Althiea again used the boosters to leap over, again feeling the wave of heat as it washed over her. She didn't care, concentrating more on going as fast as she could while keeping her precious cargo intact. The Zoid landed with an awkward thud, warning lights indicating that the right arm had taken too much weight as it came down.

Ignoring them for now, she kept going barreling not back in the direction she had come from, but rather to an altogether separate part of the forest. Looking around, she could see the flames rising, consuming all in their path. To go back now would be suicidal, rather she had to press on and find a place to hide, or ride out the fire. Something came to her mind, but it would not be easy to get to.

Still, it was easier then going back.

More alarms went off as the external temperature began to rise as the flames closed in. She tried to ignore them and concentrate just on keeping moving. She kept the throttle open, pushing the Zoid to its very limits to keep it ahead of the racing flames. Sweat began to pour off her forehead as the cockpit heated up, both from the heat of the flames around her ZOid, and the excess heat its one systems were building up as she continued to push them. Steam poured from the vents on the Zoid's back and sides as they desperately tried to dump all the excess it was building up.

She could see the systems beginning to redline, she could see the heat build up inside the reactor and she could see the warnings coming from the right arm. She tried to ignore them, mentally pushing herself and her Zoid forwards, as if she could lead the machine by sheer force of will alone. More and more warnings sounded, their dire alarms indicating an imminent across-board systems failure unless she stopped to let the Zoid cool off. She didn't care.

Concentrating, she tried to think of every little thing that was happening, every system that was on the brink, and tried to focus on them, as if she could make them stay alive just a little longer. She reached out with her senses, feeling every single gear, every piston, every gyrocap in the Zoids massive body, and drew them in, as if to knit them together and force them to stay together.

And then, for am moment, there was clarity.

The alarms stopped wailing, the red lights stopped flashing, the systems warnings all went green. The Iron Kong surged onwards, barreling its way through the jungle as fast as it could go, seemingly unaffected by the events around it. Instead, it just ran, like some living creature being driven on by as angle guiding urge.

The Zoid reached the base of a large mound, and began scrambling up its side, using both its free hand and its boosters to help it climb. For a few, agonising minutes, it cambered upwards as flames began to lick at the base of the tower. Then, it reached its goal; the ruined temple that sat atop the mountain. The Zoid clambered over it, scrambling through the thick cloud layer that covered most of its bulk, before finally reaching the very summit, well above both the could and the flames.

The Iron Kong stopped, then gently placed the battered Sinker down on the top of the temple. Then the Zoid simply slumped, clunking foreyards on its knuckles, its body settling as if it was tired.

For a moment, the mountain peak was silent. Then, with a barley perceptible creak, the Sinker's canopy opened. Rayvenne clambered out, looking up at the massive Zoid. "Wow." She began. "That was... that was pretty amazing, Ali."

The Iron Kongs cockpit opened, its pilot standing up inside it. She was drenched in sweat, and had a look of almost shock on her face. "It... it was?" Althea gasped out. "I mean... you're okay there, Ravenne?"

"A bit shook up, but yeah." Rayvenne nodded. "Maybe you should put a cargo crane or a spare pair of arms on that thing. You?"

"I'm..." She sat back as she considered everything, trying to explain to herself what had happened there. "I'm fine. Really."

oOoOo

Jaeger impassively watched the feed in the Holotank as the forest was engulfed in flames. He observed the myriad of forms racing through the forest away from the fires as quickly as they could, paying particular attention to the Zoids from the Red Claw as they fled. He wanted to make sure that they made it away before he left. And while he could rely on Fourty-Two to notify him if anything went amiss, he wanted to make absolutely sure, as if by watching events in the holotank he could influence the outcome.

The Red Claw had been mauled in this encounter, loosing several Zoids, a good number of men and a veritable swarm of Chimeras. Their withdrawal, however, had problem that they were still an effective force. The weapons they had used to provide for their escape would serve them well when they chose to escalate the war against the Zygra Empire. And that time would have to be soon. The loss of Feurfuchs was regrettable, but it had been a necessary sacrifice for the good of their operation.

His only regret was that they hadn't attempted to capture either Dr Glass or the female Iron Kong pilot. However, he understood the realities of the situation; when faced with a squad of Blackstars, the priorities shifted. He hadn't anticipated a Blackstar-Zygra alliance. This did raise all sorts of uncomfortable questions, not the least of which was who it would effect the Red Claw's further plans. If this was a temporary alliance for this one operation, then it wouldn't be an issue. If it were a more permanent arrangement, then things would go badly.

He continued watching for a few hours, studying the situation and trying to asses the Claw's strength. He knew that they could easily replace the lost Chimeras, and that the troops went irreplaceable either. _So, assuming_ _that the Zygra-Blackstar situation hasn't changed, then we are on track..._ he thought as he watched them run. _And if this find of Fourty-Two's is what we think it is..._

The voice of the commander interrupted his observations. "Seventy-three, can you come and see me please." He began. "I have something that i wanted to show you."

Reluctantly deactivating the Holotank, Jaeger stepped back into the real world. He headed back into the command center, only to find the commander waiting for him by the entrance. "Reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease." He replied. "Come with me. I have something to show you." He began as he walked back into the lift.

"Did the sample arrive intact?" He asked.

"It did." The Commander continued. "And analysis is beginning now. Early reports suggest that it's the same material as what we needed." He smiled, the scars on the ruined half of his face twisting it into a lopsided grin. "You have done well, Seventy-Three. You and her are to be commended."

"I had to sacrifice one of our agents to accomplish our mission, sir." He admitted.

"I know." The Commander casually dismissed it. "It's a regrettable loss, but it is for the greater good. He gave his life for us, knowing that in death, he could help save this world from itself."

The lift arrived at its destination, the pair of them stepping out They walked along a lengthy catwalk, overlooking a series of massive metal and glass vats. "These machines are a part of that future, Seventy-Three." He continued. "But without the efforts of men like you, we could not fulfill that future. However, that's not what I wanted to show you."

They entered a room at one end of the catwalk, one that was packed with complicated equipment and systems. While Jaeger was devoted to the _Kuroryu-kai's _mission of creating a new age of technology and reason, he himself would have readily admitted that he had very little scientific or technical knowledge. He wouldn't have even begun to guess what most of the equipment was here for.

"I want you to meet one of our top researchers." The commander continued, indicating to a short, wiry man in a labcoat who was attending a collection of scientific equipment. "Agent seventy three, this is Dr Kenji Watanabe, one of our top researchers. It was he who devised the uses for the mineral liquid you've found."

Dr Watanabe turned and nodded to him. "Thank you for your efforts." He began. "If not for you, our project would never be able to succeed. Ax it stands now, we are on the brink of reshaping this world, creating a massive breakthrough in the world of Zoids science."

"You are too kind, Doctor." He replied. "Agent Fourty-Two did all the work."

"None the less, I understand that if not for you, she would not be amongst us today." He finished. "But enough of the pleasantries. I want to show you the fruits of our labours, what my science and your work has yielded." He turned to a wide circular platform in one corner of the room. Standing on it was a humanoid figure, connected to a mass of cables that flowed into both the floor and ceiling.

It was an android, one that was only vaugely humanoid in shape. Its torso was an almost comical spherical shape, with short stubby arms and legs that seemed too small for it. The legs ended in simple slat metal plates that substituted for feet, while the arms ended in crude, three-fingered claws. The head was little more then a sphere on the end of a long neck, and lacked any features save for a trio of red eyes.

"Gentlemen," Watanabe began. "I give you the future of Zoids technology."


	29. Revolution

It had taken hours for the fires to die down, by which point they had consumed everything in the forest. The once green valley had been reduced to a charred black wasteland, with seemingly nothing left alive in it. The ruined buildings, once covered by vines ant trees, now stood out, their soot-caked forms rising above the devastated forest.

It had taken some time, but Altheia and Rayvenne had managed to locate the rest of their group. After confirming that everyone was alive and well, they'd begun a sweep of the valley to see if there was anyone else here, survivors who had been left behind. They were hoping to find a Red Claw pilot so that they could learn more of the Claw's plans and try to figure their next move. Unfortunately, they had been very little to find. Most of the Claw's battlefield casualties had been left where they had fallen; those who hadn't died in the battle had perished afterwards in the fire.

However, they had also managed to acquire a fair deal of salvage from the downed Zoids, which meant that it wasn't a total loss.

They had found one surprising thing, however. A lone Blackstar Zoid, a modified Darkhorn, was in the middle of a clearing. The Zoid was baldy damaged but, ironically, for all the devastation around it, the Zoid had managed to remain untouched by the fire. They'd managed to open the cockpit and retrieve the pilot; she was alive but unconscious. Jason recognised her as being the same woman they'd seen in the bar in Freedom, while both he and Altheia had been able to identify the Zoid.

They'd ended up setting up a small camp in one of the less devastated areas. Their Zoids all needed a lot of work before they would be ready to travel, and the crew needed a lot of rest after the battle. The unconscious Blackstar gave them another reason to rest; they weren't aobut to leave her behind, but at the same time had no other way to move her Zoid. And nobody wanted to be the one to explain to her why they had left it behind.

Rayvenne had quietly commented that she'd rather be stuck in the fire again.

One thing had caught Althea's attention, however. The Blackstar pilot hadn't worn a conventional neuohelmet. Rather, there were a series of cables that connected her Zoid to a port on the back of her neck. This had intrigued Althiea, as it put her in mind of what Floyd had said about Hydra technology.

The pair of them were working on her Zoid, trying to repair some of the extensive damage it had suffered. Many of the Zoid's systems had been pushed to the very limit by her mad dash through the flames, which had only served to make matters worse. It meant that they had a lot of work ahead of them, but, at the same time, it gave them a lot of time to talk. It was something she liked to do.

"A question, Floyd." She began as they both worked on one of its damaged arms. "That BLackstar pilot had some sort of cybernetic interface. installed in her head."

"That she did." He replied. "In fact, they all do. They say it makes them better, but I've found that it turns them into mass-murdering serial puppy kickers."

"The thing is..." She continued. "I wonder, is it like the system that you told me about?"

"Yes and no, young Padawan." He offered. "It's similar in that it's a piece of highly advanced and sophisticated cybernetic equipment that interfaces directly with your own mind. It's different in that while what they have is a secialised interface designed for controlling a Zoid, what you posses is a specialized communications system."

"A communication system?" Now she was curious. "But... then what does it communicate with?"

"Ah." Floyd paused. "Now that... that's a long story."

oOoOo

**Revolution**

oOoOo

_Outside Redridge_

_Hydra Protectorate, the Wastelands_

_1423 Hours_

"Pull back!" Zygra yelled to his men as his Genobreaker's quad cannons fired. "There's too many of them. Fall back to the town and we'll try to hold there!" The shots scored the armour off the front of a Protobreaker, scoring its chest and flanks. Despite the damage the Zoid kept coming.

"That's not going to be easy!" Dezalg shouted over the roar of his Gojulas Mk II's Supercannons. "They're pulling around our flanks... they're getting us pretty much hemmed in." The cannons fired again, the shots blasting into the same Zoid as Dezalg had targeted. The supercannons' effect was far more devastating, blasting into the enemy machine and tearing its body apart. The Protobreaker was lifted off its feet, then crashed to the ground, its right side little more then a smoking wreck.

No sooner was the enemy Zoid down then more took its place. A pair of identically modified Saber Tigers, each sporting a long-range cannon and heavy armour over their faces, leaped over the Protobreaker's ruins and opened fire on the pair of them. One of the shots struck his Genobreker's side. Scoring amour off one of the X-Breakers. Checking his damage displays, he could see that the unit was still functioning, but it couldn't last too much longer.

Grunting to himself, he fired the Breker's booster, leaping away from the pair of oncoming Zoids. He fired the smaller cannons again, but the Hydra pilot was ready, bounding out of his way. As the Tiger moved, it swiveled its cannon and fired again, the shot striking the Breaker on its leg, just above the weapons pod. The Zoid shook, but remained standing.

_Powerful hit, _Zygra thought as he tried to track the target. _These Saber Tigers are a new type, and they seem to be packing bigger weapons then normal. More Hydra designs, I see. _In the six months since his defection, Hydra's designers seemed to have gone intro overdrive in dreaming up new weapons systems and Zoid designs. Zygra could understand why, however. His rebellion had stirred things up to a degree, and had changed the face of the war.

Since the liberation of Gayos, Zygra had managed to build a small army of freed prisoners, and had armed them with machines that had been impounded by Hydra awaiting disposal or rebuilding. They had then marched on several towns around Gayos, liberating them from Hydra's control. Zygra had specifically targeted areas where he knew there were other prison camps. His reasoning was twofold; not only did they free large numbers of people from their slavery, but they were also denying Zygra their workforce.

Their attack on Redridge a few days ago had followed the same basic plan. The town had fallen rather easily, the Hydra forces putting up only a token resistance before fleeing. The reason had become apparent half an hour ago, when a large Hydra force had attacked them, trying to trap them in the town before they could become too established.

He wheeled the Breaker around, opening fire again with the quad cannons on the enemy Tiger Zoid. This time he had a little more luck, the shots ripping into the Tiger's side. The enemy Zoid staggered, damaged but still standing. Swinging its rifle around, it opened fire again, but Zygra was ready for it. He fired the thrusters, the Breaker taking to the air and leaping over the shot.

The Breker powered forwards, roaring loudly as it charged in on the Hydra Zoid. It slammed into the enemy Machine, sending it sprawling to the ground, the black and red breaker landing ext to it. Before the Saber could get up, the X-Breakers lunged forwards, grabbing the Saber's body in their massive claws. The claws snapped shut, tearing into and crushing the Saber's body, before literally ripping it aprt in a spray of shredded components.

The second modified Saber turned to face Zygra's Zoid, leveling its cannon at it. Before it could fire, however, the Tiger was hammered by a volley of shots. Dezalg's Gojulas, as well as a number of other Zygra Zoids opened fire on the Saber, riddling it with shots. The Saber collapsed under the force of the blows, its body riddled with shots.

"Thanks for that." Zygra called back. "Now lets get back to-"

A single shot rang out, followed by a Dramadon next to Zygra's Zoid bucking and collapsing. "Sniper!" Dezalg called out, a moment before the first shells rained down. "Damn, there's more of them?"

As if in reply to his question, a second wave of Zoids crested the hill, charging down towards Zygra's position. Most of them were the usual standard Hydra Zoids; Dark Poisons, Cerberus Wolves and Stealth Sacks, but there were others in amongst their numbers. The wave of Hydra Zoids charged forwards, opening fire en-masse on Zygra's formation.

"Pull back!" He yelled out again, the Genobreaker pouring fire into a squad of approaching Zoids. "Everyone, get back!"

A blue and purple Genosaurer leaped over the ridge, pouring missiles from a quartet of launchers in its flanks. The missiles rained down on Zygra's group, slamming into the Zoids around him. Weaving its way through the return fire, the Genosaurer landed gracefully, then opened fire with the twin cannons mounted on its back.

The shots struck the Genobreker in the side, slamming into its already damaged knee. The Zoid shifted, but managed to remain standing despite the damage. Firing the thrusters, he spun the Breaker around, bringing its guns to bear on the enemy machine. The quartet to cannons fired, their beams lashing out at the enemy Zoid. However, his opponent was again to fast for him, the enemy Zoid narrowly twisting out of the path of the blast. Two of the shots skimmed off the Genosaurer's hull, scoring its armour, while the others went wide. _He's good, _Zygra thought as he wheeled around, trying to track it.

The enemy Zoid broke into a run, twisting its cannons to track his Geno Breaker while staying out of his firing arc. The two cannons fired, the shots again slamming into the Breaker's damaged knee. Red lights flashed on acorss Zygra's controls as the Breaker stumbled, its leg damaged. He hastily bought up the Breaker's e-shield as he used the thrusters to follow the Genosaurer, several shots bouncing off it.

Seeing a chance, he dropped the shield and opened fire again with his cannons. The shots struck home, gouging out armour on the enemy Zoid's flanks. However, they weren't enough to stop it. The blue Genosaurer surged forwards, firing its twin cannons again. With uncanny precision, the shots struck the Genobreeaker's damaged leg again, knocking the machine down.

_I can't move! _Zygra thought to himself as he looked over the damage display. _I can use the thrusters, but landing on them... _he checked the Zoid's systems. The Breaker was still online, but immobilized unless he could get it standing again. Glancing at the blue Genosaurer, he could see that wasn't about to happen. The Zygra machine stomped forwards, roaring as it approached him. _What now? Do they want me as a prisoner, or just dead?_

The Genosaurer reared back to strike, its jaws open. Then, abruptly the whole Zoid shook as if a large weight had dropped on it. To Zygra's considerable surprise, long gashes appeared in the enemy Zoid's flank, seemingly from nowhere. The Genosaurer roared out in pain, thrashing around as suddenly the armour on the back of its neck bucked and then shredded, as if some unseen force had suddenly ripped a portion out of it. The Zoid staggered then collapsed, the damage to the back of its neck making it clear that it was no longer functional.

_What the hell was- _he began, but was cut off by the high-pitched whistle of incoming shells. A literal rain of shots tore across the Zygra ranks, blasting many of the smaller Zoids apart. The Hydra lines suddenly disintegrated into chaos as more shots rained down on them.

"What's going on?" He began.

"Sensors are getting another squad of Zoids inbound." Dezalg shouted back. "No idea who's they are though."

"Whoever they are, they're clearly on our side." He replied, eyeing the downed Genosaurer. "All units, hold your positions!"

A force of Zoids charged into the Hydra ranks, literally crushing their right flank. A Redhorn, Command Wolf AC and Black Rhimos lead the charge, while a Dibison backed them up with its mortars. The ground under one Sack Stinger erupted in a cloud of dirt, the Zoid being literally thrown aside as a Heldigunner emerged in the midst of the Hydra ranks, further throwing them into chaos.

The Hydra lines wavered and then broke under the onslaught, enemy Zoids turning and running rather then risking further conflict with the new attackers. The newcomers continued to strike at them, pouring fire into their enemies as they turned and fled. More then a few Zoids were cut down as they went, other damaged and limping off.

Bringing the Genobreaker into a crouch, Zygra looked around at the sea of carnage that covered the area. The wreckage of ruined Zoids, both his own and Hydra's, littered the battlefield. There were far more of the enemy, however, an outcome that was only a result of the intervention of this third group. "Whoever you are, I thank you for the assistance." He called out over the PA system.

The air in front of his Zoid rippled and then shifted as a new form emerged. He recongised it as being a Shield Liger, but had never seen one with the ability to turn invisible before. Looking over it, he could see the pilot inside; a one-eyed, scarred woman. "Yeah, well we're happy to see you too." She replied. "Anyone who's making life that much of a hairy load for those Hydra tools deserves some help."

"You have me at a disadvantage, I must admit." He spoke up. "I have no idea who you are."

"Sandra Blackmore." She offered. "We are, or at least, were before we got tooled over by one of our former bosses, the Wastelands Protectors. But now we're sort of a bunch of guys who go around tooling Hydra wherever possible."

"So we have a common enemy." He continued.

"Damn right we do." Sandra nodded. "I'm proposing that your forces and mine could work together to further Jeff them. I think that-"

"DOWN!" A female voice called out. There was a single loud crack before either pilot could respond and then, for a moment, silence. The dead air was punctuated by a clattering from a pile of rocks, and then a loud crashing noise as a Zoid keeled over, dropping from its ledge. The machine looked like nothing as much as a hybrid of Rev Rapter and Snipemaster, which somebody had chosen to add a rather outré, Dark Spiner-style sail to.

"All clear." The voice added. A moment later, a Gunsniper hopped out form behind a rock.

"As I said, Mr Zygra, we're here to help." Sandra continued.

oOoOo

_Pinnacle Base Command Center_

_Hydra Protectorate, The Wastelands_

_0945 hours_

John Shepard looked over the strategic map, a grimace on his face. He studied the latest reports of the activities of the rebels, updating their positions accordingly. They were nowhere near Pinnacle yet but, at the same time, the amount of area they controlled was certainly a cause for alarm. In just one month, they had gone from a nuance to a severe threat, one that he could no longer afford to ignore.

_We left them for far too long, _he thought. _We should have crushed them outright when this whole thing began. _He'd advocated the idea, but it had been quashed by the other members of Hydra. Their forces had more pressing matters to deal with in the UZN and Draken empire, which meant that they couldn't spare frontline troops. And he had been assured at the time that the local defense forces would be more then enough to deal with the situation.

_But then, it was the defection of members of those same forces that started all this, _he mentally added.

"Is there a problem, Sho-Sa?" Watanabe asked as he walked over to the display.

"Yes there is." He muttered. "This situation has been allowed to go too far out of control. It is going to take a lot of work to bring things back on track."

"Hai" Watanabe replied. "And our overall situation?"

"Would be good if not for this development, actually." He admitted. "And yet, here we are, running the risk of everything falling apart if we do not do anything." He shook his head. "By the great one..." he added, under his breath.

"Sho-Sa?"

"Nothing, Watanabe." he continued. "Hydra will prevail, of that much I am certain." He shook his head. "We will overcome this, as we have done everything in the past."

"Hai. The Hydra shall not be defeated." Taro replied. "Instead, it shall regrow and strike anew."

"Indeed it will, Taro. We are undefeatable; many minds working to one purpose."

_Shepard, I need to speak to you now. _The voice of the Great One suddenly entered his mind, interrupting his thoughts. _The situation is imperative._

_Yes, Great One. _He replied. _I will join you immediately. _He turned back to Taro. "We must plan to deal with this situation. You are in command until I return."

"Hai!" He replied, sir a salute.

Turning, John walked out of the command center, instead heading to his private quarters off the main office. Restively small, it was still bigger then most of the other barracks rooms in the base, and came equipped with a gorgeous view over the desert, albviet one that could be concealed with armored blast shutters if needs be. Sitting behind his desk, he closed his eyes, letting his conciseness leave his body.

After a moment, he opened his eyes to find his virtual image in the unreal conference room used by the other Hydra Leaders. Glancing around, he could see that he was not alone; every other of Hydra's leaders had been gathered here in one place. It was an unusual occurrence; there was usually very little need for everyone to attend a single meeting. Usually the Great One handed out orders to regional commanders or even individual units.

_But now the situation has changed, _he thought to himself. _Now we face a serious threat, more then just the rabble remnants of the UZN and Empire. The whole landscape of this war has altered, and we must adapt to it. _He glanced across the assembled heads of the Hydra organisations, singling out certain individuals. Key amongst them was Commander Eboflak, the leader of A-X and formerly Shepard's own commander. He had always been puzzled as to why Eboflak had been chosen to be a part of Hydra, but he knew that the Great One must have had a perfectly good reason.

Even more puzzling was another man, Bryan Taupe. A social activist and believer in peaceful unification of the Wastelands, to Shepard's eyes he had no place in amongst the military men that made up the bulk of Hydra's leadership. And while his presence had bought over the bulk of the Wastelands Protectors, Shepard had to wonder what else he was contributing. Especially now, given that the rebellion that was such a threat to them had occurred in the territories he was meant to be supervising.

"I apologise for dragging you all away from your valuable work." the Great one began as he materialised inside the chamber. The slender, androgynous man walked towards the virtual table that was its centerpiece, a map of the Shelflands resolving as he approached. "However, this is a matter of considerable urgency, one that requires our full attention."

He passed his hands across the map, a wave of colour spreading across it. A massive green section dominated the map, covering over two-thirds of it. Red and blue dominated either end and a few pockets, but they were small and far between. "This is our situation as it stood six months ago." He began. "We dominated the continent from one end to another. Few stood against us. Both the Empire and the UZN were on the verge of collapse."

He waved his hands over the table again. The colours shifted, the blue and red both contracting and expanding, especially as several smaller pockets joined up. More importantly, a livid purple blotch began to spread across the center of the map. "And this is how things stand now. This little rebellion has cost us greatly, my friends. It has slowed our advance, distracting our troops from what would have otherwise been our final victory."

He glanced over the map. "The UZN's command structure has all but disintegrated. The Drakken Emperess is presumed dead. Their armies are exhausted and collapsing in on themselves. We should be striking the final blows to finish them off and free their people from tyranny. Instead, we are forced to turn in on ourselves, to deal with a problem that should never have existed in the first place."

_How very true, _Shepard thought. _We should not need to do this. The problem should have been rubbed out at the source, not left to grow like some malignant cancer. _He shook his head.

"This situation is unforgivable." He continued. "Hydra's mission is to bring freedom and security to the peoples of the Shelflands. Yet we cannot do this if these malcontents are allowed to prosper. Several other groups of radicals and reactionaries have been allowed to join these rebels, including the remnants of the rebellious Wastelands Protectors" He glanced at Taupe.

"Mister Taupe, you were the one who was charged with ending this rebellion. You also were charged with eliminating the remnants of the Protectors. Yet you have managed to do neither." The Great one continued. All eyes in the room turned towards Taupe, who seemed to visibly shrink. "Is there any reason why you have not done such?"

"I..." Taupe began. "I felt that by negotiating with the insurgents then we could create a peaceful solution, one that would prevent further bloodshed." he stammered out. "I felt that, uh, heavy-handed tactics would fail to win anon over. After all, uh, Hydra's mission is to bring peace and prosperity to all, isn't it?" He seemed to be making this up on the fly, as if he was farming for excuses.

"While we do have that noble mission, you have severely misunderstood the way we shall execute it." the Great One continued. "Those who oppose the new order shall be rooted out and eliminated. Any disruptive elements that threaten the stability of the new world cannot be tolerated." His eyes narrowed. "That you have allowed this rebellion to prosper for six months is unacceptable, Taupe. Added to the fact is that the rebel Protectors had survived for over three years previously, and one has to question your fitness for your position."

"Great One, I..." he began. "I meant to... that is to say-"

And then, just as suddenly, his image froze mid speech. For a few seconds, it stood there like a statue, and then abruptly vanished. For a moment, there was silence before the Great One spoke again. "Shepard, you have been one of my best officers since the start of this war." He began. "I will place you in charge of suppressing this rebellion. Your troops will seek out and destroy it, and utterly eradicate it form the face of this world. Do not rest until they are gone. The fate of our new world depends on you."

He bowed. "Your will, my life, great one."

The room faded then vanished, replaced moments later with his own quarters. Shepard waited a few minutes to orientate himself, to refocus on his body. Every time he took part in one of these conferences, it happened, but of late it seemed that the amount of disorientation afterwards was getting longer and longer. Dismissing it, he stood and headed out to the main briefing room.

"Captain Watanabe, prepare all troops for redeployment." He began. "We have been tasked with ending this rebellion for once and for all."

"Yes, sir." Watanabe replied. "It will be good to end this stain on our new order."

He nodded. "Contact Councilor Taupe and have him prepare to receive our troops. And we'll want all the information they has on the enemy forces."

"There is a problem with that, Major." Taro replied.

"What is this?" John snarled. He didn't like the unexpected. He was a meticulous planner, one who liked to know every detail of what was about to occur. The last thing he wanted to deal with was internal strife within Hydra. "Has Taupe tried to block our takeover of the situation?"

"No, sir." He replied. "Taupe has just died. I was informed only moments before the end of your meeting, Sho-Sa."

_Just died? But I was talking to him in the conference... _He remembered the way that Taupe's image had suddenly frozen and then vanished in the middle of his speech. He'd thought that he'd simply been disconnected. _And to have just been discovered... it would have had to have happened during the meeting. _"How did he die?"

"They are not entirely sure, sir." Taro admitted. "But it appears that, well, his head exploded. From the inside out."

_It... exploded? But how? _He asked himself. Then he rubbed the back of his own head, remembering the implanted circuitry. _Could it be that it was connected to this system? _"A regrettable loss, but one that will not effect our overall progress." He eventually finished. "Taro, once we are done here, however, I'm interested in your doing some research for me."

"Sho-Sa?"

"I'm curious as to the exact nature of the system that I and the other Hydra commanders use to communicate. I'm hoping that your scientific knowledge may be able to help."

"I shall do what I can, Sho-Sa." He said as he saluted.

"Very good. For now, however, we have other concerns." _And when these rebels face me, they will wish that they had surrendered to Taupe's pitiful terms._

oOoOo

_Lone Tree Hill_

_Western Front, The Wastelands_

_1700 hours_

"Frel this for a lark." Sandra muttered as she surveyed the battlefield. "I'm getting sick to death of victories like this."

"Yeah, but look on the upside. " Rick replied. "This one actually achieved something."

"I guess so." She muttered as she looked over it again. Below her was a torn and cratered field, littered with the mangled and burnt-out wrecks of innumerable Zoids, as well as the bodies of their pilots and other support forces. Several Gustavs moved amongst them trying to recover any salvageable machines, while field medics did what they could for the surviving pilots. It was a grim situation and, sadly, one that they were very used to.

In the last six months, the Hydra opposition to Zygra's rebel coalition (For want of a better title, Sandra had always thought) had become a lot more determined. They'd gone form merely responding to their attacks to launching preemptive strikes of their own, striking at Zygra's and the territory that they'd claimed. They'd also become a lot more ruthless, often attacking civilian settlements merely to draw Zygra's forces out. And while, for the moment they maintained the upper hand, their losses were mounting. Hydra, on the other hand, enjoyed far greater resources, and could keep up this style of warfare a lot longer then Zygra could.

Which is why today's battle had been so important and, despite the mess on the battlefield, it had been a significant victory.

A Koenig Wolf, battered but still functional, walked over to the pair of them. Though its armour was scored, the UZN insignias were still clearly visible on its shoulders. All up, it didn't look too bad, given that it had been in the field for something like four years, and had likely seen action against the Draken army before that. That it had survived this long through so much was a testament to the pilot's skill and ability. The fact that he had managed to keep a portion of his unit alive said even more about him.

_And you know that this isn't going to be easy, _Sandra mentally added.

The Wolf's cockpit opened, its pilot clambering out to join her and Rick. She instantly recongised him, despite the fact that it had been something like four years since she had last spoken to him, and longer still since she had last seen him in person. _Which, of course, makes it even worse. _She shook her head. _Life is just perfect like this, you know._

"Colonel Tateo." She began as he approached. "So good to see you again."

"We're friend, Sandra." He began. "You can just call me Tsueno."

"Sure." She smirked as she looked over him. There were liens on his face that hadn't been there before, and certainly he'd lost weight, but he otherwise looked to be surprisingly close to how he'd been when she last saw him. She knew that the same wasn't the case for herself. She'd managed to gain a few new scars in the last few years, and knew that there was more then just a touch of grey in her formerly thick black hair. "Either way, I'm happy. And me being happy, well, that's rare enough to be a calendar event."

Tsueno smiled and nodded. "And good to see you too, Rick." He added.

"Yeah, well, what can i say?" Rick shrugged. "We're all lucky to be alive, so I guess its goes to see anyone."

"More then that, its good to know that all that I've heard about this uprising is true." He continued.

"Well, not all of it." Sandra indicated at the debris-strewn battlefield. "We're nowhere near as successful as they'd have you believe."

"Regardless, it opens up another front, and forces Hydra to turn inwards. This in turn relives the pressure off us, which is something that we badly need."

"That good, huh?" Sandra asked. "We don't get much but second hand news here. I put it down to our intelligence gathering service, which basically amounts to leaning into conversations in bars and saying 'can you speak up a bit, please?'"

Tsuneo managed a small chuckle off that. "That good, huh?" He shook his head. "But the sad fact is that the UZN's armies are on the verge of collapse. Our command structure is barely holding together, and our supplies are critically low. We can barely keep our men fed and our Zodis going, and a single big push could easily split us and shatter us. You've been holding that big push back."

"So how are the Draks going?" She asked.

"We know very little, and they're not talking." He shook his head again. "Their armies seem to be in the same shape as ours, and there's reports that Empress Fyre is dead or missing or both. But we don't really know for sure; for every report that says she was killed, there's another one of her heroically leading the troops form the front. So basically we need to figure whose propaganda is less untrue."

"Nice." She smirked.

"Damn, why do i have this image of the Zombies of Emperors past suddenly riding up to smite the evil invaders?" Rick began.

"Because you're an idiot." Sandra replied.

"Probably." He smiled, then glanced at the pair of them. "Tell you what, I'll go and, uh, look over my Zoid's power couplings. I think that they're faulty or something. Yeah."

"At any rate, this is literally the break we need." Tsuneo continued. "Linking up with you guys means we can cut off and encircle Hydra groups, and hopefully begin to push them back. Its a major breakthrough for us."

"It gets better." Sandra offered. "What you many not have heard is that the Zygra rebellion started in what was basically a labour camp and since then we've been freeing other camps. In doing such, we're undercutting Hydra's supply lines. Trust me, it makes a difference."

"I have noticed that they've been a bit more conservative with their battle planning." He commented. "I thought it was just the fact that they had to divert forces."

"Glad to know it's having some benefit for you." She shook her head. "Because thy seem to like throwing everything they have at us. Maybe we're just that popular."

"It could be." Tsuneo finished.

Sandra smiled ruefully. "Okay, let's stop messing around here." She began. "You're here to see the big man. More to the point, you're here to see him so the UZN can form some sort of working alliance to save their collective bony rear ends."

"This much is true."

"And as nice as it is to stand around and gasbag all day, you've got work to do." She finished. "So get on with it, please."

"Sandra?" He asked. "You okay there?"

"Fine." She muttered as she shrugged. "As nice as it is to see you again... its just not the right time for socialising." She shook her head. "And you have both a job to do and a planet to save." She turned around, gesturing at a group of tents set up on one side of the battlefield. A battered red and black Genobreaker, a Zoid that had become almost a symbol of the rebellion, was standing next to them. "He's down there."

"Thanks Sandra." Tsuneo replied as he walked past her. "For everything."

"Yeah." She finished after he was gone. "And thanks." Sandra smiled to herself.

oOoOo

_Shelf Ridge_

_Acronian Republic_

_0230 Hours_

After the Acronians had left the UZN on the eve of their war with the Draken Empire, they had retreated and resumed their old isolation by sealing themselves off form the outside world. While initially some in the UZN believed that they would eventually come round, the Acronians had shown that they were determined to seal themselves off by erecting a series of massive force domes over their cities. Seemingly impenetrable, the domes had resisted all efforts to penetrate them. The Acrionians hadn't even responded to the handful off attempts the UZN had made, confident in the superiority of their technology. Giving up, the UZN had decided to let them be.

In the aftermath of the initial Hydra assault, the UZN once again turned its attention to the Acronians. This time, survivors from the government had come begging and pleading, hoping that the Acronians would unleash some of their technological terrors aginst the invaders. Again the Acronians had remained silent. However, at the same time, Hydra hadn't tried to attack them either. In fact, Hydra's forces seemed to have deliberately given as wide a berth to the Acronian republic as possible.

This had led to a trend where UZN forces would try to escape from their opponents by simply entering the Acronian's territory and try to get as close to one of the domes as possible. While they couldn't get in, it at least allowed them to rest and find some measure of shelter. On occasion, a small Hydra hunter group would follow them in and try to dislodge them. While it meant that the Acrionain Republic provided only a temporary shelter, it was better then nothing.

Communications Sergeant Bob was the acting commander of one such group. He'd been separated from the rest of his unit during a battle and wound up instead collecting a group of other displaced troops following him. Not all of them were regular UZN forces either; some were form the UZSAF, some form the RCFA and even a few grim-faced survivors form the Cronos Militia. They'd made him the leader because he was the highest ranked member, and had the most experience. This was less then reassuring.

On the upside, he hadn't seen that idiot Starling since the initial Hydra attacks, which meant that things were not all bad.

His unit had taken refuge inside Acronian territory for the moment, using it as a chance to rest up and repair some of their more damaged Zoids. Despite the successes being enjoyed by the UZN forces and their allies, those Zygra guys, the war was far from won. Often, small units like his had to do whatever it took to just stay alive. It wasn't an easy life, so any breaks were appreciated.

Because his Zoid had the best sensors and, more to the point, he was the only electronic warfare specialist in the whole unit, Bob had the unenviable job of leading their night watch. While most of the unit slept, he and a handful of others were up and about, making sure that no Hunter-Killer units snuck up on them.

Fortunately, it had been quiet. That was something that Bob liked. He preferred it to be quiet. He preferred it when there was nobody around. Frankly, he'd be happy if Hydra surrendered tomorrow and he never ever needed to see action in his life. Dull and boring was the way he liked it. And fortunately, so far, their little holiday in Acronia had been just that.

_Two-thirty am and nothing happening, _he thought to himself as he checked the Gorheks' sensors. _Good. Maybe we'll stay here just a little longer then. _He knew that his unit would be useful helping out at the front but, for now, he was content to have a well-deserved break. Besides, he wasn't sure how much nine Zoids could actually achieve.

His thoughts were interrupted by a beep form the sensors, warning of an inbound target. _Ah hell, _he thought. _Not now... _He looked over the scope, spotting the enemy Zoid as it approached. it looked to be mid-sized and moving reasonably fast, probably the better part of 200 klicks per. More ominously, it wasn't registering on his IFF. While he could tell it wasn't friendly, it also may not have necessarily been a Hydra Zoid. _And its very odd for them to send a single Zoid..._

"All units," he called over the comms channel. "We have an inbound unidentified Zoid. Stand by to intercept, but do not fire until I order it or unless fired upon." He didn't want to take any risks and start a fight; at the same time, he wasn't prepared to be completely undefended.

"Roger that" One of his men replied, their Arosaurer puling up alongside his Zoid. "We're ready for them."

"Good." Bob nodded as he checked his scope again. The Gorheks' sensors analysed the Zoid, deducing that it was apparently a Command Wolf. More to the point, it deduced that it was a very early model Command Wolf, a version that had long since been superseded and was now almost never seen. "That's odd... I don't think he's a Hydra Zoid."

"Then what is it?" Someone asked.

"I'm not sure. But stay alert." He finished.

Moments later, the enemy Zoid bolted across the nearest hill, suddenly turning and running across the lien of his unit. It was clear that the enemy pilot wasn't hostile; they'd just exposed themselves to fire form his entire squad without attacking themselves. At the same time, through his Zoids light enhancement systems, he could see that it was indeed an old-model Command Wolf; furthermore, it was very battered and worn.

"Who are you?" He called out. "Identify yourself!"

"I cannot wait!" A voice replied. It sounded odd to Bob's ears, being very flat and metallic, like a voice synthesizer more then anything else. "My mission is too important!"

The Zoid belted away from Bob's team, dashing up a hill. "The hell?" Bob began. "He's heading for the dome!" He opened up the Gorheks throttle. "He won't make it in!" The Zoid stomped after the Command Wolf, trying its best to keep up but instead rapidly falling behind. "Hey! Come back here! They're not going to let you in!"

Below him, the Wolf charged headlong towards the dome. Bob was convinced that it was going to strike the dome and explode or just bounce off or something like that. There was no way that the Wolf would be able to break through it. Instead, however, something very odd happened. A portal opened at the base of the dome, just big enough for the Zoid to enter through. Then, as soon as it was inside, it closed shut again.

"What... the hell was that?" He began to himself.

"Sarge?" The Arosaurer's pilot asked. "Where'd the Wolf go?"

"I have no idea." He finished, shaking is head.

"You don't think it was..." The Arosaurer pilot began. "Well, you know..."

There were legends that the Shelf Ridge was haunted by the sprits of the thousands of UZN solders who had died here during the Technology Wars. Some said that their ghosts lived on, ripped form their bodies by the horrible technologies that the Acronians had employed. Bob had never believed in that, thinking that it was nothing but suppositious nonsense. "Stop being silly, Soldier." He replied.

"So what should we do?"

"We shall wait." He replied. "And continue our refit period. Until, uh, we're ready to go."

"Yes, sir." The Arosaurer pilot finished, the two Zoids headed back to the camp.

For the rest of the night, nothing further happened. Nor did anything occur during the day while Bob was resting and everyone else worked on their Zoids. In fact, as he got back to his job of the night watch, Bob was ready to pass it off as some sort of freak occurrence or maybe a delusion bought about by all that he'd been through and a lack of sleep. It'd be easy enough to believe that the Command Wolf had never been there at all.

And then, almost twenty-four hours after the Wolf appeared, his sensors went crazy.

The first thing that happened was an immense heat spike that patently came from inside the Acronian dome. Moments later, the ground began to shake underneath his Zoid's feet. While the quadruped Gorheks remained stable, the two Arosaurers with him shook and stumbled, only barly able to retain their footing.

"What's happening?" Someone called out. "Is it an earthquake? Are we under attack?"

"I don't know!" Bob shouted back. "There's stuff all over my scope. Its going crazy here!"

"It's an attack!" Another voice shouted out. "Goddamn Hydra's gonna nuke us all!"

"Just... stay calm!" Bob shouted, even though he was about to panic himself. "Stay calm and- the dome!"

The massive green dome that covered the nearby Acronian city has begun to drop, peeling back from its very peak and slowly rolling down to the ground. In the distance, he could see other domes doing the same. "What... what is this?" Somebody asked. Bob couldn't answer; he was staring in slack-jawed amazement.

"Sarge, what do we do?"

"Guh?"

"Sarge?"

"Umm..." He began, then was cut off as his sensors went crazy again. There was a massive burst of light, and a thick cloud of smoke bellowing up form within the nearby Acronian city, followed by some immeasurably large object lifting from the ground on a pillar of smoke and flames. It was so big, that its radar return flooded the scope, overwhelming everything around it. Not that Bob noticed, he was to busy staring up at it in awe. "What... what is it?"

The massive object, and others like it, rose into the night. Bob watched them for as long as he could before, even with their massive bulk, they became too small and too indistinct to see. Even then, he remained looking at the sky, watching it to see what else may happen.

And then the sky burst into flames.

Massive explosions rippled across the heavens. Brilliant beams of energy criss-crossed each other, stabbing at unseen targets. And objects fell from the sky, tracing fiery trails across the night before burning up. The battle (for that's what Bob assumed it was) continued on until dawn; then the light of the sun blotted out anything going on above. Despite that, he had no idea if it was over, or merely continuing unseen to those below.

"Sarge?" One of his men finally asked. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know." He replied. "Really, I don't."

oOoOo

_Westreach Command Center_

_Hydra Protectorate, The Wastelands_

_1130 Hours_

John Shepard sat up, shaking his head and looking around the room, trying to make out exactly where he was. The first thing he could see was Taro Watanabe standing over him, clad in a long red labcoat. "Ah, Sho-Sa. You are awake."

"Awake?" He began. "What happened?" As his vision cleared, he realised where he was, being the infirmary in the heart of his command center at Westreach. "And when did I get here?"

"You collapsed two days ago, Major Shepard." Taro continued.

"I did?" He asked. "That... doesn't make any sense." He tried to remember what was going on. His mind seemed leaden and dull, and recent details were very hazy. "What was going on?"

"You had ordered us to go to ready stations and prepare for immediate action." Taro explained. "Due to what was happenign in the sky."

"The sky?"

"The strange lights." He continued. "Then you abruptly collapsed in the middle of the command center. We rushed you here."

"I vaguely recall that..." John nodded. He did recall an urgent warning coming across their special communications system about an imminent large scale attack, and all Hydra forces being needed for... something. But there was no indication of where the attack was coming from or what was being attacked. And while both the rebel forces and the surviving aggressors had been gaining in both strength and numbers, there was no way they could launch an attack across Hydra's entire front, especially with nobody knowing.

And then it all went blank.

"So what has happened since then?" He asked.

"We have been on standby awaiting your orders." Taro offered. "Or orders from anyone else."

"And?"

"None have come." Taro shook his head. "Communications have been silent since then at about the point that you collapsed. We haven't heard anything from any of the other members of Hydra since then."

"Nothing at all?" he began. "But..."

"There is one other matter, Major." Taro continued. "While you were unconscious, I took a number of readings of the cybernetic implants that you received, and compared them to my earlier findings. What I found was rather odd."

"Explain."

"The system inside your head is inert, Major." He explained. "It is no longer functioning in any way. It is no longer powered, and is not sending or receiving data. Furthermore, while i was never able to locate an exact point of origin for the data that was being sent to it, that dataflow has also since ceased. Whereas before it was operational continuously, apparently, being piggybacked though Hydra's high-end communication channels, the system is now completely nonfunctional."

"So what you are saying is that I have been cut off from the network, correct?"

"Ahi, Sho-Sa." He nodded. "However, I believe that there is more then just that."

"Go on."

"Hydra's entire command network appears to be dead." He continued. "I have lost communication with all other Hydra systems and facilities. Even my back doors into the Pinnacle Base computer system are no longer reachable. In essence, Hydra's entire command structure has been decapitated and removed."

"I see." He nodded. "This is indeed a grave development." Shepard pondered matters. "Get me a communications channel though secondary sources. I want to see if I can asses the situation for myself."

"Sho-Sa, I have already planned for such a need." He indicated to a bedside table which had a commns terminal mounted on it. "Our full resources are at your disposal."

"Thank you, Taro. You are truly an asset to our organisation."

"I love only to serve you, Major."

_As I do for the great one, _he mentally added. But now it was less a repetition of fact, and more of a need to reassure himself.

He activated the communicator, keying in several commands. "Last I heard, the Eisenwulf were the nearest other group to our own being assigned to aid us in the hunting down and extermination of the rebels. Let us see what their status is."

The monitor remained blank for a moment before activating, the face of a young man on the screen. "Y-yes?" He nervously began.

"Is this the Eisenwulf command center?" Shepard demanded.

"Yes it is, and-"

"I need to speak to commander Albion immediately." He snapped.

"That will not be possible." Another voice cut off. A red-haired man walked in, pushing aside the technician. "Commander Albion is indisposed at the moment."

_Indisposed? _He wondered. _Or completely incapacitated as well? Let us see. _"I require to speak to her on a mater of great urgency." He continued.

"Commander Albion is currently undergoing treatment after a recent illness."

"Very well then." He continued. "As she ins incapacitated, I will take command of your forces."

"On who's authority?" The man demanded.

"For the benefit of Hydra as a whole." Shepard stared. "I need your forces in order to root out and destroy the rebellion."

"Unless you have orders from supreme command, I will not allow you to commandeer my men." He angrily replied. "Until we receive orders to the contrary, we will remain here under Hydra's orders. If you wish to negotiate a joint operation, then speak to commander Albion when she is able. Until then, we shall remain in our base awaiting further orders from high command." He terminated the connection before John could add anything else.

"So then this is not an isolated incident", he offered to Taro. "And it does appear that Hydra's command structure may be compromised."

"Your orders, Sho-Sa?"

"As regrettable as it sounds, I feel that our best option is to remain here and monitor the situation for the moment." He explained. "This may be only a temporary situation. We shall adopt a defensive posture, and respond to the enemy for now."

"And... if the situation does not resolve, Sho-Sa? What then?"

"Then we shall consider our options, Taro." He replied. "The time may come to take matters into our own hands, especially of our situation becomes nonviable."

"Hai."

"For now, I will need to think about this." He continued. "Thank you for bringing me up to speed, Taro, but I think that I do need some more rest. I shall call you if I need you."

"Hai." Taro repeated, then left.

John sank back into the bed, closing his eyes and concentrating. he reached out, trying to find the familiar connection to the rest of Hydra. However, there was nothing there. He was cut off, all alone, separated from the rest of the world.

All of a sudden, the situation looked very grim.

oOoOo

_Operational Planning Center_

_Gayos, The Wastelands_

_1200 Hours_

Zygra and Dezalg strode across the heavily-guarded courtyard in the center of the fortified town, headed for the imposing structure at its center. Whereas once Gayos had been a small town, it had grown dramatically in the seven years since Dezalg's uprising and Zygra's defection. Now it was the nerve center of his operations, part of the ongoing war against he Hydra forces.

A war that they were, slowly but surely, winning.

Things had begun to change a year ago after a strange series of events that still defied explanation. Some sort of massive battle had taken place above the planet between two completely unknown forces. The battle had raged for several days, with nobody on the ground having any idea as to what was really going on. At the end of it, there was no sign of either force involved; either they had both been destroyed, or they had retreated to beyond the planet's orbit.

The effect of this battle, however, had been considerable. Hydra's command structure had seemed to completely disintegrate afterwards. Their various units lost cohesion, devolving form one centralised army into innumerable smaller factions. And while they were still unified towards a common goal and allied with each other, they were clearly far less able to coordinate with each other. This had lead to a series of stunning victories in which the forces of the UZN, the Draken Empire and Zygra's rebel coalition had managed to push back the Hydra forces on all fronts.

Hydra's forces had managed to consolidate themselves and, following their considerable losses, and had realigned themselves into several larger groups composed of smaller factions. However, it was clear that the monolithic force that had started the war was long gone, and that the smaller groups it had degenerated into were far from stable.

The effect was considerable. Now, instead of planning to win battles, they were planning to win the war. And, more to the point, they had to consider what would happen afterwards. This war had changed the face of Zi, and it would be impossible to go back to the status quo afterwards.

"Nervous?" Dezalg asked as they entered the command center.

"How could I not be?" Zygra asked. "I'm facing the two most powerful people on the planet - assuming that Hydra doesn't have a supreme leader any more - and asking them to do what I tell them to. I'd be insane if I wasn't"

"True that." Dezalg admitted. "I'm also going to assume that you're not going to make mention of the nature of your relationship with Ambassador Lowitz?"

"That truly would be insanity." Dezalg continued. "If that one comes up, they'll rip chunks off me and leave me out to dry." He shook his head. "I'll leave that one until after the war, when wee have thins... more settled."

"Good luck then." He continued. "Because you will need it."

They stepped into the war room, looking over the four people gathered around the table. On his left was Sectary-General Morris Zun'jin, the commander in chief of the UZN. Of only average height and build, not to mention balding, he still cut an impressive figure in his military uniform. His reputation as one of the greatest military leaders in the UZN's history more then made up for any shortcomings of his appearance. Next to him stood his aide, ambassador Celeste Lowitz. In her early forties, she was attired in a sharp suit, her brown hair tied into a neat bun. Zygra eyed her briefly as he entered the room, but wisely didn't linger, especially after seeing the two figures on the other side.

Whereas Zun'jin had opted for a regular uniform and Lowitz had gone for a simple suit, Empress Myrinda Fyre had chosen to demonstrate her rank and power. She was clad in an ornate black and red uniform, complete with gold braiding, flared shoulders and a long cape. The uniform and her fiery-red hair almost belied her slight shape and relative youth, making her seem a lot larger then she was. Her aide, General McDairmid, was similarly impressive. While his uniform was simpler then hers, he towered over everyone else in the room. The scarred right half of his face only seemed to make his demeanor more fierce.

"I want to thank you all for coming here today." He began. "I would like to get started as quickly as possible, as we have a lot of work to do. The future of the entire Shelflands depends on what we do here today."

He pressed a few buttons on the table's control panel, bringing up a large-scale map of the Shelflands. A second wash overlaid the political borders as they existed before the war. "As things stand now, we will never be able to return to the status quo that we enjoyed before the war." He explained. "In the UZN, Chronos has been reduced to an uninhabitable wasteland that will be toxic for centuries, if not millennia to come. Merdia has also been all but destroyed, while the leadership of the Jacal tribes in the Western Wastes have thrown their support behind Hydra.

He turned to Myrinda and her aide. "In the Drakken Empire, the Auroran province has broken away from the Emprie and remained an independent power, while numerous other areas have been devastated by warfare. The independent nations of the Shelflands have also suffered; Krupp's government chose to support Hydra, while the leadership of the Vinterlands was overthrown and also replaced with a pro-Hydra regime. The Newbrough highlands and the Southern Territories have both collapsed into anarchy, with no clear leadership and no indications of any replacements." He didn't want to mention the Acronian republic, which was still considered by the UZN to be a part of it.

"The other problem is this." He glanced over both leaders. "Hydra only triumphed because they took advantage of the situation that existed prior to the start of the war. With two large nations who had a history of antagonism, it was relatively easy of them to manipulate you into starting a war, one that they took advantage of to further their aims. And while both your governments have survived the war, it's become cleaqr that we cannot allow a return to the status quo. We would end up defeating Hydra, only to face another war between your powers."

Nobody in the room seemed to deny this conclusion, but at the same time, they didn't seem to be offended by this statement or seek to deny it. _In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if both powers had already considered it. _Instead, Zun'jin stepped forward. "So then what do you propose, mister Zygra?" He asked, making sure not to give him any form of rank or recognition. "How would you stop a war?"

"That is what I have bought you here for." He explained. "I have a proposal that would redress the balance of power in the Shelflands, and end the risk of a large scale war once and for all."

He pressed another series of buttons, and the map chained. This time, while it retained the familiar red of the Draken Empire and the blue of the UZN, a sizable portion the map was covered in a soft purple colour. The purple area centered on the Wastelands, but spilled over into other areas. The Vitnerlands, most of the Newborough Highlands, Krupp, Tulan and almost all of the Southern Territories were inside it. More importantly, it also claimed the Western wastes, half of Daantoon, a portion of Glade and a substantial part of the Drakken Empire. The eastern portion of the Newborough highlands, as well as the western end of the Southern Territories were handed to the Emporia and UZN respectively, but that didn't begin to equate to the amount of territory they would give up.

"What is this?" Fyre began, almost snarling at him. "You would take our territories... for what?"

"This is my proposal." He explained. "To prevent your nations from going to war, I will create a new nation between them. If one of you wishes to invade the other, then they will frost have to fight their way through a neutral buffer state. And if you both decide to invade, then you both will weaken your forces against those defending it." he glanced around the room. "At the same time, this nation would readily aid both the UZN and the Empire if either requested it. You would both gain an ally while reducing the threat to your own nation."

"And what are you giving up?" He continued. "The territories I am asking form your nations are ones that have already been devastated by war, or who's governments have already collapsed or been subverted by Hydra. The same goes for the independent nations that would be absorbed. And as both your powers have long since disregarded the Wastlands as worthless, there would be no loss to you."

"What you ask of us is difficult." Zun'jin began, rubbing his chin. "Giving our lands away to form a new nation would initially seem to be counterproductive. At the same time, I can see the long-term advantages that it would bring."

"And I can aso see that you have made this deal far more favorable to the UZN." Empress Fyre continued. "However, I can see that, if they consent to it, we would have no other option. You're blackmailing us into cooperating, Zygra."

"I am not going to force anyone's hand." He replied, shaking his head. "All I ask is that you consider this proposal. I am not trying to build my own empire - in fact, I have no desire to rule this new nation. Instead, what I am doing is creating a new nation that will give all the peoples of this world a chance at peace. That's all I really want; a chance for us to step back from the brink and rebuild our world and create a lasting peace. That is what I'm asking you to consider."

Fyre glared at him, clearly not happy about what he was proposing while, at the same time, trying to think of a good excuse to disagree with him. "Very well. So what would you have us do then?" She snapped.

It was some hours later that he emerged from the meeting, clear relief on his face. "Well that went about as well as could be expected." Dezlag began. "I'm pretty sure that Myrinda was ready to tear your throat out right there for even suggesting it."

"She probably was." He agreed. "However, at the same time, even she would have to see the benefits of the plan. I doubt that even the people of the Drasken Empire could stand rolling into another war just after this one."

"Well, seventeen continual years of wartime living is a lot for anyone." Dezalg commented. "I doubt they want it to be any more then they need. And McDairmid seemed to be pretty good at holding her back."

"True that." He nodded. "Clearly she's willing to listen to him, if not me."

"I'm just glad you didn't raise your plans for either the Aurorans or for the mutual disarmament there." Dezalg added. "I don't think anything would have spared you then."

"I felt that it would be bet to ease them into our view for a new world, Hermann." He smirked. "Otherwise, I think we would have had gunshots and another war right there." They both laughed, in spite of the serious situation. "And with that, I think I shall leave you to it if you wish to conduct further, more personal negotiations."

"What?" He began, then glanced around. He could see Ambassador Lowitz standing near one of the buildings, her bodyguard's back turned for the moment. "Ah. Thank you, my friend."

"Anytime." Dezalg finished as he walked away.

Seeing his chance, he headed over to where Celeste was waiting. "You're brave." She began as he approached.

"I think that it has to be done" He simply stated. "You've seen first hand what Hydra can do. We can't allow that to happen again."

"I'd prefer not to think about it, but yes." She admitted. "A few years in a Hydra prison camp does give you a certain perspective on things. I think that I can help persuade the UZN and bring them around."

"Thanks for that, Celeste. It's... its going to be a great help."

"Its the least I can do for you." She smiled. "Don't worry, the UZN don't know about what's going on with us."

"So then Nathan-"

"Is the child of another former prisoner, at least for now." She finished. "It's not to far off the truth. But he does miss his father."

"I miss him too." Zygra shook his head. "But for now, we have bigger concerns; ones that our personal lives can't get in the way of."

"Agreed there." She finished. "So do you really think that this can work?"

"It has to, Celeste." He nodded. "It has to, for all our sakes."

oOoOo

Smoke billowed up from the broken fortress, choking the sky with dark, oily black clouds. Innumerable Zoids lay strewn around it, their twisted and burnt bodies lying where they fell. In the distance, the odd explosion punctuated the sky with a sound like distant thunder. Their number and intensity had been decreasing for some time now, but they still came.

Zygra watched the scene unfold form his field headquarters. While it was some distance back, the realtime information he was getting from his troops kept him informed of the situation. He could see that there were several firefights still ongoing between Hydra Zoids and his own forces, but thy were quickly becoming very one-sided affairs. The disturbing downside was that the Hydra troops, while outnumbered and outgunned, were choosing to stand their ground and fight to the death, rather then take the sensible option and surrender.

That wasn't what concerned him right now. A squad of troops had made it into the center of the complex and were headed for the subterranean bunker where the last of the Hydra leadership were sheltering form the raging battle. Their objective was to take as many of them alive as possible. It was vital that they did such, simply to stop something like hits from ever happening again. It was also their last chance to get a look into Hydra's inner leadership.

This fortress was the last Hydra stronghold on the entire continent. It and two others like it had been targeted for simultaneous assaults in an effort to not only end the Hydra threat, but to capture their leadership and to try and find the full truth behind them. It was disturbing that, in over thirteen years, they had never find any trace of the controlling power that was running the organisation. Somebody had managed to collect many disparate organisations and transform them into a monstrous army that had nearly conquered the whole world. Somebody had put together an arsenal of WMDs that had neatly laid waste to the continent, and somebody had managed to get them into orbit. And they needed to know who.

The other two assaults hadn't yielded any information. The personnel Western Fortress, which had been attacked by the UZN, had chosen to blow themselves up rather then be captured. Using a nuclear weapon to vaporise the fortress, they had also destroyed most of the UZN force in the process. The Draken forces attacking the Eastern fortress had then decided to take no precautions, and had used a team of Deathsaurers and Sesimosaurs to reduce it to a glassy crater. These sorts of tactics had become regrettably commonplace in the Empire's actions. A year ago, they'd reduced Krupp to a nuclear wasteland with neutron weapons, obstinately to take it out of the war. In truth, Zygra wondered if it wasn't simply because Krupp would be incorporated into his new nation afterwards.

It made capturing this one fortress and its personnel even more vital. It was the last surviving concentration of Hydra commanders, and their last chance to find the truth. And while the war was over, without the fill truth, they would never be able to close the book on Hydra. there would always be some degree of uncertainty, a lack of proof that the threat was fully over.

Another loud explosion shook him, this one bigger then the previous ones. "Dezalg, what's happening there?" He began, calling to his infiltration team.

"Not sure... but it was on the surface. We're fine." Dezalg called back over the comms channel.

Zygra nodded as he glanced at the tactical display. several Icons representing Hydra Zoids winked and faded out of existence. "How are things going there?"

"We're nearly there." Dezalg continued. "So far resistance has been very light. I think that they weren't expecting us to get inside while the main fight is still going on out there. That or we've overestimated their forces, and they have literally nothing left to guard."

"Their infantry have been present above, but they have also been rather thin on the ground." Zygra replied. "So just be careful. They may be planning some sort of last stand, or possibly an escape under armed cover."

"I'd love to know how thy pan on getting out of here." Dezalg commented. "We're in real deep here. I don't see hoe you could get out any other way. This place is rock solid down here."

"Right. so they're cornered. They could be even more dangerous then."

"Could be." He continued. "But then if we catch them, we may just... hold up. We're here."

Zygra listened in anticipation as the squad took their places. "Charges ready!" Somebody called over the channel.

"Blow it!" Dezlag shouted back. There was a muffled blast, followed by the sound of crashing metal. "Move, move, move!" Dezalg yelled, the clattering of guns and the sound of running men filling the air. "Everyone! Drop your weapons and lie on the... ah hell!"

"What?" Zygra began. "What's going on?"

"We've found them." Dezalg began. "But-"

"Oh, gods... what reeks in here?" Another voice cut him off.

"-They're dead." Dezalg finished. "All of them."

Zygra shook his head. "What's happened?"

"Not sure." He finished. "But I'd say that they were all shot, probably at least a day ago." He paused. "In fact, I'd say that they were probably executed not too long after we began our attack. We'll need to get forensics in here but... They're definitely dead. The action outside isn't a defense, its just them trying to tke down as many of us as possible with them."

"Damn it." He muttered. "This isn't what I wanted."

"Well, looks like the war's over." Dezalg added. "Barring cleaning up what's outside. I guess we can be thankful for that much."

"I suppose so." He finished. "But then... will it ever be over? I mean, without Hydra's leaders, we still don't know the truth. We probably never will."

oOoOo

As night fell across the charred valley, the small group retreated to inside their camp. The pilots hid in the shelter of their Zoids, using them as cover from anything that may have survived the fires and may still be lurking. Unbeknownst to them, however, they were not the only people in the valley that night.

After it was dark, a train of Zoids entered the valley through the same cave that the other groups had entered though. The area around it was still smoldering in places, which meant that the small group of pilots hadn't stayed near it. They felt that they didn't need to either; the only other people who knew of this valley were apparently the Red Claw, who were unlikely to come back here after suffering such losses and destroying the place. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

A black and blue Leoboalze, along with a matching Unenalgia, entered the valley first, sweeping the area for any immediate threats. Behind them entered a train of Gustavs, as well as several Tanks. The Gustavs had large tankers on their trailers, while the Tanks were towing standard troop transports. The Zoids rolled into the valley, heading towards the central pyramid complex. While the bulk of the valley shielded them from the small group of renegade Zoids, they proceeded cautiously, not wanting to risk detection and an engagement.

_A pity, _Jaeger thought as he followed the train in an Arosaurer, a Zoid that he had requisitioned as his own for the mission. _We have a chance to take theat woman right here. However, with that Blackstar around... _He shook his head. _No, we will focus on the mission at hand. We will have other chances to acquire her later. _The column moved through the devastated jungle, its crew paying no he'd to the destruction around them. Instead, they spent their time watching out for ant signs of potential attackers.

After an agonizingly long trip, the column halted outside the main pyramid complex. The Tanks formed a corral around he Gustavs, unloading their troops who faned out to cordon off the area. Within minutes, technicians were running feed tubes form the Gustav tankers into one of the pyramids. Soon afterwards, pumps inside the tankers activated, beginning to siphon the thick red liquid form the depths of the pit into the transports.

"All systems are operational, sir." A tech reported. "The thickness of the liquid does make it slow going, however. It'll be a few hours before we're good to go."

"Understandable." Jaeger replied. "But it will be worth it. This is an important moment, not only for us but for the whole world." He looked over the charred forest. "From today, the world will change."


	30. Aftermath

_Pain. Fire. Anger. Hatred._

_Must crush, maim, destroy those who would oppose us._

_I will not be defeated. I will not-_

Thorne's eyes opened as she abruptly sat up. She looked around, expecting to see the familiar cockpit of her Darkhorn, expecting to feel its presence in her mind. That's where she last was, the last thing she could recall. Except, she wasn't inside it.

She was in some sort of crude camp, sitting up in a sleeping bag. Glancing around, she could see that this camp was, in turn, inside what looked like a recently burnt forest. The air was hot and dry, and blackened tree stumps stretched off into the distance as far as she could see. Several Zoids were gathered around the camp, the most immediately arresting of which was a massive black and grey Iron Kong.

A quick inspection reveled that she was clad in only her underwear, and had no weapons or communicator. _Not good, _she thought to herself. _But what's going on? I was in my Zoid, fighting that... whatever it was. _She couldn't recall what exactly had happened. She recalled a fast-moving red Zoid that had attacked her, but she didn't recall getting a good look at it. Everything was a blur to her, nothing clear in her mind. _So where am I now? _She asked herself. _And who's camp is this? _It was obvious that she wasn't a prisoner but, at the same time, she could tell that this wasn't Winters' group.

"Oh hey." A voice behind her began. "Y'all are awake."

She stood, spinning around to see a young woman standing behind her. Somewhat shorter then herm the woman had scruffy reddish-brown hair and a compact, somewhat muscular build. She was dressed in a tattered shirt and pants, and sported a bandanna with long 'tails' that came down past her waist. "Who are you?" Thorne demanded. "Where's my Zoid? Where are we?"

"Okay, hold on there a sec." The woman relied. "Yer been out fer a couple of days."

Thorne blinked for a moment. "So where are my men?" She snarled. "Answerer me!"

"How the heck would I know?" The woman continued. "We found you in the middle of the forest, unconscious in yer Zoid. There weren't nothing around, save for some wreckage of some other Zoid. Heck, we didn't even know there was any Blackstars here until we found y'all."

"So no wreckage or anything?" She continued. "Nothing to indicate what happened to them?"

"The heck if I know." The woman shook her head. "Unless they ran off in the fire-"

"The fire?"

"Yeah, well, look around ya." She continued. "A fire got started an' ended up torchin' this entire place. There ain't much of anything left."

"What aobut the Red Claw then?" Thorne demanded.

"They escaped in the fire." The woman shook her head. "We were after them an-"

"Hey Lee!" Another woman called out. "What do ya think?"

The pair of them turned to see a third woman; taller then the redhead but still shorter then Thorne, with long black hair. She was standing around, wearing Thorne's clothes, strutting around like a model on a catwalk.

"They're a bit big for me still, but i figure if I was a bit taller and a lot more up myself, II could be a perfect... oh." She stopped as she saw who she was talking to.

"Now." Thorne began, angrily placing a hand on the shorter woman's shoulder. "You will tell me exactly what's going on here."

oOoOo

**Aftermath**

oOoOo

No sooner had as the remnants of Nathan's force limped into the nearest Zygra Imperial Army field base then he had received a summons to return to the capital. He'd figured that whatever it was that he had in store was far too severe to be done by communicator. And while he didn't know exactly what was going on, he had a pretty good idea that it would not be a pleasant experience.

Less then half of the force he'd taken into the Southern Territores had returned with him. Of the three paladins in the team, one was dead and the other one missing, presumed dead. More importantly, a member of the Blackstar Army was also missing down there, one who was only there because she had agreed to follow his lead in the operation. That alone, he figured, would make the situation pretty much the low point of his career.

He suspected that this, in the eyes of many people, would prove to be even worse then the mission's outcome. For all the losses, they'd managed to achieve nothing. They hadn't found what the Red Claw were doing, nor had they managed to severely damage the Claw's forces. They hadn't even discovered anything about the valley that the Claw was exploring. In short, a lot of good men and women had died for no reason.

His Zoid arrived in the capital early, and he had been escorted straight to the palace. That he was going this way, rather then directly to the military's headquarters, suggested a worst-case scenario to him. He suspected that this was suddenly more to do with Captain Thorne's apparent death then anything else that occurred on his operation, which was the last thing that he wanted.

_Again the politics take charge, _he thought as he was escorted through the palace. _Never good._

Dezalg met him as they headed in. "I've checked over your preliminary report." He began. "It sounds pretty bad."

"It is." Nathan replied. "I just wish that I had some idea of what it was that the Claw used against us." He glanced at hi friend and mentor. "So is that what this is about?"

"I wish." He shook his head. "Apparently your actions have upset a lot of people. Which meant that somebody has to the responsibility." They stopped outside the Emperor's personal study.

Nathan looked over the door. "I see. Its that bad."

Dezalg nodded. "Good luck, Nathan. You'll need it."

The guards opened the doors, Nathan stepping inside. Emperor Zygra was there, sitting behind his desk, with Wrightfield standing next to him. The doors closed behind him, leaving the guards and Dezalg outside. "I came as soon as I could, your majesty." Nathan said as he bowed.

"You do know why I called you here, correct?" Zygra began.

"I am assuming it is because of my operation in the Southern Territories, sir." He continued. "I have already submitted my report to the military authorities."

"I have been briefed of the situation, Paladin Winters." Zygra stated. "Frankly., I was far from impressed with it."

"The losses we have suffered were regrettable." He continued. "I fear that we have greatly underestimated the Red Claw."

"The issue here is not the Red Claw, Paladin Winters." Zygra angrily replied as he stood. "Instead, the issue is with your conduct of the operation."

"I don't understand, sir." Nathan shook his head. "I tried to execute the operation to the best of my abilities. Under the circumstances, I felt that I did all that I could to keep my men alive."

"That is not what I mean, and you know it." Zygra snapped. "Rather, the issue is your choice of personnel in this operation."

This was it, the part he had been fearing. "Your majesty, I understand that the choice to include the Blackstars in this operation was not exactly in accordance with our standard operational procedure. None the less, I felt that it would be beneficial to our cause to ally with them."

"The Blackstars wanted the same thing as we did." he continued. "And that was to eliminate the Red Claw as a threat to their people. I felt that the best thing to do was for us to work together and combine our resources and knowledge. That way, we could both achieve our aims. In fact, if not for the intelligence that they had provided, we would have no leads at all on the Red Claw or their activities. The superior firepower that the Blackstar Zoids would bring to the field would only serve to help us."

"Be that as it may, but I feel that you did not fully consider the implications of your actions." Zygra replied. "You did not consult with military command or the Intelligence directorate before sharing what was classified information. You did not advise anyone higher up in the chain of command before you agreed to this alliance. And you allowed an armed Blackstar group to openly act within the empire and to engage in combat. That has set a number of dangerous prevents, ones that I am sure will have severe repercussions on us."

"I did what I felt was needed, your majesty." He replied. "For the good of the empire."

"Be that as it may, what you did was still wrong." Zygra said as he resumed his seat. "To make matters worse, while under your supervision, one of their officers was killed in action."

_Killed? _He thought. _Thorne was still alive when I last saw her... does he know more then he's letting on? _"Captain Thorne's loss was a regrettable one. However, she, like everyone else in that group, both Zygra and Blackstar, knew the risks she was taking. Death in the line of duty is a risk we all take, sir."

"The Blackstars are understandably unhappy about this." Zygra continued, ignoring Nathan's protests. "They have demanded an apology for your actions, Paladin Winters. They feel that she would still be alive if not for your actions."

"Sir, I-"

"Until further notice, you are suspended form field operations." Zygra wasn't even looking at him now. "You will be reassigned to security detail in the capital. Paladin N'buta will take over operations against the Red Claw for now." He looked up at Nathan. 'You will have one other important duty to perform before you begin this assignment, however."

"Sir?"

"I want you to travel to the Blackstar city and personally deliver an apology to Captain Thorne's commanding officer." Zygra explained. "As her death was your fault, then making amends and rebuilding bridges will be your duty. Hopefully, your foolish actions will not have completely ruined our relationship."

"Yes sir."

"I suggest that you prepare for your mission immediately, Paladin Winters." He continued. "You ar dismissed."

Nathan bowed, and then backed out of the room. Dezlag was waiting for him outside. "I'm to assume that things did not go well?" The older Paladin began.

"You could say that." Nathan replied. "I've been reassigned to palace security detail for the time being. And I am to go to the Blackstars and personally apologise for Thorne's death."

"She was a nasty piece of work, that one." Dezalg shook his head. "But I didn't expect you to have to do that."

The pair of them turned, walking back towards Nathan's quarters. "Me neither. In fact, I'm somewhat surprised that they got so worked up over her death."

"How so?"

"When I was with her, I got the impression from both her and her men that there was something about her, something imperceptibly wrong with her." He explained.

"What, that she was an arrogant, cold-hearted bitch who derived a perverse delight from the misfortunes of others?" Dezalg offered.

"No more so then any other Blackstar." Nathan replied with a slight chuckle. "No, I got the impression that, within their circles, there was something about her that they didn't like. Members of her squad would say things about her that sounded, well, less then pleasant, to say the least. One of them seemed to resent the fact that she was their commander."

"Interesting."

"Thorne herself seemed to acknowledge some fault, as if she was struggling to overcome it." He continued. "But I could never discover what it was."

"And you think that it was related?"

"Definitely." He finished. "And, for some reason, I think that it may be related to why they're suddenly so upset about her demise."

"At an rate, it's a rather bum deal that you've gotten, Nathan." Dezalg shook his head. "I couldn't say this myself, but I agree fully with your actions."

"That helps a lot." Nathan smiled. "I'd like to think that I wasn't the only one."

"Sadly, Empower Zygra doesn't see it that way. He wants to play it safe and try to appease everyone. And when things go bad, he tends to try to look for the easy way out."

"His father wouldn't have done that, would he?"

"Old man Zygra?" Dezalg chuckled. "Zygra would have probably rooted out the Red Claw with his bare hands if he needed to." He finished. "Or, more to the point, he would have never allowed them to occur."

"I guess so." Nathan shook his head. "And the worst part is, with each passing day, I begin to think more and more that they may not have a point. I don't agree at all with their methods, but.. some of what Sturm said to me back then does seem to ring eerily true."

"You're worried, I can tell."

"I am." He admitted. "I have a horrible feeling that the Red Claw may be a lot more powerful then we thought. And when they do reveal their full power, we won't be able to defend against it."

oOoOo

"Magnificent." Jenice began as she looked over the silver statue. "Truly magnificent."

Cleaned of the moss and growth that had covered it, the figure stood in her personal workshop, staring blankly out into infinity. Its shiny silver body reflected her image back at her, but she paid it no heed. She was completely absorbed by the creature standing before her, as well as its two siblings.

All three of them were identical save for colour. Golden humanoids standing nearly two meters tall, they had facial features that resembled those of a human's, seemingly beaten out of the metal. Their eyes were blank, however, and their forms complexly inert, standing rigidly as if at attention. All three of them were sculpted as if hay were wearing pilots suits, complete with neuro helmets.

Their coloration was the only thing that distinguished them. One of them was a brilliant golden colour, the second a clear silver. The thirds of them was a far darker grey but still just as shiny as the other two.

She ran her hand across the face of the silver statue. "Give me your secrets." She began. "Tell me what you know." She pressed her hand to its face, shutting her eyes and concentrating, as if it was going to talk to her.

Nothing. Silence.

She shook her head and stepped back. She knew that it was pointless to rush things, that this wouldn't be easy. At the same time, she wanted to know every secret that these metal men held, so she could take their powers and use them for her own.

_The powers that you guard are far beyond any that the Red Claw could give me. Soon, you will yield your secrets to me._

She rubbed her forehead, ignoring the headache that had been building for some time. Instead, she focused on the creature again, sizing it up. They had been a prize find, greater then anything else they had recovered form that infernal jungle. She had heard them calling out to her, drawing her towards them, as if she was the only thing that could awaken them form their millennial slumber.

A knock on the door grabbed her attention, dragging her back to the here and now. "Who is it?" Jenice began as she turned to the door. She was neither angry nor demanding, almost emotionless, as if she couldn't care for the mundane matters of the world.

"It's Levisha." The voice replied. "I have the final figures on our losses from the mission."

"Just a moment." Jenice called back. Leaving the statue for the moment, she simply strode out the door. "Come to my office. We will discuss matters there."

"Certainly, commander." Levisha's eyes narrowed. Even though she was Jenice's second, she wasn't allowed inside the commander's private workshop. Jenice hadn't informed her what she had found, instead sharing the information only with a few soldiers who had helped her retrieve it. Even then, she had sworn them to silence, instructing them never to mention it to anyone else.

They entered her office, Jenice taking her seat. "Here it is, Commander." Levisha began as she handed over her report. "As you can see our losses were substantial in terms of both Zoids and manpower. While I can still replace the destroyed Chimeras, I'm beginning to think that I may be exhausting the reserves that the deserts have to offer me. And while we recovered a lot of salvage from the site, it won't begin to cover our losses. Most of it is junk, fit for little more then parts or scrap."

Levisha bowed her head. "This operation was my idea, and yet it was a failure. I am willing to take full responsibility for whatever consequences you see fit for my actions."

"Nonsense, Levisha." Jenice replied. Her second looked up in genuine surprise. "Despite these figures, this operation was most definitely a success. While on the surface it may look like we have come off badly, we have, in fact, done very well from it. In the short term, we may have suffered losses, yes. However, in the long term, we have been strengthened in ways that nobody will have expected. And let us not forget; we managed to defeat a Blackstar. Nobody else can claim that."

"I see." Levisha seemed to be genuinely surprised.

"Levisha, events have begun to unfold in a way that greatly favors us." She continued. "Recent events has shown not only the weakness of the empire, but our own true strengths. I believe that the time is right for us to step forwards and change this empire as I promised we would." She smiled at her subordinate.

"Yes, commander." Levisha continued. "I shall do everything I can to aid you."

"Good." Jenice smiled. "Now, Levisha, how is our prisoner doing?" Capturing a Paladin had been a pleasant surprise, one that even Jenice hadn't expected. Bringing them back, along with the statues that she had recovered, had more then made up for any losses incurred during their campaign.

"She's a bit bruised and battered, but otherwise healthy." Levisha explained. "We have her in one of the holding cells at the moment. She's refused to talk to anyone, however."

"Understandable." Jenice nodded. "It takes a lot of training to become a Zygra Paladin, and the requirements are very harsh. I expect that she wouldn't voluntarily divulge information. However, at the same time, I expect that Paladin Trogdor would be better suited to getting something out of her; after all, they have a lot more in common. He's been where she ism and will better understand the mindset."

"An excellent idea." Levisha nodded. "Shall I get him for you?"

"No, I'll come with you, Levisha. I wish to discuss matters with him personally."

"Very well." The pair of them left the office, walking down into the main hanger bay. Like it had been when they fled Lyra, the bay was currently a disorganised mess of battered Zoids undergoing repairs. Levisha lead Jenice over to a particular machine, the Evo Flyer that had, until recently, been Sturm's personal machine. Its former pilot was standing by it, talking to a young, red-haired woman.

"Paladin Trogdor." Jencie began. "Just the man I wanted to see."

He turned and saluted her. "Commander, I was hoping to speak to you as well."

"Really?" Jenice began. "Can I ask what about?"

He stepped past and indicated to the young woman. "This is Kara Zale, the current pilot of the Evo Flyer."

"I do recall her, yes." Jenice began.

"Kara acted as a decoy for me during the battle, taking on Paladin Winters on her own. She gave rather a good accounting of herself, I felt."

"I'm yet to review the footage, but I must agree with Paldin Trogodor's assessment." Levisha added. "She was able to match up with a Zygra Paladin, which is no mean feat."

"I see." Jenice looked over the woman. Of average height, she had a pleasant face and shoulder-length red hair, but was not truly outstanding. "Very well then. Would you like to be the permanent pilot of the Evo Flyer?" She asked.

"I.." Kara began, then bowed. "I would be honored too, commander Jenice." She blurted out.

"Very good." Jenice nodded. "You are doing the Red Claw a great service, Zale."

"I only want to do my part, commander." She continued. "I... I firmly believe in our great cause. I know that the empire needs to change, and that we are the best way to affect that change."

Jencie nodded, then turned to Levisha. "Keep an eye on her." She muttered. "If she's half as capable as Sturm suggests, then she could be a asset to us in the days to come."

"Of course, commander." Levisha replied.

"Sturm, I wish to seek to you for a moment." She continued. "On a matter of some importance."

"Certainly, commander." He continued, then glanced back at Kara. "Shall we take this elsewhere?"

"Here should do." Jenice replied. "You are aware that we captured a Zygra paladin during our flight from the jungle?"

"Paladin Trabe, yes." Sturm nodded. "I know of her."

"I'd expect that you could probably manage a better rapport with them then I ever could., Sturm." She explained. "I want some information from her, information that will be vital to the next stage of our operation."

"What are you planning?" He asked.

"To change the Empire." She finished, glancing around. "But I need information first."

"Certainly." He nodded. "What is it you need?"

"Anything she can tell us about the preparations for the V-H day celebrations." Jencie finished. "Anything at all."

oOoOo

Having finished work on all their own Zoids, Floyd and Althiea had begun examining the Blackstar machine that they had recovered. For Althiea, it was a fascinating experience. She had never seen a Dark Zoid up this close before. And never had she dreamed of ever working on one. The fact that the Zoid had been somewhat modified was just more interesting to her.

"So what do you think, Althiea?" Floyd began as they looked over the machine.

"Its... fascinating." She admitted. "Very different, not like anything I've seen before." She glanced over the battered machines' structure, eyeing the bright green powerplant. "That power system of it is certainly unique, to say the least. As near as I can tell, it somehow draws power form the environment around it, and then channels it into the Zoid's weapon systems. Of course, how it manages it is beyond me. It's somewhat, uh... esoteric? Is that the world I'm looking for?"

"That would probably cover it." Floyd replied. "And before you get too excited, figure this much. Of the three Dark Zoids, the Darkhorn's power system is the least involved of them. It's a system that has been retrofitted into an existing chassis, rather then the system being built around it like the other two designs, the Deadborder and the Heldigunner."

"Two designs?" She furrowed her brow. "I thought that there were Dark Redlers as well?" She seemed to recall seeing some when they were there.

"Ahh..." he shook his head. "The Black Redler - that's black, not dark - Isn't actually a Dark Zoid as such, despite its attractive coloration and beautiful plumage. It's actually a far more recent Drakken Zoid that features built in passive stealth systems who's colour scheme just happens to resemble the classic dark Zoid colours. Certainly, it doesn't have the interesting power system not any of its... amusing side effects."

"Side effects?"

"Do you recall the land around the Blackstar city?"

She considered matters. "It was... parched and dry... cracked, and apparently lifeless."

"Very good. That's what happens when you have too many Dark Zoids together in one place for too long. They suck the life out of the environment around them, using it to fuel their own needs."

"I see." She nodded. "But I notice that the power systems have been further altered." She pointed to a mess of exposed cabling. "Its got a lot more going through there."

"Correct." He continued. "The drum-like thing on the font there, which both the main cannons are connected to, are a part of a CP-02 flight pack. Here they're not providing the Zoid with flight, however, but rather acting as a power booster for its regular system, and in turn feeding the two cannons. This allows it to run a second powerful gun with no loss of performance."

"I see." Althiea studied the system, noticing the point where the CP joined the main body. "This part wasn't manufactured like this, was it?" She asked. "I don't recall ever hearing of a Darkhorn configured like this."

"Very observant." He continued. "You are correct, it wasn't. Instead, it was modified after the fact to accommodate this system."

"I didn't think that was possible."

"Well... here's where it gets interesting." He smiled. "Now, recall the strange feelings you had from this Zoid when you first encountered it. You had the same feeling form Jenice's Trinity Liger, a Zoid which was, in fact, a re-armoured Liger Zero." He paused. "And what was the connection?"

"They were both modified after their construction." She surmised as she examined the power system again.

"Exactly." Floyd grinned. "So from this, we can conclude that, whatever it was that was altered within your mind, it left you with a sensitivity to such altered Zoids."

"It's interesting." She commented. "But I didn't think that such alterations were possible." It was a simple fact that a Zoid's body was more then just hardware and more like the body of a living creature. You could swap a Zoid's weapons, but altering its structure was usually impossible. The Zoid usually rejected such changes, or simply ceased to work altogether.

"Not normally." Floyd shook his head. "And, in fact, these days, most people would prefer it if they weren't possible at al. However, in past-" He paused.

"Floyd?" She asked.

"Shhh..." He replied. "Can you hear that?"

She listened carefully, and could hear the sounds of raised voices in the distance. It sounded like an argument, with several people shouting at each other.

"I'd say that our guest has woken up." Floyd finished. "I think we should go introduce ourselves before she gets the wrong idea about us." He hopped down from the scaffolding he was working on and walked across the camp. Althiea followed behind him a moment later, unsure as to what was going on. When they'd pulled the pilot out of the Darkhorn, they'd done their best to look afyter her. Of course, nobody had any idea what they would do once she woke up.

They stepped into the cam, only to be confronted by the sight of the near-naked Blackstar woman shouting at Leanne and Rayvenne, the latter of whom was dressed in the Blackstar pilot's outfit and, more noticeably, hiding behind her shorter companion. The woman seemed to not be concerned about her state of undress, seemingly more interested in ripping apart the two in front of her.

For her part Althiea blushed and hid behind Floyd, somewhat embarrassed by just how little the Blackstar was wearing. Even allowing for the fact that it was only her underwear, there was very little of it.

"Damn it!" She yelled out. "What gave you the right to take my gear?"

"Hey! My own stuff was all messed up, and it wasn't like you were using it at the time! And even though, like you, I enjoy arse floss, I wasn't about to go around showing it off to everyone else!"

"...that's a bit more then we needed." Floyd muttered.

"The point stands that equipment belongs to me!" She snapped. "And since you are not a Blackstar, then you have no right to use my equipment, whatever it may be!"

"Well I don't see why y'all are gettin' so up about it." Leanne snapped. "You coulda just borrowed some of my clothes if y'all needed some."

"Lee, your stuff won't fit me and sure isn't gonna fit her." Rayvenne added. "Its way to small, especially around the chest."

"Well I guess... hey! What's that sposed to mean?"

"What it means is that-" Rayvenne began.

"Shut up the pair of you!" The Blackstar continued.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Jason called out as he walked into the camp. "I can hear the lot of oyu shouting form across - wow." He stopped, then stared straight at the statuesque, near-naked woman in the middle of the camp. "Hello! Good too see that you're up! I'm Jason and-"

"You!" She snapped, then wheeled around and struck Jason in the side of the face. As he staggered back, she struck him aging in the guts. "Jason Simons, I am arresting you for hampering an investigation and conspiracy to impersonate a Blackstar officer." She added as she landed a third blow. "You will be detained until such time as- hey!"

Leanne and Ravenne rushed in, grabbing the woman by her arms and dragging her back from him. "Okay, lady, jus' calm down!"

"Yeah, play nice, okay?" Ravenne added.

"Get off me you two!" She shouted. "Or else I will arrest you for attacking a Blackstar officer!"

"Damn it, are y'all this pedantic?" Leanne shouted out.

"Forget pedantic, are they all this strong?" Ravenne added. "She's gotta be as strong as a damned horse!"

"Commander Ashleigh Thorne!" Floyd called out. "So good to see that you're up and about."

She paused, and then turned to Floyd, an angry look on her face. She walked over to him, seemingly ignoring both Leanne and Rayvenne. "Doctor Glass." She snarled. "I should have figured."

"Now as much as I know that Jason enjoys being beat around by underdressed women, I think that this is hardly the time and place." Floyd continued.

"What... what is going on here?" She began.

"We rescued you form your Zoid." He simply stated. "However, you were unconscious and we had to let you rest for a while. As for the behavior of my colleagues well..." He shrugged. "They're not Blackstar citizens, so they are naturally rowdy, difficult and certainly don't respect their superiors." He bowed. "I do apologise for them."

"Hey!" Leanne and Ravenne both called out. Jason let out a muttered moan.

"In fact, I'm sure that Rayvenne would be happy to give you back your uniform now that you're up and about, won't you Ravenne?"

"Yeah, I guess." The black-haired girl muttered as she released Thorne's arm.

"And apologise for any inconvenience caused." He added.

"I'm sorry Ash." Rayvenne muttered. The girl glared at her. "Leigh?" Ravene added.

"Fine." She sighed. "I'll have to wash them to get the stink off, though."

We will be happy to provide you with alternatives in the meantime, won't we?" Floyd continued. There was a round of nods form Ravenne and Leanne, as well as another moan from Jason.

"So what is going on here?" She continued.

"At present, we're working on repairing our Zoids so that we can make the trek back to civilisation." Floyd offered. "However, I am more then happy to help repair your machine so that you can join us."

"I came here with my squadron, as well as a group of Zygra soldiers." Thorne added. "Where are they?"

"I wish we knew, Captain." Floyd shrugged. "It would appear that they left or, more likely, fled." He indicated to the charred forest around them. "We were attacked bu a sight unsaeen airborne assailant, one who was able to reduce this entire forest to ash. You must have been cut off form your group, and thus they were forced to retreat without you."

"I see. And the claw?"

"They also fled." He shook his head. "AN unfortunate development, as we were likely here for the same reasons as you; to destroy the Claw."

She considered this matter for a moment. "Maybe then it would be... beneficial if I were to assist you in combating them. We can operate as a third force that they are unaware of, more mobile and harder to track."

"An excellent idea!" Floyd finished, smiling warmly. "At any rate, myself and my assistant Althiea shall aid you in repairing your Zoid."

Thorne glanced at Althiea, as if she had seen her for the first time. "She's... she's that girl who defeated the Trinity Liger, correct?"

"Uh..." Althiea looked around. "I suppose so, yeah." She nervously replied.

"An interesting development." She finished, then turned back to Floyd. "Very well, I accept your proposal."

"Thank gord for that." Floyd muttered. "Certainly. Shall we get to work?"

"In a moment, yes. I wish to gather the rest of my possessions - assuming that nobody took them." She glared at Rayvenne again, who shrank back.

"Certainly." He nodded at Thorne, who turned and walked off.

"How... how'd you manage that?" Althiea asked. "She looked like she was about to kill them."

"Blackstars have massive egos, Althiea." He replied. "When dealing with them, you should always pander to them. They love making life difficult for those who they perceive as their inferiors... which is most everyone. However, if you then feed that belief, well, it makes things go a lot better."

oOoOo

"So..." Sturm began as he traced a finger up Levisha's arm. "What did you think of that Zale girl?"

She looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. "...that question has some interesting connotations, given where we are." She replied.

Sturm laughed to himself, lying in bed with his lover. "No, not like that." He began. "I meant, what do you think of her as a Red Claw agent. It seems like she's suddenly gained a lot of responsibility, basically acting as my decoy."

"She's good." Levisha casually replied. "Certainly a skilled enough pilot, and I wouldn't have anything against her in the role." She shrugged. "There's not much to say about her otherwise; she's another dropout who joined up because she wanted to pilot a Zoid and destroy things. Anything she says about her loyalty to the case or Jencie's ideals is a mixture of loyalty and lip service."

"So, on other words, pretty much par for the course amongst the Red Claw's pilots." He concluded. "A little more skilled then the norm, but that's it."

"Pretty much." Levisha agreed. "I make it a point to try to memorise as much info on our personnel as possible. She stuck out simply because she actually had some talent as a pilot."

"I see." He nodded. "Now there was something else that's been on my mind, something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Go on." She replied as she leaned closer to him.

"You said something about people who wanted to... change things. To turn around not just the empire, but the whole world." He surmised. "It's an... interesting idea."

"I thought you'd say that." She commented. "Their ideas and yours are very similar."

"I am interested... what is it that they would need of me?"

"For now?" She replied with a grin. "For now, they see that the Red Claw's aims are hte same as theirs. They... aid us in certain ways, helping us out where they can. And by helping the Claw, they aid themselves and thus the whole world."

"But they're not with the Claw, are they?" he asked. "There's something else, isn't there?"

"This is true." She admitted as she pressed her naked body against his. "But believe me, they want the same things as you and I."

"So what would they have me do?" He asked.

She rolled over on top of him, then kissed him deeply. Breaking the kiss, she grinned in an almost hungry manner. "For now, all we need is that you and I keep working for Jenice, keep doing everything that she wants. She is... very important to us, a vital part of what we need. In many ways, she's a visionary."

"But she's not one of you?"

"No..." Levisha shook her head. "Jenice... Jencie is a leader. I don't think that she'd want to take orders from someone else. But don't be mistaken, she is vital to us."

A beeping from the bedside table cut off any reply. Reaching over, Levisha picked up her communicator. "Towne here." She began.

"Levisha, get Sturm and report to my office as soon as possible." Jencie replied over the link. "This is important."

She glanced back at him, a surprised look on her face. He simply shrugged. "Certainly." She finished. "We will be there shortly." She switched the communicator off, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

"Any idea what this is about?" Sturm asked.

"None at all." She replied as she stood. "But I think that we had better not keep her waiting."

oOoOo

Unlike his previous visits to the city where he had been sent to retrieve a prisoner, Paladin Winters' current trip was for purely diplomatic reasons. More to the point he was being sent alone on a matter of some urgency. As a result, he'd managed to requisition a Pteras for his use, rather then traveling in his usual Godos.

He knew as soon as he had entered the Blackstars' airspace the instant he received a warning message, telling him to identify himself or be destroyed. No warnings to turn back, no requests to land, nothing. Instead they had gone straight for the kill, a common tactic amongst their people. Never be subtle or polite. Demonstrate your power, and people will fear and respect you.

He'd replied to their message, which had resulted in a pair of Black Redlers pulling up alongside his Zoid. He hadn't seen either of them approach, and he knew that they weren't registering on his sensors, which made matters just that extra bit more tense. It was little tings like htis that made him respect the Blackstars, despite their attitudes. He knew that, if they decided too, a Black Redler could sneak into the capital and launch a devastating attack before anyone could detect it. It was this sort of power that they wielded, power that he knew he'd rather not be on the receiving end of.

The Zoids circled over the city, a view of it that Nathan had never expected to see. Form the air, he could see just how different it was to the Zygran cities he was used to. The entire city was contained within a circular wall which was clearly heavily fortified and reinforced. Overhead monorail tracks traced smaller circles inside it, with tracks branching off and heading towards the center of the city. And at its heart was a series of massive cylinders, ones that he knew contained the reacotrs that generated the city's power.

Its streets followed a similar pattern, but had a tendency to vanish under buildings and other structures at irregular intervals. Bits of road and sometimes whole buildings would occasionally vanish inside other structures or the masses of pipes and tubes that seemed to reach out form the city's center and then latch onto and feed off everything around it. It was eerie, almost as if the city was consuming itself.

Only one part of the city seemed to be exempt form this phenomena, a wedge that occupied a small, but notable, part of the city. Underdeveloped and disorganised to a degree that appeared to be chaotic, its buildings poke of an earlier time before the coming of the city's current rulers. He knew that it was the international district, the place where the Blackstars exiled those who didn't fit into their society, and lodged those who visited the city (Or at least, those not on offical governmental business). It was also the last remnants of the old town, the one whose' name had been lost, which the Blackstar city had swallowed.

He received landing instructions form the city's control, directing him towards a small pad in a part of the military district. He guided his Pteras in, the two Redlers watching it until it landed. The instant he was down, a squadron of Blackstar guards, accompanied by one of their pilots. Blond-haired and high cheeked, he recongised her as one of the members of Thorne's squad. She was dressed in a manner typical of Blackstar pilots, however her outfit was blood red rather then black. It was an interesting variation, one that he didn't expect.

"Paladin Winters." She began as he approached her. "We are expecting you. Colonel Cade will see you now."

And that was it. No greeting, no explanation of his meeting. They knew why he was here and wanted to get this over and done with as swiftly as possible. It was disconcerting to say the least and not what he'd expected. She turned back to an open door, indicating to it. "This way."

He headed in, walking through a series of long, drab grey corridors. This was far further into the Blackstars' military facility then he'd ever been before, having previously been confined to certain areas designated for visiting officials. This time he was in the heart of the Blackstar facility itself, the nerve center of their formidable military machine. All of a sudden, he began to realise just hwy he had such a heavy guard - two troopers and this pilot. They wanted to make sure that he didn't try a thing. Paladin or not, they were looking out for their own security.

She led him towards a single office, seemingly no different from any other place in the building. The woman knocked once, then paused. "Paladin Winters to see you, Colonel."

"Very well." The voice inside replied. "Send him in."

The woman stepped back and opened the door without saying another word. Nathan nodded at her, then proceeded inside the office, the door shutting behind him.

He hadn't been sure what to expect when he came here. Captain Thorne was the highest-ranking officer he'd ever met, and seemed to be one of only a few who regularly met non-Blackstars. The man inside the office, however, was a surprise. He stood at a grimy window, looking out over the sprawling metropolis below him. Even with his back turned, however, Paladin Winters could tell that there was something different about him. While he had the typical Blackstar features - tall, fit looking and long hair tied into a single ponytail, he was dressed in what appeared to be a full uniform, rather then their usual revealing attire.

He turned around, smiling at Nathan. "Good to meet you, Paladin winters." He began, offering his hand. "Colonel Calvin Cade."

"Thank you, colonel." He replied, somewhat surprised at the way this was turning out. A polite Blackstar was the last thing he'd expected, especially in this situation. "I just wish that it could be under better circumstances."

"As could I." He nodded, and sat. Please, Paladin, take a seat."

"Nathan sat, facing him. "I am assuming you know why I'm here."

"Yes." Cade continued. "The loss of Captain Thorne in a mission that you were commanding. I'm to understand that your alliance with her wasn't exactly fully sanctioned by your government."

"That... that is correct." He conceded. "However, Captain Thorne approached me about the alliance, not the other way around. I felt that it was the best chance to end the Red Claw threat. I felt that it needed to be done."

"And I agree with you, Paladin Winters." He nodded. "While I often found myself questioning Captain Thorne's methodology, I can understand what she was trying to achieve. And given that she had recently been given carte blanche to do whatever she felt necessary to destroy the Claw - international law or not - your alliance may have actually held her back from doing something truly regrettable."

"That much I can appreciate. I heard about what happened in Freedom."

"Unfortunately, too many of our younger warriors believe that they can act like that." Cade explained. "I actually felt that your presence would have served as a moderating influence on her."

"None the less, I do feel that I owe you an apology over what happened."

Cade nodded. "I have reviewed the battle data from the other Zoids." He continued. "What happened was tragic, but at the same time, you couldn't do anything about it. I do not hold you responsible for her death, Paladin. IN fact, I believe that you handled the situation admirably, all things considered."

"Thank you. I only wish that others would see things the same way."

"As did I." He admitted. "The ruling council of our city requested this, and your Emperor was only too willing to comply with them."

_Something that has become a habit of his, it seems. _Nathan added to himself. "He felt that it would be best to smooth over any potential issues in the relationship between our peoples." He finished.

"Of course." Cade nodded, as if he understood exactly what Nathan meant. "I will admit that I was personally upset to hear of her loss, but not to the extent that I would demand an apology from your government."

"I didn't realise that-"

He shook his head. "It's not like that, really." He admitted. "I had a certain... fondness for her. I wasn't attracted to her or similar. More of, well... Because of her background, I had hoped that she would be a little different to others, a little more... human almost."

_There was something about her, something that the other members of her squad didn't like... _he thought over this. "Her background?"

"Captain Thorne is a fourth-generation Blackstar, like most of our pilots." He admitted. "But, like a few of them, she isn't entirely Blackstar."

He nodded, as if everything had become apparent. "And you hoped that, because of that, she would act a little... well, more like a normal human being."

"It would have been nice." Cade shook his head. "Sadly, she remained true to type, trying the best to embody our ideals. And, sadly, she saw that part of her as being a weakness, one that she fought to overcome."

"I am sorry to hear." Nathan nodded. "And I offer you my most sincere condolences."

"With our people, we don't place much emphasis on relationships. We see things in the here and now, in the immediate. People are merely assets to be used as needed. We don't squander them, but, at the same time, there is a tendency to treat them as less being human beings and more as pieces of biological machinery. "

"Then I am glad to see that you are not all like that." Nathan finished. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, Colonel. I only wish that it could have been under better circumstances."

"The same, Paladin Winters." Cade added as he stood. "I don't want to detain you any further, and I'm sure you'd rather not spend the night here."

Nathan stood. "I'm afraid that I have to agree, Colonel." He offered his hand. "But I do look forward to meeting you again."

"The same here." Cade replied as he shook Nathan's hand. "Maybe, just maybe, we can create a better understanding between our peoples. It's just a shame that it took something like this to allow such high-level communications."

oOoOo

"Thoughts?" The dark-eyed woman began as she looked across the darkened room.

"He was a little more... forward then I would have expected." One man replied.

"But he managed to achieve a fair deal of empathy with the Paladin." Another woman added. "This in and of itself is very unusual."

"Certainly it is not what I would expect from such a meeting." A third continued. "So it is a positive outcome."

"So it would appear that we have opened a new channel to high-level communications within the Zygra government." The woman spoke up. "Through this Paladin Winters, we will be better able to communicate with certain elements, those that could be used to our favour."

"Zygra's government is becoming more and more ineffective." A fourth voice spoke up. "To what benefit would an alliance then be?"

"We seek only an alliance with those parts of it that are still effective." Another woman countered. "And Paladin Winters seems to exemplify that."

"Then it is agreed." The woman finished. "We shall watch Winters, and maintain this relationship, if only for our benefit. And we shall continue to encourage colonel Cade to be so... forthright with any future discussions."

oOoOo

Levisha and Sturm stepped into Jenice's office, finding that Bart as well as the McNeil brothers were already there. More interestingly, there was no sign at all of Drake and Gwen, Jenice's other two "officers". The two of them glanced at each other before entering. "Reporting as ordered, commander." Levisha began.

"Very good." She replied. "Plase, be seated."

They sat, all facing Jenice. From the look on the others faces, they was just as surprised about this as Levisha and Sturm were. "Can I ask what this is about, Commander?" Levisha asked.

"Certainly." Jencie replied. "When we escaped from the jungle valley, I made the somewhat regrettable decision to employ Paladin Trogdor's Zoid. I had not wished to destroy that unique environment, but the circumstances of the situation made it unavoidable. However, out of these ashes a new plan has emerged, one that I feel will do more for our cause the anything we have tried in past."

"The destruction of the forest has, however, proven one thing, being the power tha Paladin Trogdor's Zoid has at its disposal. That power, my friends, is far more then anyone in the Zygra Empire is prepared for, It is a power that thy will be unable to counteract, one we can use for our advantage."

"I belive that the time has come for the Red Claw to seize its future and reshape the empire. We must sweep away the old order, and remake it anew in out own image. I have called you hare to help me plan the master stroke that will allow us to do that, allow us to change the world. And while I had initially planned to test our new powers against a secondary target, I believe that we would be better served to demonstrate them to the world on something a bit more... prominent."

"However, I will need your help." She finished.

"Tell us what it is you need." Sturm spoke up. "We will do everything we can for you."

"Thank you." Jenice nodded. "Bart, I want you to give me a full assessment of our transportation capacity. I want to know how many Zoids we have that can be used as troop transports or cargo haulers. I also want to know how many of our Tanks could be demilitarized in a hurry."

"It's unusual." Bart began. "But I'm sure it could be done. I find it weird that you'd want civil-grade Tanks."

"Don't worry, Bart, it will all make sense." She turned to Harry and Malcolm. "I know that you two do maintain a number of underworld contacts who can get all manner of things. I need to know how many smugglers or black marketeers you know, how many dodgy importers or arms merchants... anyone who is good at getting good from one place to another unnoticed, specifically bulky cargoes." She glanced over her desk. "I also went to get forged cargo manifests and the like, material that could be used to conceal a shipment."

"I'm sure I can manage that, boss." Harry McNeil spoke up with a tone that suggested that he was somewhat relived. Levisha knew that the McNeils hadn't exactly been in Jenice's good books for a while, and that they would be more then eager to regain that status. It also made Gwen and Drake's absences more noticeable.

"Very good." She turned to Sturm. "Paladin Trogdor; Your services to our cause thus far have been invaluable. Now I will need to ask more of you. I need as much information as you can give me on the defenses in and around Gayos; specifically its air defenses. I need to know how vulnerable the city is to aerial attack, specifically from a Zoid with capabilities like yours."

He bowed. "I shall provide what I can, Commander."

_Now this is interesting, _Levisha thought to herself. _And I like the direction that this is heading._

"Levisha, I know that you have a lot of interest in military history." Jenice turned towards her. "Like Paladin Trogdor, I require information from you. Specifically, I want all that you can tell me about a particular military campaign."

"And which one is that?" She asked.

"The Draconis Summer." Jenice finished. "Anything you have would be appreciated."

Levisha knew what Jenice was speaking about, which meant that suddenly everything clicked into place. The Draconis Summer had been a long urban guerilla war fought in the Empire's then-occupied capital. The Draken forces had used unmanned Chimera Zoids - then an unknown quantity - to attack the UZN's troops and weaken their positions. She could immediately see the parallels; despite their losses, the Claw still had a fair number of Chimeras on hand.

"Certainly, commander." She added with a smile. _Things are definitely changing, _she thought. _And I can see the way that it is going. Certain people will find this... interesting._

"We have a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it in." Jenice finished. "But I know that, with your help, we can prevail. The Red Claw is closing on its objectives, and your work will bring us that much closer. We will change the Empire, creating a new world out of this old one that cannot survive." She nodded at them. "Please, leave and begin your work."

They stood and filed out of the office, each heading off in their own direction. Only Sturm stayed with Levisha, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?" She began.

"Those that you spoke of." He replied. "Is this a part of what they want?"

"It is." Levisha nodded. "They too wish to change the empire, Sturm. And what we are about to do... this will be the first part of it. The closing of a chapter for the Red Claw will be the opening of another for something far greater." She turned to him. "However, for now, I have work to do."

"Certainly." He nodded at her.

Levisha turned away, heading back to her quarters. Once inside, she activated her personal communicator. "This is fourty-two." She began. "I have vital information."

"What is it?" Jaeger's voice replied in a whisper.

"Remember that escalation of conflict that you were hoping for?" She continued. "Jenice is about to deliver it."

oOoOo

On the outer fringed of the darkened camp, Ashleigh Thorne peered over the noteputer's screen, patiently waiting for it to finish its analysis of the information that she had given it. While most of the rest of her newfound allies had retired for the night, she had her own work to get on with, work that couldn't wait at all.

Initially she had been less then pleased with these people. Of the five members of the team, three of them served only to reinforce what she had always maintained about outsiders. None to intelligent, prone to acting without thinking, ill-bred and poorly educated, the three of them were almost a model of everything she disliked. That Jason had been all but dribbling over her had only made matters worse. She'd managed to acquire some spare clothes, only they were fare, far to small for her which only made her angrier.

The other two were far more interesting. She already knew Dr Glass from a previous run-in, and her opinion of him hadn't changed at al. The man was a genius, a considerable accomplishment given his background. More importantly, he was dangerously creative and innovative, a wild free-thinker that she knew that she, nor anybody else, could control. She also knew that the Red Claw were after him, which made this alliance even more opportune. She could use Glass as bait to lure the claw out, then destroy them at her leisure.

The other woman, Althiea, fascinated her. Thonre had seen enough of what happened at the Lyra pit to get some idea of what she had done. That made her incredibly dangerous or an incredibly valuable asset, possibly even both. Given that Jenice had been in the Liger at the time, obviously the Red Claw would have some idea of what she was capable of. Which meant, by Thorne's thinking, that they would be after her just as much as they were after Glass. _Another useful asset._

Of course, she had no idea how the girl had done it, which was why she was putting in some after-hours work. She'd spent the afternoon carefully searching the camp, collecting residue materials - hairs mainly, for analysis. Now she was just waiting on the results.

"Doing a bit of late-night work, are we?" Floyd began, suddenly looming over her shoulder as if materialising out of thin air. "Crunching some numbers, analysing some data, maybe? Or are you up to something a little more interesting, hmmm?"

"Go away, Glass." She hissed without looking at him. "This is confidential work."

"Ahh..." He peered over her. "Looking for Blackstars are we?" He asked. "Or is it... _Zemalyans?_"

She turned and glared at him, her bright green eyes almost flashing in the darkness.

"I mean, there are plenty of people out there who have a drop or two of _Zemalyan _blood in them, right?" He continued. "So I can understand why you'd decide to DNA test my friends without asking them first. After all you'd know all about that whole part-_Zemalyan_ thing, right?"

"What do you want, Glass?" She snarled.

"Actually, I was hoping that you could shed a little more light on the damages your Zoid suffered." He replied, completely changing tone to a friendly conversation. "You see, I'm trying to get a better idea of the Claw's composition, and the damage your machine suffered had some... interesting connotations?"

"How so?"

He held up his fingers, and began counting off them. "Your machine was attacked both with an energised Electron Claw and a Strike Laser Claw. Both hits suggest mid-sized Zoids, but I can't think of anything in the Claw's arsenal that would have generated both types of attack... I mean, it has to be two different Zoids, but I have a number of questions as to what they are."

"Also, rather interestingly, the majority of the weapons fire seems to have been generated by an Impact Cannon, apparently a two-barreled model as well as some sort of high-intensity, yet light-caliber laser weapon. Now while this would normally suggest a Liger Zero, the Strike Laser Claws are way, way too small." He ginned. "So anything you can tell me?"

"Not much. My opponent was fast moving, bright red and, most importantly, exploded when I shot it." She finished. "That's all you need to know."

"It would be, except that it doesn't add up." He continued. "You see, we found wreckage near your Zoid. My analysis, while only preliminary, suggests that it was destroyed by an internal explosion... in essence, it blew itself up. So that ain't it." He shook his head. "So we have some sight unseen attacker armed with some combination of Electron Claw, Strike Laser Claw, Dual-Barreled Impact Cannon and not to mention the high intensity, probably rapid fire, beam cannon."

"I can't say much else." Thorne replied. "I was... overly focused on matters, more concerned with killing my enemy then identifying him."

"Ah, you'd gone nuts and were letting the Darkhorn do your thinking. Perfectly normal phenomena. Zoid on, brain off."

"Is this going somewhere?"

"Intelligence gathering, my friend." He continued, cheerily. "The more we know about the Claw, the better prepared we shall be to auger them in when the opportunity presents itself."

"I've told you all I can." She finished. "Now go-"

A beep from her noteputer caught her attention. Ignoring Glass for the moment, she instead looked over the displays. Four of the five readouts proved to be nothing interesting; all perfectly normal and average people with nothing too odd about them. Certainly nothing that she hadn't expected.

The fifth readout was a lot more interesting. The report indicated the presence of certain genetic markers, certain traits that were very unusual, to say the least. And they were indicative of neither Blackstar nor Zemalyan ancestry, nor any subsequent genetic manipulation. Instead, it was something far, far more important, something she had never expected to see."

"She's..." Thorne looked over it. "She's a-"

"Yeah." Floyd replied. "Fun, isn't it?"


	31. Point of Departure

The group of Zoids emerged from the tunnel, stopping for a moment to look around at the snow-covered wastes that surrounded them. "Amazing." Rayvenne spoke up. "I'd almost forgotten what it was like out here."

"Yeah..." Leanne continued. "It was kinda different in there. I wonder if it'll ever recover."

"It'll be a fascinating field study to make in years to come." Floyd commented. "However, for now, we have more pressing concerns and an empire to save from certain burnination." The Gustav's motors hissed for a moment as the Zoid settled. "And as much as I would love to debate the dynamics of artificially propagated rainforest ecosystems in a sub-artic climate, time is sadly not on our side."

Thorne's Darkhorn simply barged past his Zoid, almost ignoring it. While the machine had been repaired to the best of the resources available to the team, it still bore numerous scars on its flank. "You can all stand around and talk. I will be leaving."

"Hold up there, little lady." Floyd cut her off. "We're helpin' y'all out here. Now you're gonna play nice, and we're gonna help you with yer little Red Claw problem, remember."

The Darkhorn turned and glared at the Gustav. "...yes, you are right." She admitted.

"Good." Floyd cheerily replied. "So let's get going, shall we? And no more of this block-obsessed madwoman talk. It brings everyone down."

The convoy set out, Althiea taking one last look back at the mountain before joining them. "It's amazing..." She began. "But yet, I still feel like there was something in there, something we missed."

"If there was, the damned Claw probably got it." Jason muttered.

"Very true." Floyd quipped. "Which means that we must redouble our efforts to locate and exterminate these vile miscreants. Whatever it is that they absconded with, it cannot be of any good to us in the hands of ones such as they."

"What in the heck did you just say?" Leanne spoke up.

"I dunno... but it was both funny and serous at the same time." Ravenne added. "I kinda like it, actually."

"My point does stand, however." Floyd continued as his Zoid headed down the slope. "The situation here is serious. We all saw the many, many dead Zoids in that place. And we all understand that they weren't the only things in there."

"That much is true." Althiea spoke up.

"Whatever it is that Jenice has acquired, it has the potential to be incredibly dangerous." He continued. "We cannot allow ourselves any respite, any pause. o do such would be a potentially fatal mistake."

There was a long silence as Floyd's words settled over the group. Only Thorne spoke up, and even then, it was in a private channel to Floyd, rather then to everyone else. "She doesn't know, does she?" Thorne began. 'What I discovered, I mean."

"She doesn't, no." Floyd replied. "And I intend to keep it that way."

"But... she could be just as great a threat as Jenice is." Thorne glared at the Iron Kong. "More so, even."

"And that is why she will never know unless it is unavoidable." He finished. "I trust her. I know that, as she is now, she is intelligent enough to control herself. Right now, she is anything but a danger. And I do not intend to let that situation change."

"I understand." Thorne finished. "Fine then. For now, she will remain as she is. However, Glass, if anything should change-"

"It won't." he finished, rather forcefully.

oOoOo

**Point of Departure**

oOoOo

Well before dawn, a heavily laden civilian Tank Zoid trundled through the streets of Gayos city, its two trailers stacked high with crates. The Zoid turned into an industrial section of the city, threading its way through the broad streets until it reached a warehouse district. Reaching a particular warehouse, the Zoid stopped and waited outside it. A minute later, the doors were opened, the warehouse's own lights being left off. The Zoid slowly headed in, before the doors were closed shut behind it.

It was only after the doors were firmly closed that the lights came on. An overhead crane began work on unloading the massive crates on the Zoid's trailers while a small flood of workers assisted it. A pair of men walked away from the tank, watching as the men went to work. "Pretty impressive sight, eh Mal?" Harry McNeil began as he looked around the warehouse. "These guys have it set up pretty good here."

"Yeah." Malcolm added as he looked over the massive crates that were being unloaded. "That thy do."

"Another lot?" A voice interrupted, the pair of them turning to its source. It was a middle aged man, dressed in a poorly-fitting suit and tie. "What the hell is with all this junk you guys are hauling in anyway?"

"You know the deal, Dom." Harry replied confidently. "You don't ask and we pay you top dollar for your warehouse space."

"Yeah, I know." He muttered as he shook his head. "I'd still like to have some Idea what I'm getting myself in for here. You guys have been using my warehouses to stash a lot of big, bulky packages. That's the sort of thing that makes a guy rather nervous."

"And my employer understands that." Harry replied. "And that's why we turned to you. Because, Dom, we know that you're Zygra's leading expert on the handling of dodgy goods. After all, this warehouse has had all sort of stuff through here, hasn't it?"

"I don't got no idea what you mean." Dom muttered defiantly.

"Oh, but we do, guv." Harry smirked. "And that's why when our employer asked us to find us some shelter to hide some stuff for a few days, that's why wee immediately thought of you. You're good at hiding stuff that nobody's meant to know about, y'see. You're real good. In fact, you're so good that somebody would think that you had something of your own to hide."

"I ain't got nothing."

"Of course you don't, do ya?" Harry continued. "And that's the beauty of it all. I mean, you've never handled hot Zoid parts or illegal substances or decommissioned firerarms or anything like that. That's because you're a legitimate businessman, just like we are."

"Yeah, we're legitimate." Malcolm nodded.

"Yeah yeah." Dom shook his head. "I get the idea. I know about how you two used to run things in Freedom. I ain't gonna argue with you... I want my money, not a fricking broken leg."

"That's the spirit, Dom." Harry finished, slapping the man on the shoulder. "Now you guys continue with your work here. We're gonna take a look around and make sure that all the other stuff is as it should be."

"Sure thing, look around. Be my fricking guests, knock yourselves out." Dom angrily replied. "Like I'm going to stop you two."

"Cheerio then, guv." Harry finished as the pair of them walked out a side door. Crossing an alley, they stepped into the next warehouse along. It was stuffed with large packing crates, similar to the ones that they had deposited in this one. Harry also recalled that there were another three warehouses across the city that were similarly stocked. "Well, all seems to be in order here, Mal." He smirked. "No way the boss can fault us on this. Its gonna be a real blast when this one goes off."

"Hey Harry." Mal commented. "What's gonna happen to us when, you know, this plan goes off?"

"Us?" Harry replied. "We're gonna be rolling in it, brother. We're gonna be frciking loaded."

"Huh... then that's all good then."

"Yeah. No need to worry about the whys and wherefores, Mal. We just do the boss's work and she pays us off but sweet." He continued. "You see, that's why I hitched us up to her. I saw that she had ideas and that she was goin' places. It was only a matter of time before things paid off." He looked over the room again. "And they're going to pay off big time for us."

They turned back to the warehouse, heading back to reclaim their tank. "Come on, let's go. the boss has got a lot more for us to do before the big day."

oOoOo

After the McNeil brothers were gone, Dom ordered his men to open one of the crates. He knew that he was being paid not to look, but he was rather curious as to why. And he was pretty sure that nobody would notice it.

He saw what was inside, then ordered his men to shut it immediately.

After that, he tried to forget that he'd ever seen it.

oOoOo

"Hey, Thorne?" Rayvenne began, warily over the communicator as her Sinker hovered over the formation.

"Hmm?" The Blackstar pilot replied, indifferently from the cockpit of her Zoid.

"That, um, that outfit of yours." She meekly offered. "Where did you get it?"

"From a specialty outfitter in Blackstar City." Thorne stated, flatly. "One within the city proper. One that would not deal with the likes of you."

"Oh." Rayvenne paused. "Because, um, I thought it looked kinda hot and, uh, you know, I thought that something like that would look on me."

"Which is why you took my clothes without asking me."

"No!" Rayvenne replied. "Well, a bit... look, I'm sorry about that."

If Thorne acknowledged the apology, she didn't let on.

"Look, I think that we got things off to a bad start." Rayvenne continued. "I mean, I was hoping that we could put all that behind us and try to all get along and, you know, be nice to each other and all that."

"Why?"

"Well..." Rayvenne paused. "Because we've, um, got so much in common?"

"I highly doubt that." She replied, her voice little more then a low growl.

"No, serious Ash.. leigh." Rayvenne corrected herself. "I mean, lets face it, we're the best looking girls in this team. Though it's not hard, what with Ali being a pale stick and Lee being, well boyish."

"My appearance is largely irrelevant and is a side effect of generations of genetic engineering. Yours is a lucky chance." Thorne replied, flatly.

"Well, you know, you're still pretty good looking." Rayvenne continued, undeterred. "And my family have all been, like, really hot, or at least on my mum's side." She didn't seem to be deterred by Thorne's lack of a reply. "And we both have green eyes, so that's another thing."

"My eyes aren't naturally this colour." Thorne stated.

"Oh, I guessed that. It'd be pretty freaky if they were." Rayvenne replied. "So... what colour were they naturally then? I mean, its not like I know a thing about all your freaky Blackstar tech, but I'm guessing that you had to have normal eyes at some point."

"...green." Thorne muttered.

"See? We've got another thing in common." Ravenne beamed.

Thorne's only reply was to mutter under her breath. "Is this going somewhere?"

"What I'm saying is that we've got a lot in common, so you should stop being so dammed hostile. Over the last few days, all you've done is grunt at us and put us down on occasion, when you could be talking about... stuff. Anything. All the stuff you and I have in common, really." Rayvenne continued. "Like our undies, I mean we both like th-" Thorne closed the channel before she could finish.

Shaking her head, she looked around. The snow had thinned out over the last hour, and instead they were in the midst of a parched, barren wasteland. In the distance, she could see twisted, blackened stubs of what had once been trees, while the ground underneath her Zoid's feet was cracked. _This isn't right. _She thought. _We should still be in the Southern Territories. Yet the terrain is all wrong. Its too dry, too-_

"Glass!" She called over the communicator. "Where the hell are we?"

"Southern Territories." He confidently replied. "About an hour south of Frostridge Point. Should be at grid ref T-10.65."

"Look around, Glass." She continued. "This is not the Southern Territories. We're in the middle of a parched desert, one that I know we won't find inside the territories."

"My GPS system does not lie." He confidently stated. "We're on course."

"And my eyes do not lie." She yelled back. "We are lost... Damn it, look to your right."

The Gustav stopped, then turned to the right, trundling off a moment. "All i can see is haze... I suppose this is your perfect eyesight or something like that." He paused. "Stupid Blackstars, think you're so good just because you're made to be so good."

"What?"

"Did I say that out loud? Silly me." He replied. "Hah... okay... thing off to the right. Where am I?" The Gustav stopped in its tracks. "Hmm."

"See?" She asked, her Darkhorn pulling up next to it.

"Hmmm..." The Gustav shuffled forwards, clanking as it went. "Fascinating... very interesting." The Zoid did a slow lap of the Darkhorn. "Very interesting indeed. It's a ruined fortress."

"That's what I saw." Thorne replied, ignoring his behavior. "More to the point, its not inside the Southern Territories. In fact, I have a strong suspicion of where we are." The Darkhorn's four radar antennas twitched. "Your Gustav has rather extensive sensors. Tell me what you're detecting."

"A lot of residual background radiation." He replied. "Not life threatening, but certainly more then the norm. We're safe in our Zoids, though. Of course... one has to wonder how it got here."

Althiea's iron Kong walked up to the two Zoids. "From... a nuclear attack?" Althiea asked. "Or, more to the point, a number of nuclear weapons detonated over an area."

"Exactly." He replied. "She's very smart, Thorne. You could learn form her."

"We're in Krupp." Thorne finished. "More to the point, we're well inside Krupp, and have been probably been heading in there for several days."

"Impossible!" Floyd shouted back. "My GPS system doesn't lie! At least, not with how much I paid for it."

"Well it appears that something's gone wrong." Thorne stated. "Because we are well off-course and probably heading more so."

"Lousy piece of crap..." Floyd began. "Damn it! Damn it and its angry Dolphin!"

"Could it be getting faulty data from the satellite?" Althiea asked.

"Hmm... that's a distinct possibility." Floyd admitted. "Bad data leads the system to get the wrong info, I go off course, I lead everyone off course, errors compound errors because of bad data... Yes, I think that's exunctly what's happened there."

"Hey!" Leanne called out as her Gunsniper hopped over to the larger Zoids. "What in the heck is going on here?"

"We appear to have a navigational situation." Floyd replied.

"So we're lost." She stated.

"Not lost." Floyd shook his head. "Merely cartographically misplaced."

"So what do we do from here?" Althiea spoke up.

"We have no clear idea where we are." Thorne stated. "And there is not going to be anyone around that we can ask for directions either. This place is dead; the second most toxic place on the entire continent."

"Second?" Althiea asked.

"So what do you propose then, Captain Thorne?" Floyd asked, sarcasm colouring his voice.

"We try to get our bearings. For now, I suggest we head due north until we find some landmark or similar that we can use to navigate with." She replied, not rising to Floyd's taunting. "Rayvenne will sweep the area; there's not going to be anyone here, so our risk of engagement is nonexistent. If we're smart, we can be out of here with little or no risk."

"I don't like it." Floyd muttered. "But then, heck, its better then any idea I can think of."

"Good. let's go then-"

"Now hold on here, lady." Jason snapped. "I don't recall your asking us what we thought."

"I created the plan, Glass approved it. That's more then I need." She simply stated.

"Well that's not how we do things around here." Jason replied.

"Heck no. We all agree on somethin' before we do it." Leanne added. "That way-"

"-is grossly inefficient and wastes valuable time." Thorne finished. "Now you can follow me, or you can remain lost in this radioactive hellhole. Its your choice." The Darkhorn turned away from the rest of the group. "Better decide now."

"...why did we ever rescue her?" Leanne muttered as he Gunsniper fell in behind the Blackstar Zoid.

"Because it was the right thing to do." Althiea stated, flatly.

"Coulda fooled me." Rayvenne finished.

oOoOo

"So how'd things go with the Blackstars?" Dezalg asked as he poured himself and Nathan a drink. The pair of them were meeting in his quarters, eager to discuss a number of matters.

"It was... interesting" Nathan replied as he took the drink. "Different. Not what I had expected, actually. Not at all."

"Oh really?" Dezalg raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, it appears that this whole apology thing was actually just a front. From what I figured, they wanted somebody form our side, specifically me, to come in and have a little talk so they could have some, ah, informal discussions, shall we say."

"Really. Hmm." he considered this. "And what was this about, can I ask?"

"It would appear that the Blackstars aren't quite as scary as we initially thought." Nathan explained. "Or at least, not all of them."

"How so?

"You know that we've seldom dealt with anyone higher then the rank of Captain?" Nathan started. "And we expected their senior staff to be the same as the rest of their people."

"Arrogant, stuck up, good looking and under-dressed, you mean."

They both chuckled at the thought. "Pretty much. But the man I met was anything but."

"Really?" Dezalg commented. "You'll understand if I find that a little hard to believe."

"No really." He continued. "He was friendly, accepting, polite and sociable. He explained his position and why he'd been asking for an apology. And he made a genuine effort towards reconciliation between our two groups. I think we have misjudged them." He then smirked. "And he was in a full dress uniform to boot."

"Who was this remarkable individual?" Dezalg asked. "I may have to abuse my Paladin's privileges to see if intel have anything on him that may be useful."

"Calvin Cade." Nathan offered. "A colonel."

"Cade eh?" Dezalg rubbed his chin. "I knew a Cade or two during the war. That might explain a lot."

"Blackstars?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Well, sort of. What Blackstars were before they become Blackstars."

"Which was?"

"A lot less anal and a lot better dressed." He finished, the pair of them laughing. "Seriously, however. I think that it would pay to keep an eye on this Cade. We could use some allies about now."

"Things looking that good back here?"

Dezalg nodded solemnly. "Zygra is convinced that he needs to appear in person at the Victory day parade, despite all that I've said to hi. He feels that it's vital for the morale of the people, but I still think he's taking way too much a risk, especially after what you told me about what happened down south."

"Strange that." Nathan sighed. "He's usually so... cautious otherwise." He glanced around. "Will Nikolas be with him?"

"Almost certainly not." Dezalg shook his head. "And not just for security reasons. His royal pain will most likely be otherwise occupied throughout."

Nathan nodded. "And we're putting out a cover story about training or the like?"

"It's the best idea." Dezalg replied. "With the risks that Zygra is taking, I don't see any reason to let someone wipe the whole family out in one go. And it also helps if the Zygra people have a better image of their future leader then the reality."

"You don't think..." Nathan sighed. "You don't think we're being too paranoid? Like, by doing all this, we're playing straight into the Red Claw's hands? Its almost like we're telling them that we're afraid of them, that we're letting them know that they've won."

"Sometimes, yes." Dezalg took another drink. "But then, during the Hydra War I learned a lot about being cautious."

"And that never stopped Zygra, if I recall." Nathan continued. "He tended to lead from the front."

"Zygra was a man of his times." Dezalg took another sip. "He lead from the front because he needed to. His skills as a pilot often made the difference to our cause. Yes, it was a risk, but it was one that he needed to take."

"I understand." Nathan nodded. "And you think that what his son is doing is unnecessary."

"That I do." He finished.

"It makes me wonder." Nathan spoke up. "How do you think that Zygra would have handled the Red Claw?"

"It depends on what you mean." Dezalg offered. "If Zygra was alive today, well, it wouldn't be an easy matter. He'd be..." he paused. "nearly a hundred years old. But if it was Zygra as he was during the war... well." Dezalg smirked. "He'd be in his 'breaker, leading the charge against them, and wouldn't stop until he'd rooted out and destroyed them in their entirety."

"Something I could never see Marius doing." Nathan shook his head.

"Marius is a skilled leader and an accomplished diplomat." Dezalg offered. "But he's not a warrior. Neither Zygra nor his mother wanted him to be one either, hoping that it would make him less militaristic, less likely to go off with dreams of conquest or the like."

"But you think that it's backfired, right?"

"Some days I do, Nathan." Dezalg finished. "But he is still our emperor. And it is our duty to serve him."

oOoOo

Jager descended into the lowest depths of the subterranean facility, heading to those areas that had been given over to their research and development teams for the production of new weapons. In these depths, technicians were working away to produce the Kuroryukai's newest weapons the ones that would be to claim power and reform the world anew in their image.

He had come here to see how production was progressing. Events had begun to unfold in such a way that they would need their army to be ready as soon as possible. Jenice's speeding up of her timetable was a positive step, one that would buy them a lot of time. However, they were working against a deadline that they could do anything about. Everything had to be in place at the right time, or else all they had worked for over the last five decades would be for nothing.

Jaeger stepped out of the lift into what had become their factory floor, the place where they were working to produce these new weapons. He proceeded into the factory, heading past the rows of metal and glass vats. The air was filled with a loud humming noise of the systems at work, one that was interrupted only by the sounds of his boots on the metal catwalk. Reaching the far end, he stopped before one of the researchers.

"Watanabe." He began. "How are things going here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The man began, then bowed. "I thought i had included everything in my report to the commander. I do apologise."

"It's fine. I just wanted to come down here and see for myself." Jaeger offered.

Watanabe nodded. "As you can see, we're working as fast as we can. The first batch should be ready by the end of the week. Models 006 and 007 are proving to be by far the easiest to produce and will constitute the bulk of those produced. Models 001, 003, 004 and 005 will be available, but in far smaller numbers."

"And model 002?"

"It has proven to be... troublesome." He admitted. "The weapons system is proving to be harder to build then we anticipated."

"Will they be ready?"

"We will have them ready for the second batch, certainly. I will increase production of model 001 in the first batch to make up the shortfall."

"001 wont begin to cover the qualitative differences. It's a fast strike machine, not a stand and fight unit like we need." Jaeger shook his head.

"I understand that." Watanabe admitted. "However, this is the only way we can have the units ready on schedule."

_And that's a schedule we cannot change, _he mentally added. "Very well then. Push up the production of model 001 and we'll work on it form there."

"Certainly."

"How are the pilots going?" He asked.

"Acclimatization and cross training is continuing well." Watanabe explained. "The first pilots will be ready for their machines at the same time as the first batch have finished production."

Manpower had always been one of their limitations, having a severe shortage of pilots. They'd been taking steps to rectify that situation. "And the other pilots?"

"We'll be ready with their Zoids." He finished. "They're fully rated on all of the designs, save for 002. However, we've found that their performance drops off markedly when handling anything more sophisticated then 006 or 007."

"So you're focusing the trained pilots on the bigger Zoids then."

"Correct." Watanabe nodded. "But we're working on programs to expand their capabilities."

"Good. If things go as we expect, we may need to dramatically increase our numbers." Jaeger shook his head.

"How about yourself?" Watanabe asked. "Have you been cross-trained yet?"

He glanced over at one of the metal vats. "On one of these monstrosities? Only if I can't avoid it." He smirked. "No, I've got a Zoid of my own that's been in prep for some time now. It's not one of them - thank god - but I think it'll be a surprise no less."

"So... what is our status?" Watanabe asked.

"Confidentially?" Jager replied. "We've been having trouble with satellite communications, which means that other people would be as well. And while I can see a case for freak atmospheric conditions or the like-"

"Its Zero Point, isn't it?"

Jager nodded. "I see then." Watanabe finished. "Whatever it takes to serve our cause."

"Whatever it takes." Jager finished as he looked over the vat. Liquid bubbled and swirled in it, coalescing around a single glowing red orb in its center. Tendrils of red and grey matter, looking more organic then anything else, hung off it. "And this, this I think is the ultimate expression of that philosophy."

oOoOo

The group marched on in relative silence, heading through the desolate lands that had once been Krupp. For the most part, there was nothing to see save for the odd burnt stump of a tree or a bit of ruin or abandoned machinery. All else was just one long, empty expanse of desert, empty of life save for the small group wandering through it.

"This place..." Althiea began as she looked around. "It's so... lifeless."

"That it is." Floyd replied, sadly. "Krupp was never a nice place, really. It was a battleground for centuries, which reduced much of it to little more then wastelands to begin with. But during the war, the Draken Empire deiced that they really, really didn't like it, and leveled it with nuclear weapons - ones that, incidentally, they were not supposed to have."

"And now there's nobody here, is there?"

"Only the most desperate or foolhardy. Neither last terribly long though."

"I see..." She trailed off. "Floyd, there's something that has been bothering me."

"Really?" He asked. "What is it."

She paused before answering, not sure how to put it. "When we were in that jungle in the south... I could feel, well, I'm not sure what it was." She tried to put it into words. 'It was like there was a presence, something in my mind, something that I couldn't put my finger on at all."

"Interesting." He considered matters. "But you have no idea what it was, correct?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I couldn't say where it was or what it was. It felt like it was all around me and at the same time, inside my head."

"What did it feel like?" He continued, his curiosity piqued.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Maybe... kind of like there was somebody whispering in my ear, or a voice in my head. But it wasn't saying anything... I could just feel it."

"Fascinating."

"But... there's something else." She continued. "At some point, it stopped. I don't know when, but I think it was during the fire."

"I wonder if it was destroyed." Floyd pondered.

"Or was it something that the Red Claw took?" She asked. "Do you think it's a possibility?'

"If it is, then I would feel very afraid." He finished.

"Would-" She began, then stopped, her Iron Kong also halting in its tracks.

"Althiea?" He asked. "Is something up?"

"I don't know..." She paused. "For a second, I thought I heard... or maybe felt something." She shook her head. "Maybe it's just this place. It's... strange. Eerie, even. Something tells me that we're not alone here, even though I know that there's nobody else around."

"Hey guys!" Rayvenne called out over the channel, cutting off Floyd's reply. "I think I've found something up ahead!"

"What is it?" Thorne asked.

"Well, if you ask me, its a twisted mess of rusty machinery." She admitted. "But its a large twisted mess, which could be a help."

"Its a start, certainly." Floyd enthusiastically replied. "So let's head there and try to get out bearings. Maybe we can get out of this hellhole."

"Agreed." Thorne stated. "Where is it?"

"Grid ref E-166." She finished. "So that's North-Northwest of here, not too far though."

"Affirmative. We will meet you there." Thorne finished, her Darkhorn turning before heading off in the direction Rayvenne indicated. Without any further protests, both Jason and Leanne fell in behind her.

"Let's go, Althiea." Floyd began. "But could i ask one favor of you?"

"What is it?" She replied.

"If you do... sense anything odd, let me know immediately, okay?" He asked.

"Sure." She nodded. "I'll do what I can, Floyd."

"Thanks." he smiled. "This is a strange land, and a part of me wants to call it haunted. Of course, that's just a silly superstition."

The group continued through the desert, passing though more of the same, blasted lands. The area round them seemed to be an unending sea of rust-red hills and sands, punctuated solely by the odd twisted, blackened tree. For a while, they traveled in silence before they halted at the top of a hill.

"Here we are, guys." Rayvenne spoke up. "So what do you think?"

Below them lay what had probably been some sort of refinery or mining facility in past, but was now little more then a nightmarish maze of twisted pipes and wreckage jutting out of the desert sands below. There was no sign of life at all and, looking over the place, it was hard to believe that anyone had ever been there at all. "We'll head down there and look for any information that can tell us where we are." Thorne began. "Form there, we should be able to figure out a way out of here."

The Darkhorn headed down the slope, the other Zoids following behind it before heading into the ruined facility. Only the Iron Kong lingered, its pilot uncertain about what lay down there.

"Fan out!" Thorne ordered. "And search for anything that might give us some clue as to our whereabouts." Althiea's Zoid stopped at the edge of the ruins, however, and stood unmoving. "You too!" Thorne snapped. "Stop standing around there."

"We... we shouldn't have come here!" Althiea called out. "There's something here!"

"There's nothing here-" Thiorne began, but Floyd cut hero ff.

"What is it?" He called back. "What's going on, Althiea?"

"I... I don't know!" She called back. "But I feel like there's something wrong about this place." She shook her head, the Kong aping her movement.

"Can your sensors find anything?" Floyd asked. "Leanne, Thorne, what about yours?"

"I ain't got nothing but junk and clutter." Leanne began.

"Glass, what's going on here-" Thorne began.

"What are your sensors saying?" he cut her off.

"I want to know-"

"God damn it, just do it!" Floyd shouted, angrily.

She seemed to be taken back for a moment, clearly not excepting someone to talk back to her. "I'm detecting... junk, rubble, debris... hold on." The Darkhorn's antenna's twitched. "There's something here, something big... its moving!"

"Everyone!" Floyd called out. "Get ready!"

Piles of rubble shifted then collapsed as massive forms emerged, as if awakening form a long rest. All around the group, strangely-shaped Zoids appeared their configurations nightmarish messes of the familiar and the bizarre.

"I knew it." Floyd muttered. "This land is haunted."

oOoOo

Jenice again stared into the impassive face of the silver statue, glaring straight into its unblinking, featureless eyes. "Who are you?" She asked it, as if she was expecting a response form the motionless figure. "What is it that you want from me? What do I have to do to reawaken you?"

The figure didn't reply, instead remaining standing there impassively. Nor did either of its two partners, the gold and metallic grey ones.

"Damn you." She snarled. "Do not think that you can defy me forever. I will unlock your secrets. I will bring you back to life. I will make what you posses my own, to use as I see fit."

Again the statues remained impassive, as if ignoring her.

A beep cut off any reply, forcing Jenice to refocus her attention. Picking up her communicator, she snarled as she activated it. "Yes? What is it?"

"The troops are ready, commander." Levisha replied impassively. "Everyone is waiting for you in the main hanger bay."

"Very well. I will be with them in a moment. Out."

Leaving the statues for a moment, she went to her wardrobe and picked out some items. Normally she preferred a grey uniform with a jacket; it was relatively unadorned save for a single Red Claw logo on one arm, giving it a simple yet effective look. However, for the moment, she needed something a bit more ornate, something with a bit more presence. She picked out a different jacket, one with golden epaulets on the shoulders and golden braiding across the chest. Added to that was a black and red knee-length cape which gave her a far more imposing, far more dramatic presence.

She stepped out of her room, passing Levisha and Sturm before heading towards the main hanger bay. Her two aides feel in behind her, following her as she strode purposefully forward. "Is everyone ready?" She began.

"Everyone we have here is." Levisha replied. "And last report from McNeil indicated that all was ready to go in Gayos."

"Latest intel indicates that we are on track." Sturm added. "As near as we can tell, the Zygra preparations are going exactly as we expected."

"So we are committed then." Jenice finished. "Very good."

She climbed the stairs to her main office, heading out n a platform that overlooked the main hanger bay. Sturm and Towne headed down to the main bay, joining the crowd assembled there. Below, she could see the bulk of the Red Claw, all standing at attention and awaiting her orders. Every pilot, every soldier, every one of their few technicians all assembled and hanging off her every word. She could see faces in the crowd; her elite pilots, minus the McNeil Brothers in the front, other individuals around, like Kara Zale. Even amongst the masked ranks of her soldiers, she could still see individuals who she recongised. This was not their full number, however. She knew that there were still more agents already in Gayos, awaiting her signal to strike.

"Brother and sisters of the Red Claw." Jenice began. "Today is a momentous day, one that will resound in the annals of history. Today, we shall reach the end of a journey that we began many years ago. It has been a long and hard journey, one fraught with many dangers. Yet, we have made that journey, and we have emerged from it as stronger, more powerful people, ones who have the strenght and determination to overcome any obstacles in our way."

"The Red Claw was created to do one thing, to effect change in an Empire that had become stagnant and corrupt. Its structures had become so rigid, so inflexible that they could not function and could not adapt to the world around it. We exist to force that change by any means necessary. And while we have been successful so far, it still has not been enough. That is why we have to take matters into our own hands, why we must do more then we ever have before."

"Today we will make that difference. Today, we will take the fight to the empire. We will no longer raid or strike at its fringes, but rather, we shall strike at their very heart and tear it out. In order to save the empire form itself, we shall have to crush it, and remake it anew in our image. We, the Red Claw, will refoge the Zygra Empire into a newer, stronger entity, one shaped in our image. Today, you are seen as criminals or bandits. Tomorrow, you will be heroes."

"I can understand that many of you have doubts that this can be done. And while we have had many victories in past against the Empire, what we are trying now is greater then anything we have attempted before. However, I feel confident that we can defeat the Empire. Those who traveled with me to the far south would have seen our new weapon in action, and seen the devastating effect it can have. This is a weapon that can be used to defeat a Blackstar - an accomplishment many have only ever dreamt of. And even then it was showing but a fraction of its power. And if that is enough to defeats a Blackstar, imagine what this weapon, at its full force, will unleash upon the Empire."

"Despite hits power, what we do today will not be easy. I will require that each and every one of you give their utmost for our cause. The task will be a difficult one, but the rewards will be well worth it. Your efforts will help us to build a better future, not only for us, but for all the citizens of the empire."

"Fore the Red claw!" She shouted out. "For the future!"

The crowd responded with a loud cheer, arms defiantly raised in the air. Jenice waited for a moment, soaking in the enthusiasm of the crowd. She was careful to remain impassive, but the truth was that she was thrilled with the result. She wanted to see her men determined and driven, willing to give all for her and her cause. Then, she quietly held her hands up, signaling for silence.

"You all have your duties and your orders. I expect you to fulfill them to your utmost, but I know that you will not disappoint me. I could not have asked for a better body of men to lead into battle." Which was a blatant lie and she knew it. But she also felt that it was the best thing to do to keep them all onside and willing to follow her. Given what they were planning, she needed them to be as enthusiastic and determined as possible.

"Now, go to your Zoids, pick up your weapons, and prepare to fight for our cause. Remember today that the future of the entire empire, and its people, depends on you."

The crowd began cheering again as she stepped back, then stopped again. "Dismissed. And good luck to you all."

The crowd broke up, some men running to their machines. Jenice smiled to herself, then headed down to her own Zoid. Clambering inside the cockpit, she powered up its systems. Glancing over the status board, she could see that its main cannon was still not viable; while it was a drawback, she figured that it wouldn't be a fatal one. The Zoid's blinding speed had proved to be effective against that Blackstar that she'd faced, which meant that it would be more then enough to take down any Zygra Zoid.

Of course, if all went to plan, then she wouldn't need to face combat at all.

The main doors to their subterranean base began to open, allowing natural light to pour into the hanger and fall across the forms of the Zoids within. Powering up her machine, Jenice slowly moved it through the main hanger, passing the other machines on her way out before stepping into the light. Slowly, the other Red Claw Zoids formed up behind her, heading out of the hanger behind her machine. She strode confidently into the valley, her Zoid's head held high as if to reflect its pilot's demeanor.

There was a loud roar as a massive shape passed overhead, before climbing away form the rest of the formation. That was the last Zoid in their force, their ultimate weapon. A part of her found it ironic that the Zoid that would destroy the Zygra empire was piloted by one of its greatest champions. The best part of it, of course, was that the whole Empire would know who it was, and why he had done it. And they would see that their government had failed, and she presented their only alternative.

The Red Claw's banners flapped in a light breeze, held high above their Zoids. There would be no illusions about who had performed this act. The power she possessed would not be denied.

oOoOo

Jason's Iguan spun around with a metal girder in its hand, using it as an impromptu spear. The point smashed through the Rev Rapter's head, impaling the cockpit before ramming through the back of its skull. The strangely modified Zoid, sporting numerous spikes and fins, staggered back for a moment, as if surprised by the move.

"Wow." Rayvenne commented as her Sinker passed overhead. "Hardcocre, Jase."

Then, to his shock, the Zoid hissed and lunged forwards, baring its fangs at the Iguan. He managed to pull himself together in time to dodge the Zoid, twisting to one side of it. To his distress, the girder remained firmly in place, clearly speared through the cockpit in such a way that should have killed the pilot and disabled the Zoid.

"I don't get it!" Jason called out as he opened fire on the Rapter's flank. "I should have killed it."

"The pilot's either missing, or he's dead." Thorne replied flatly.

"Welcome to Death Valley Days." Floyd added across the channel.

"I've fought their type before." She continued over the roar of her Zoid's Hibilt Blakan Cannon. "These machines keep fighting until they're destroyed; they don't surrender, they don't retreat."

"That's just what we need." Jason muttered.

"Everyone, stay tight." Floyd continued. "Try to clear us a path."

Althiea's Iron Kong swung around, opening fire at a Saber Tiger-like machine that had emerged from a rubble pile. The Hyperbeam Cannon smashed into the Zoid's side, spearing through it and gutting its systems. The Zoid staggered back, black smoke billowing out from the massive hole in its side. The machine didn't stay down, however, and continued to advance towards her Kong.

A hail of brilliant green energy bolts smashed into its side before it could strike, however, shredding the armour over its flank and leg. The Tiger staggered under the impact of the blows, but somehow managed to remain up. It turned to face its attacker, Thorne's Darkhorn, and roared inchallenge to it. Her reply was a blast form her own hyperbeam cannon that blasted through the Zoid's already damaged flank, tearing apart more systems before blasting out the other side. The Saber swayed, then crashed to the ground, clearly disabled.

Althiea blinked for a moment as she looked over the downed Zoid. "These machines..." she began. "They're like my Iron Kong. There's something controlling them, like the same chip."

"That's nice." Jason called back as he sent another couple of shots into the Rapter's flank. "Now can you pull the same trick you pulled with it on them?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "It's not something I can control. But I can feel... like there's something else, something more to these machines." She was taken aback, not sure what she was meant to do. The feeling was all around her now, voices crowding her, trying to push into her head. "I just don't know!"

"That would be the lovely work Hydra did on them." Floyd called back as his Gustav charged forwards. "It's like what you sensed from Thorne's Zoid and the Trinity Liger!" He added as the Zoid slammed into the side of the Rev Rapter facing Jason. The Rapter buckled under the force of the impact, its legs cut out form under it. It bounced off the Gustav's shell, then crashed to the ground by its side.

"That should screw with their threat assessment routines." Floyd added. "Go for it, Jason!"

"Thanks, Floyd." The Iguan swung around, slamming its quad barreled cannon arm into the Rapter's side. Before the downed Zoid could respond, he opened fire, blasting into its damaged body at point blank range. The Rapter spasmed for a moment, then went limp. "That's another down."

"Great. Could I get a bit of help from y'all here?" Leanne called out. Her Gunsniper broke and ran, speeding past a two-headed Command Wolf while opening fire on it with her wrist gattling cannons. Several shots spanged into the Wolf's side, before the other Zoid turned and returned fire on her. A few shots went past her, while one seared off armour form the Gunsniper's hip.

"Hold on, Lee! I'm comin' for ya!" Rayvenne called out as her Sinker dived on the Wolf, opening fire with all four of its cannons. Shots raked the Zoid from head to tail, stripping armour off it and puncturing one of the two canopies. Despite the damage wrought to it, the Wolf managed to remain standing, and swung its cannons around to chase Ravenne's Zoid. Several shots streaked past the Sinker as it climbed away, but none of them managed to connect with it.

"Hey ugly!" Leanne called back. "Over here!" The Gunsniper opened up with both its chest and arm cannons, spraying the Zoid with more shots. A blast from the chest cone struck the Zoid's damaged head, tearing it apart. Damaged, the Wolf staggered back, the stump of its destroyed head smoking as it fumbled. Another volley of fire struck it, knocking the Zoid to the ground.

"Nice work, Lee." Rayvenne called back. "You got- behind ya!"

"Wha?" Leanne began as another Zoid popped up from the ground behind her Gunsniper. Resembling a Molga adorned with fins and spines, the Zoid slammed into the back of the Gunsniper's legs, bowling it over and sending it sprawling backwards. The Molga spun around, opening fire on her Zoid with the small cannons mounted on its head, scoring hits on the arms and legs.

As Leanne struggled to bring the Zoid back up, the Molga charged forwards. Instead of connecting with her Zoid, however, it instead received a foot in the face from Jason's Iguan. The Molga lifted into the air, then crashed down on its side, frantically wriggling as it tried to right itself. Leanne didn't offer it the chance, opening fire on its underside with her cannons, Jason joined in, blasting its exposed underbelly.

"Thanks fer that." She began.

"This is nuts." He replied. "These guys don't - hell!" The Iguan spun around, opening fire on a Cannon Tortoise. Several shots bounced off the Zoid's font, doing little damage beyond blowing off the cosmetic-looking horn mounted above its canopy. Leanne added her own cannons to the fire, smashing in the armour but still not stopping it.

"Down!" He called as the Tortoise opened fire with its main cannon. The shot tore past the two Zoids, instead slamming into a derelict structure. There was a massive explosion, fire and burning debris raining down across the battlefield.

"Damn it!" Leanne called out. "Cover me, Jase!" The Gunsniper broke into a run, charging at the Tortoise. Spraying several shots, more to keep it down then to disable it, the Sniper leapt on the Tortoise, its toe claw smashing through the Zoid's canopy and locking it into place. Leanne opened up at point plank range, pumping shots into the barrel of its main cannon. The Tortroise shuddered, Leanne firing her boosters and hopping away before the machine erupted into a ball of flame, the ammo inside it cockoign off and destroying the Zoid from within.

A second Tiger leaped out of the ruins, bounding over the remnants of the Tortoise before charging at Leanen and Jason, The pair of them swerved out of its path, their Zoids opening up on its flank as it ran. The Tiger instead ignored them, barreling past and heading for Thorne's Zoid.

Roaring, the Tiger opened fire with its chest-mounted cannon, several shots striking the Darkhorn's flank. The black Zoid seemed to be unaffected by the impacts, instead standing its ground and spinning around the Vulcan cannon, before opening fire on the Tiger. Several shots tore into the Tiger's shoulder before it twisted out of the way, the rest of the burst streaking past it and tearing into a pile of rusted machinery.

The Tiger's turret, mounting a large, heavy-duty cannon, spun around to face the Darkhorn, then opened fire on it. The shot struck the Darkorn in the flank, tearing into its armour before detonating with a loud explosion. Thorne's Zoid appeared to be unaffected, however standing its ground before returning fire. The Beam Gattling fired again, shredding armour off the Tiger's flank but not slowing it down. Determined to stand her ground, Thorne bought around the Hyperbeam launcher, opening fire on the Tiger again.

The shot struck the Zoid in the back, blasting into its turret before tearing it apart, shredding it into metallic chunks. The Tiger seemed to be unperturbed by this loss, and instead charged forweards at the Darkhorn, roaring loudly. The Darkhorn replied by grunting, then charging forward to meet its opponent. The Darkhorn struck the Tiger in the side, bellowing as it gored into the Zoid's flanks with its two horns, shredding through its flank and crushing the hip. One of the Tiger's forelegs was torn free as the Zoid was lifted into the air, crashing to the ground near it. As soon as the damaged Zoid hit the ground, the Darkhorn opened up with its secondary weapons, blasting into its underside to finish it off.

Before Thorne could celebrate her victory, another shot struck her Zoid in the side, causing it to stumble. A new threat emerged form the rubble, one far larger then any of the others. It resembled an Iron Kong in form, but its actual details were far different. Its armour was dull blue, and its face was elongated and doglike, with red bands across the muddle. A large beam cannon rode on one shoulder, while shields covered its upper arms.

The Darkhorn broke into a run, bolting away from the Zoid while opening fire with its secondary weapons. The shots bounced off its amour, but didn't appear to do too much else to it. "Damn you, Althiea!" Thorne called out as another blast narrowly missed her Zoid. "Stop standing there and actually do something!"

"What?" She shook her head.

"Everyone else is fighting." The Blackstar snarled. "So why not you?"

"But, I... that is, I can feel-"

"I don't care what you feel!" Thorne shouted. "Just get in there and help the rest of us ou, damn you!"

"Right." Althiea hastily blurted out. She screwed up her eyes, trying to concentrate on what she had to do. The Iron Kong bellowed, then charged forwards at its dull blue opponent, firing the Hyperbeam canon and missiles as it charged. The canon shot tore into the enemy Zoid's left shoulder, tearing through the heavy shield and ripping it apart, while the missiles traced a line of explosions across the Zoid's chest, shattering the armour.

The enemy Zoid remained standing and fired back with its own cannon. Althiea seemed ready for it, however and fired her Zoid's boosters, leaping into the air over the shot. As the Kong leapt, she opened up with the wrist-mounted cannon, further scoring the armour on the enemy Zoid's chest.

Rising its arms above its head, Althiea's Kong came down on the enemy machine, striking it with a pair of massive blows that rocked it, causing it to stagger under the impact. Another pair of blows struck the Zoid, forcing its back as its chest armour crumpled and buckled. Grunting, the enemy Zoid staggered back, then swung at Althiea with one of its own massive hands.

The Iron Kong stood its ground, instead catching the fist in its own open palm. The Kong's massive fingers closed around its attacker's fist, then began to turn slowly, digging into the armour as it did. The enemy Zoid tried to fight against it, but the Iron Kong seemed to be too strong, forcing the attacker's hand. The structure gave of a squeal of tortured metal as the arm servos were pushed beyond their limits, Althiea's Iron Kong proving to be too strong for the modified Zoid.

The arm twisted, then its elbow joint shattered, exploding into a mess of components as the Iron Kong ripped it free form the Zoid's body. Discarding it, the Iron Kong surged forwards, hammering into its opponents body with its fists, forcing the Zoid back. A blow crushed its cannon, while another smashed it in the side of the head, crushing its muzzle and sending it reeling. Before it could recover, the Iron Kong swung back, then bought both its fists down on the Zoid's head, crushing it in a shower of parts and debris. The enemy Zoid tottered for a moment, then collapsed, crashing to the ground flat on its back.

"There." Althiea replied, coldly. "Is that enough for you?"

"Wow." Rayvenne commented. "Ali, that was..."

"Let's just get out of here." She replied. "I don't want to stay in this place any longer then we need to."

oOoOo

"This is Brenton Smythe with the Zygra Broadcasting Corporation, live from the Victory Day celebrations here in Gayos. There has been a spectacular turnout for this, the fifty-third anniversary of our victory over the Hydra army and the foundation of our glorious Empire."

The camera panned around to show a part of the crowd gathered on either side of the main road through the city before zooming in on a raised platform and the collection of dignitaries inside it. "Watching in person, as always, is his majesty, Emporer Marius Zygra. With him are a host of other dignitaries, including commander in chief of the Zygra Army, General Caro Wrightfield, as well as at least two Paladins. Oddly enough, Paladin Herman Dezalg, the leader of their organisation, is absent form his usual place at the emperor's side. Also absent is the Emperor's son and heir, Prince Nikolas Zygra. Both are normally present on this glorious day."

Brenton paused before continuing. "I have heard, however, that Prince Zygra has been assigned to some special operation as a part of his training, and that Paladin Dezalg is personally overseeing the operation."

The camera turned back to look over the parade as the last of a series of floats rolled past the royal stand. "Today has been a great day so far; the weather is fine and is expected to remain such thought the rest of the afternoon. Officials have quoted that the crowd is the largest turnout since the fiftieth anniversary celebrations."

He paused as the camera roamed across the avenue, catching sight of a row of soldiers in their colourful red uniforms, rifles over their shoulders. "And now the first of our military forces, the brave men and women of the Zygra army who defend our homes against any threats. They have turned out beautifully today, resplendent in their ceremonial uniforms and body armour."

The soldiers marched past the stands in perfect harmony, not a single footstep out of place as they advanced. The crowds cheered and waved enthusiastically as they passed, clearly enjoying the day. "As you can see, the crowds are delighted to see their defenders here on display. Their confident presence here shows the Zygra Empire's strength and determination to face any opponent, no matter who they are or where they may be."

The first Zoids appeared following after them; Rows of neatly marching Garius and Elephantus, with Hidockers and Gorgodos amongst them. Then came a squad of Gargantulas and Spikers, skittering along the broad avenue, followed by a detachment of Tank Zoids. "And now... now for the true spectacle." Brenton began. "As you can see, here come the heavy weapons of the Empire's forces, the Bigasaurs. And behind them, we have a detachment of the new Mammoth Mk IIs, who's massive Supercannons are said to be able to destroy any Zoid in a single volley."

"The strength and power on display here is a bold statement." He continued. "It not only demonstrates to the people the strength and power of our Empire, but it also shows those who would threaten us that we..." He paused, then pressed a finger to a earphone. "Hold on, I'm just getting something. Something... something's going on... something's approaching the parade... Maybe some surprise that we were not told about-"

He was cut off by a roar of engines as something passed overhead at high speed, a dark shadow falling across the parade. There was a loud screech as the shockwave of the Zoid's passage washed over them bowling over people and sending banners flying. Then the massive black and silver Zoid rose into the air, its broad red wings spread wide open.

"I... I have no idea what is going on here!" Brenton called out. "This... Zoid, whatever it is has just swooped down on the parade. I- I don't think this is planned! I think we're under attack!" The crowd began to panic, people running and shouting at each other as they tried to get away form the Zoid. The procession of Zygra military force stopped, their Zoids looking up at the invading machine as it soared overhead. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we appear to be under attack... this mysterious Zoid has come out of nowhere, and seems to be threatening the crowd... and the imperial booth and-"

The camera jerked away, focusing on the Zoid in the sky. While distant, its serpentine shape could still be made out as it looped around, then swooped down towards the parade again. "I have no idea what its up to... does anyone know what that Zoid is or who it belongs to? Is this the dreaded Red Claw that we've heard so much about?"

The Zoid stopped and reared up, its wings flapping as it held its position in the air. "We are the Red Claw!" A woman's voice boomed out across the parade ground. "We have come to save you, the people of the Zygra Empire, from yourselves. Your government is no longer fit to rule, and for that, they shall be destroyed."

"I can see some sort of light coming from the Zoid's back, like a weapon - oh dear god!" Brenton called out. "Get down! Get out of here! Now!" A searing white-blue energy beam streaked down from the sky, spearing through the Royal pavilion and obliterating it in an instant. It burst into a massive energy ball that consumed the Zygra forces on the parade ground.

"Surrender your empire now." The voice continued. "If any of you wish to live."


	32. Empire's End

The Gungyarados soared away from the devastated parade ground, pulling up and away from the fleeing spectators and the devastation it had left in its wake. Letting out a bellowing roar, the Zoid climbed, then soared across the city, not bothering to hide itself. Instead, its pilot ensured that it would be as visible as possible to the people below. In doing such, it served not only as a symbol of the Red Claw's power but also of the failure of the Zygra Empire.

"Your emperor is dead, as are the leaders of your military." The woman's voice continued, heedless of what was going on. "We possess the power to destroy this city, and any other that dares to oppose us. The only way to prevent this from happening is to surrender to us now."

The black and red Zoid swooped down over the Gayos military headquarters, heading for the large airfield that was the center of the city's air defenses. Troops ran across the field, desperate to man defenses as the massive Zoid bore down on them, hoping to find some way to stop the machine before it destroyed them. Several anti-air guns roared to life, filling the air with beam fire in a vain effort to bring the machine down.

To the shock and horror of the defenders, the weapons simply bounced off the Gungyarados' hull, reflecting away with no obvious effect on the machine. The Zoid simply flew through the hail of fire as if it wasn't there, then climbed away. As it ascended, it reared up as it had over the parade grounds. The large cannon mounted over the Zoid's back opened up, spitting thousands of energy bolts that it raked across the defenders, shredding both men and equipment. A massive gout of flame issued forth from the mouth-mounted flamethrower, incinerating anything that had survived the cannon's assault.

"Your defenders are powerless against the weapons we possess." She continued. "Your defenders cannot do anything to stop us. Continuing to fight will only result in the unnecessary deaths of your people."

The Gugayrados wheeled around, and then opened fire again with its charged particle cannon. The brilliant blue white beam raked across a row of parked Pegasuros Zoids, vaporizing them before their crews could even reach them. The massive black Zoid swooped down again, spraying fire across the airfield to strike down anything that may have survived its previous assaults.

"I urge the members of the imperial senate, as well as prince Nikolas Zygra to surrender immediately." The voice continued. "We control their capital city, and any further attempts to fight back against us will only result in further misery and suffering for the people of your empire. Surrender now, for their sakes."

There was another loud roar as the black Zoid continued its rampage, opening fire on anything that even suggested resistance and leaving devastation in its wake. Fireballs blossomed in its wake, while the skies above and behind it were filled with thick, oily black smoke.

"We come not to destroy this empire, but to save it."

oOoOo

**Empire's End**

oOoOo

Levisha watched the sensory feeds from Sturm's Zoid, observing the destruction he was wreaking with interest. The Gungyarados was performing as well as Jenice had expected; its weapons were proving to be more then effective against the Zygra defenders, while they had been completely incapable of doing anything about it in return. Their return fire had done little more then bounce harmlessly off its armor, allowing to operate with near complete impunity.

_Perfect_

As potent as it was, the Gungyarados could only achieve so much from the air. And while the Zoid was capable of operating on land, its design was ill-suited to the sort of urban battle that Jenice's battle plans called for. And while it could do a great job of destroying masse targets form the air, it was far from the most effective machine to root out isolated pockets of resistance in the city itself.

That's where Levisha came in.

"What's our status, Trogdor?" She asked over the communicator.

"Enemy air defenses are almost completely nullified." he replied. "Those that are left are mostly ineffectual and focused principally on me. I don't think they'll see you coming."

"Excellent." She nodded. "On my way."

The Lord Gale was presently cruising at high altitude, near its service ceiling, well outside the city. Behind it was a small swarm of Flyscissor Chimeras, all the ones that she had been able to collect and draft into her service. Gwen's Redler and Zale's Evo Flyer both kept her wings, serving as her only intelligent, self-aware wingmen - although she would have happily argued otherwise for Gwen.

"Towne to red wing. We are clear for attack. All units, follow me." She began. The Lord Gale's engines opened up, the bizarre, twisted Zoid accelerating ahead. Within an instant, as one, the Flyscissors swarm followed her, as well as her two human wingmen. "Your orders are to suppress enemy air defenses, then move in and support our ground forces. Eliminate any resistance you locate."

"Roger." Both Zale and Gwen replied, the latter somewhat reluctantly. With the arrival of the Chimera Drones and Zale's elevation, her position as the Red Claw's chief combat pilot was becoming far less important. Towne was personally hoping she'd try something fancy to garner herself some more attention that wound up backfiring and getting her killed. It would be a pleasant outcome.

The Gale lead the charge, diving on the city itself. She pulled though the thick cloud of black smoke, noting the damage that the Gungyarados had already wreaked. _An excellent start. Now to capitalize on it. _She punched a series of commands into the Lord Gale's control console, sending out orders to not only her Flyscissors wingmen, but to other Zoids as well. The Gale's eyes and the orb built into its head shined an ominous green as the Zoid let out a loud, gurgling roar, as if vocal orders would supplement the radio commands.

Her Zoid swooped down towards the streets, the pilot keeping an eye open for any sign of enemy forces. A beep form her sensors caught her attention, indicating something ahead. Glancing around, she could see a squad of troops accompanied by an Elephantus; probably troops that had escaped from the initial massacre at the parade grounds.

The Lord Gale's claw arm swung out, the quad-barreled cannon opening fire on the Zygra Zoid before it could respond to her. The shots hammered into the Elephantus, sheering through its thin armor. A burst of fire shattered the cockpit, killing the pilot inside it instantly. The Zoid staggered back, then toppled over, while the soldiers around it broke and ran. She didn't worry about them for the moment; there was little that they could do to her Zoid, and she was ill-equipped to deal with them.

Instead, the Lord Gale again took to the air, searching around the city for more signs of enemy resistance. The Evo Flyer and Redler both streaked past it, searching for more targets across the city. Glancing around, Levisha could also see the Gungyarados circling overhead looking for another high-profile target to strike.

Free for a moment, the Lord Gale landed on top of a building, watching the battlefield. "Perfect." Levisha began, then opened a channel. "Commander, this is Towne."

"Go ahead." Jenice replied.

"Phase two is running on schedule." She began. "Requesting permission to begin phase three of the operation."

"Granted." Her commander finished.

Levisha closed then channel, the reactivated the Zoid's command console, typing in more commands. The Lord Gale's eyes and forehead lit up again as the Zoid took to the air, sending out its signal across the city. She smiled to herself as the stream of ready signals came back to her system. _Perfect._

The signal from the Lord Gale spread out across the city, reaching numerous receivers scattered across it. The results, however, were dramatic.

Across the warehouse district, large packaging crates burst open to revel the bizarre forms of Demonsheads and Shellkarns chimeras. The Zoids let out loud roars and grunts in response to the signals, and set out to follow the orders that Towne had given them. On the far side of the city, a squadron of Diploguns Chimeras rose from Lake Zygra, hovering in place before they sped off, heading into the city proper. And above, Levisha's wing of Flyscissors Zoids dived on the city, seeking out their targets.

The Zoids had not been programmed with specific objectives in mind. Instead, they had been ordered to attack whatever targets got their attention in a bit to do as much damage as possible. The aim was to distract the Zygra forces, to force them to further divide their already distracted troops and focus on bringing down the Chimeras.

The fear of what they could do would be enough motivation for the Zygra troops to make them a priority target. The primitive AI brains of the Chimeras tended not to make any distinction between what was a threat and what wasn't. Once set loose, they would normally attack most anything that caught their attention and not stop until it was destroyed. And unlike a human pilot who might withdraw or surrender when the situation turned against them, a Chimera would continue to fight until it was destroyed - and the Zoids often took a frightening amount of damage for their size.

The Zoids had been given only minimal instruction from Levisha; activate and smash a rough path towards the palace. Whatever got in their way was simply destroyed and brushed aside. They didn't care what it was, as long as it could be crushed or swept aside. Their objective was to further distract and fragment the Zygra defenders and force them to redirect themselves to deal with the Chimera Zoids now attacking the city.

Levisha's plan worked perfectly. The Zygra forces, already depleted from the attacks from the air, further divided and scattered in order to chase down the Chimeras. Her plan to set them loose in densely populated areas meant that they'd have no choice other then to deal with them; leaving them alone would mean tremendous civilian casualties. She knew that this plan would cost her a lot of Chimeras; but at the same time she figured that it was worth it for what thy would achieve.

_Jencie believes that she is striking a tremendous blow for her cause, _Levisha considered as she monitored the situation. _While that much is true, there is so much more that is being done today._

Her lord Gale took to the air, following the paths of its minions across the city. From her initial observations, it was clear that the Zygra forces were reacting exactly as she had expected them too. They were charging out after her drones, abandoning their positions to deal with the more immediate threats. Their attempts to rally and consolidate matters would fail, leaving them strung out, weakening their numbers. Standing together, the Zygra defenders in Gayos would have posed a significant threat to the Red Claw. But now...

Sighting another group, she swooped down on them, the Lord Gale's cannons blazing away. _Excellent, _she thought as she watched the Zygra Zoid go down under her fire. _Matters are well in hand. This day is ours._

oOoOo

Harry and Malcolm McNeil watched as the Chimera Zoids left the warehouses, stampeding off into the city itself. They had helped arrange for this part of the plan, providing both the contacts to get them into the city, and the warehouse space needed to store them until the time was right. They knew what was going on; the Zoids would be cut loose to destroy whatever part of the city took their fancy. Up until then, all Harry and Malcolm had to do was stand back and ensure that nobody messed with the crates. Easy.

"Wha..." Dom began, walking up behind the pair of them. He had a rather shocked look on his face, as if surprised and somewhat scared of what was going on around him, Harry couldn't blame him; it was a perfectly normal reaction to what was going on. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Good to see you, guv." Harry replied, a smarmy grin on his face.

"What's all this about?" He angrily replied.

"This is the Red Claw's master plan, guv." Harry continued. "And you made it all possible."

"I did?"

"Oh yes." Harry continued. "By helping the Red Claw to store their Zoid in the city, you've made sure that this little jobbo will go off perfectly. If we weren't able to store those horrid little beasties, then, well, this wouldn't have worked at all. As it is, we owe you big time."

"Yeah." Malcolm added. "You'se done well."

"But..." he sighed. "I didn't know I'd be helping to destroy the empire."

"Well there ya go." Harry replied. "You learn something new every day. Funny, innit?"

"If I'd known that this was what you were planning then I would have never been a part of it." He angrily commented.

"Yeah well..." Harry continued. "There you go. Let the buyer beware." he turned to face Dom. "But, if you're still not happy with the idea, then you can take it up with the boss once she's done with the city. I'm sure she'd be willing to listen if you have a legitimate beef with the goings on around here."

"Yeah, she'd be real nice about it." Malcolm added.

"Are you threatening me?" He asked.

"Not at all, Dom. I'd never threaten a good friend and business partner like you." Harry shook his head. "And it saddens me to think that you've misinterpreted my words as such. I'm just merely stating the facts as they stand."

"So... you're saying I should just take my money and not ask, right?"

"Very good idea that." Harry finished. "Very good."

A beeping from his communicator cut him off before he could further 'reassure' Dom. "McNeil here." He began. "What's up?"

"All is on schedule." Levisha replied. "Begin your stage of the operation."

"Sure thing. Out." he finished, then closed the link. Grinning broadly, he headed back towards Dom. "You've done great work, you know. But now the pair of us have to get going."

"You do?" He asked, apprehensively.

"Oh yes. Lots of work to be done." Harry finished. "See ya, guv."

The pair of them walked back into the warehouse, heading towards a pair of packing crates, the last two to be delivered. Considerably larger then the ones that the Chimeras had been stored in, the pair of them had been kept out of the way of the others for safety reasons. "Think bout it, Mal." Harry began as he looked up at the crate. "By tonight, we're gonna own this stupid little town. Not bad for a pair of street things form the bad part of Freedom right?"

"We's done good, Harry." Mal replied.

"That we have, Mal. That we have." He smiled then turned to the crates. "Remember when she found us? How we had our little operation?"

"Yeah." Malcolm replied. "That was good."

"It was, Mal, it was." He nodded. "But now, we've moved on to bigger things. We're big men now; so big that nobody can take us down. So let's get to work."

Five minutes later, a pair of squat, almost box-shaped Zoids emerged, one from either end of the warehouse. The two Cannon Tortoise Zoids stopped just outside, their tail stabilisers digging into the pavement behind them. "This is McNeil." Harry began over the communicator. "We're in position."

"Affirmative." Levisha replied. "I'm sending you the targeting data now. I want you to use saturation fire on these targets; we want the enemy there suppressed and pinned down as much as possible; destroying them is a bonus."

_So in other words, maximum property damage, _Harry thought, a smirk on his face. "Roger that."

The information flashed up on the Tortoise's targeting display; checking over it, Harry could see that they were targeting the city's central military barracks. This didn't surprise him at all; the idea would be to take as much of their military out of the picture as possible. And, by staying in the center of the city, Harry and Malcolm would be making a counter attack difficult to say the least. Not just would they have a lot of cover, but Harry knew that the Zygra forces wouldn't dare attack them where there was any chance of collateral damage.

"On my mark, Mal." Harry began. "Ready?"

"Yep."

"Brill. Fire!"

The two Zoids rocked on their bases as their massive cannons fired, sending shells sailing across the city. As soon as their cannons were reloaded, the Zoids fired again and again, raining more fire down on their targets. There were no reports of if they were making their marks; frankly, Harry didn't care. He wasn't thinking about the current situation. Instead, he was much more focused on the future, on his plans for after they took this city.

He knew that Jenice needed him and his brother; not just because of their Zoids, but because of their considerable underworld connections. She'd have to rely on the pair of them for a lot of things, something which would make them indispensable to her. Which, to his mind, meant that they were set for life. They'd be able to live it up, vital members of the new order.

"Brill. Just plain brill." He muttered as he continued to fire.

Around them, squads of commandeered trucks and vans began to depart form the warehouses, loaded down with armed Red Claw troops. The soldiers had come into the city undercover, their gear bought in with the shipments that had also delivered the Chimeras and their Zoids. The vehicles sped off into the city, their troops heading for various strategic points.

"You know, by now those Zygra guys are gonna be completely off their faces." Harry commented as he waited for his cannon to reload. "We've got them so strung out and confused that they won't know if they're coming or going."

"That's good, right?"

"Damn right it is, Mal." He finished. "And when this is over, we're gonna be big. Mark my words, Mal. Mark 'em."

oOoOo

Through her Binoculars, Jenice could get some idea of what was going on in the city. There were pillars of smoke rising from innumerable fires, as well as flashes of weapons fire. She couldn't make out individual Zoids, but she had a good idea of some of them; one black form that issued forth the occasional burst of brilliant white energy or searing flame was clearly Trogdor's Zoid. She continued to survey the situation, watching form her vantage point standing on top of her Zoid's head.

"Perfect." She began, before turning back. Just perfect.

Behind her Zoid a far larger group of machines were assembled; the sum total of the Red Claw's forces, save for those currently active in the city. Every man, every machine was here, waiting for the signal from her to begin what would be the final stage in their crusade, the liberation of Gayos and the downfall of the Zygra empire. From here, there was no turning back. Either they would succeed and remake the empire anew; or they would all die trying.

"Bart, what's the status of our forces in the city?" She began over her communicator.

"From what I've gathered, everything is going just as you planned it, boss." Bart replied, his usual swaggering overconfidence strangely muted, almost as if he was in awe of what she had achieved today. "Zygra is apparently dead; the enemy air cover has been completely neutralized and their ground forces are uncoordinated and ineffective. The Chimeras are loose in the city, our troops have seized key targets and their main barracks is being bombarded by the McNeils."

"Excellent." Jenice coldly replied. "All is going to plan."

"Yes, boss." He meekly replied.

"Their defenses are broken. Their forces are turning inwards in order to deal with the chaos we have created. The time to strike is now." She smiled. "Bart, relay orders to all troops. We move and attack now!"

"Yes, commander" He finished.

Jenice closed the channel, then clambered into the cockpit of her Zoid, sealing it shut behind her. Giving her status display a quick once-over, she could see that almost every system was operational. Only her main cannon was offline at the moment; it was regrettable, but not life-threatening. She and the rest of the Claw had more then enough firepower to deal with what ever stood in their path.

"All forces." She began. "We strike now, taking the fight to the heart of the enemy. We will hit hard and show them no mercy; drive them back and destroy them utterly. None shall stand in the way of our new world."

"We are the Red Claw. We destroy all who stand before us."

Her feline Zoid roared as it stepped forwards, standing before the small army gathered to follow its pilot. The machines behind it were an ill-matched set, made up of whatever they had been able to scavenge, recover, acquire on the black market or steal. Many of them sported improvised weapons, while some were never meant for this sort of combat at all. Troops clung to improvised transports, while several Zoids towed trailers packed full of men. And all around, Red Claw banners flapped in the breeze.

"Attack!" Drive them down and show them no mercy!"

The mass of Red Claw troops surging forwards, Jenice's red and sliver machine in the lead. Zoids ran, sprinted, hopped, shuffled and rolled forwards, bearing down on Gayos' fortified walls. Numerous weapons burst into fire, spraying laser beams and missiles across the defenses, blasting them apart with a wave of massed firepower. Jenice's Zoid remained ahead of the pack, its pilot not opening fire but instead continuing the forwards charge.

The Zoid surged forwards, leaving the rest of the force well behind it before leaping over the battered city gates, coming down on the streets behind. A pair of Garius confronted the Zoid, both with their spears and shields at the ready. Jenice grinned to herself as she opened fire, the Impact cannon basting into the Zygra machine, ripping into its structure. Weakened, the Zoid staggered back as Jenice pushed the attack. Her Zoid pounced on its damaged foe, the claws tearing into the damaged structure, ripping its body apart. The Garius collapsed back, little more then a twisted mess of machinery.

The second Garius opened fire, its shots streaking straight towards her machine, However, instead of striking it, they simply bounced off the silver amour to no effect, much like the fire directed at the Gungayrados had. The Zoid roared, then lunged at its enemy, bearing the smaller Zoid down under its weight. The Garius was pinned down, helpless and unable to act. Seeing a chance, Jenice coaxed her machine forewords, the Zoid clamping its jaws around the Garius' cockpit, before snapping them shut. The Zoid's head was crushed, its pilot killed instantly.

Leaving the destroyed Garius behind, she turned back to the main gate and opened fire on it with the Impact cannon. The shots tore into the gate, blasting it apart and leaving it in smoking ruins. Looking through the hole, Jenice could see the approaching Red Claw forces steaming towards the city.

Confident that they could handle matters form here, she turned her Zoid inwards, heading away form the oncoming horde of Red Claw soldiers and Zoids. Instead, she opened up the throttle, the Zoid heading off further into the city. Jenice had her own aims and objectives, ones that she could complete independently of the rest of the Red Claw's forces.

And ones that would be better done alone.

The Zoid dashed across the city, heading deep into its residential district. Jenice knew that there was one place she needed to be, one that was actually away from the rest of the fighting. The current drive by the bulk of the Red Claw into the heart of the city was just as much about distracting the city's defenders from her task as it was about conquering territory. And even if today's assault was somehow turned around, this side trip would make everything worth it.

oOoOo

After their battle in amongst the ruins, the team had managed to get their bearings and figure out where in what had been Krupp they were. It had taken them some hours, but they had eventually managed to come around and work their way out of the nightmarish radioactive wastes and back into safe Imperial territory. They had wasted no time in leaving; nobody had felt safe there, especially not after the Zoid attack. There was a feeling like anything could happen to them, like they could be attacked at any time or that they could fall prey to some other hazard. The very air itself seemed to be oppressive and full of menace, as if there was something lurking in the near constant dust storms.

It had taken some hours before they made it to relative safety. The pilots were tired and their Zoids still badly damaged from the battle, but they had all pushed on regardless. Nobody wanted to remain behind in that cursed land, lest something else occur. All throughout, however, there had been a tense silence hanging over the team in the aftermath of the battle. Something had transpired there, something that nobody fully understood and some didn't want to acknowledge.

Althiea, normally relatively quiet and somewhat passive, had seemingly snapped. Her Iron Kong had cut loose, tearing into its opponent in a display of unparalleled savagery that was unexpected form the normally frail girl. Thorne had clearly said something to her that had pushed her over the edge, resulting in her violent actions. That the rest of the group didn't have much like for Thorne didn't help matters, making things even more tense.

The team had eventually halted at a ruined farmstead to repair their Zoids. They hadn't done such in Krupp for several reasons, the heavily contaminated environment around them being the major one. Even after stepping, however, there was still the same silence. The team had set camp and rested while saying as little as possible to each other.

The next morning continued the same situation; Floyd and Althiea worked on the team's Zoids without talking much to each other or anyone else. Jason and Leanne were keeping watch, neither seeming to want to communicate with anyone. Ravenne had spent most of her time asleep, at least giving an excuse that she was tired. And Thorne had simply refused all efforts at communication.

"Althiea" Floyd began as he was inspecting some of the damage to the Darkhorn's flank. "Can I ask a question?"

She glared at him for a moment, then gave him a brief "Hmm?"

"I can't help but notice that you have been extraordinarily quiet for the last day or so." He spoke up as he worked. "Is there something that's a problem?"

"No." She simply stated.

"Sure." He nodded. "I was concerned for you, you see." This gave him a noncommittal grunt in response. "I mean, after all, you were in amongst a field of heavily modified Zodis, all of which were being controlled by artificial intelligences that are derived form the same technology that grants you some of your, ah, more estroic abilities." He offered.

"oh."

"So I could understand if you are a little apprehensive or uncomfortable." He continued. "Frankly, that whole situation scared the willies out of me."

She paused for a moment. "Floyd, I... I was scared." She admitted.

"Its all right." He smiled. "I think any sensible human being would be. If you want to talk about it, I'm happy to listen. If you don't, well, that's your own decision. I won't force you."

"Thanks, Floyd." She admitted. "I... I wasn't sure what was happening there. It was like I've described before, you know where I can hear something inside my head." She shook her head. "Only this time it was worse, like the voice was louder and it was all around me. I was afraid to do anything, really. I just wanted it to go away."

"I see... hmm." He rubbed his chin. "I'm wondering about something now."

"What is it?"

"Thorne said she'd encountered Zoids like that before... ones without pilots, being controlled by computers like that." He explained. "Interesting that they would suddenly crop up now, though."

"If they've been resting for fifty years, certainly." Althiea considered. "Maybe one activating I could understand. But in separate groups far apart from each other, it is odd."

"Its something we need to consider." He agreed. "And we have to wonder if there isn't a link."

"I'm sorry?"

"There's a piece of Hydra Technology that's currently roaming around on its own, despite the fact that it should no longer exist." He explained. "And there's other bits of hydra tech busy triggering and coming to life all over the place. Coincidence?" He shrugged "Maybe."

"I suppose..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry I was being so obtuse earlier, Floyd."

"It's fine. I understand fully." He smiled. "You were in a difficult situation. Frankly, I don't blame you for being a little afraid."

"There's more then just that." She admitted. "I, uh, I was afraid to act. Thorne... she basically yelled at me, forcing me to do something. I was actually quite upset."

"It's the Blackstar way, sadly." Floyd shook his head. "They only respect strength or force; they get what they want though making demands."

"I'd have thought that any reasonable human being would have been afraid."

"And you presumed correctly." He finished. "But Thorne barely qualifies for some of those two categories, and certainly doesn't for the other."

"Which one's which?" She asked with a smile.

"I'll let you figure that-"

"Hey guys!" Leanne called out, cutting him off. "There's soemthin' going on!"

"What is it?" Floyd asked, jumping down from his perch.

Leanne shook her head. "I dunno. I was listening to the radio coverage of the VH day celebrations, but they got cut off." She offered the portable radio to Floyd. "Now all I'm gettin' is static and a lot of confusion, like there's somethin' going on with the signal."

"Hmm..." Floyd listened for a moment. "Definitely not good. There's something strange going on and-"

"Let me hear that." Thorne cut him off, snatching the radio from him. "Interesting." She began.

"Where'd you come from?" Floyd began. "Decided to re-enable human interaction?"

"Quiet, Glass." She cut him off.

"Well excuse me for being friendly." he muttered.

"Curious... very interesting." She muttered, then handed the radio back to Floyd. "This thing's no good. I'm going to try something else." She walked over to her Zoid then clambered into the cockpit. The Darkhorn raised its head, the antennas twitching as they searched.

"What's going on up there?" Jason asked, joining the group.

"Something happened at VH day." Leanne replied. "Thorne's tryin' to find out more."

Jason shook his head. "It's the Claw. It has to be. Whatever they used against us in that Jungle-"

"Quiet." Floyd replied. "I think she has something, for once."

"Got it." Thorne called out. "Give me a minute to sort through things."

Althiea glanced between the small group. "Do you think something has happened in Gayos?" She asked. "They always have a big VH day parade there." She'd always wanted to go to one, but had never gotten the chance.

"Well, the Emperor usually watches it live..." Jason trailed off. "Which would make him a target if Jencie tried something... but what?"

"So we're in trouble, right?" Leanne continued.

"I think so." Floyd finished.

Thorne vaulted out of the cockpit of her Zoid, joining the small group. "It's not easy given that we're on the very fringes of the Empire and there's not much traffic to monitor, but I think that I have some idea of what's going on." She began. "Something has happened in Gayos; I'm not sure, but the indications are that it involves the Red Claw. There's orders going out for troops to be recalled to Gayos, but some others going off that are countermanding that."

"So the Claw have made their move." Jason finished. "We're in trouble now."

"I need to consider the possibilities." Floyd added, then turned and walked towards his Gustav. He opened up several panels in the side of the shell, and began looking over something inside it. Curious, Althiea walked over to him.

"Floyd, is there something wrong?"

"Nothing, Althiea." he explained. "Just making sure that I had a few things sorted out. Nothing to worry about."

"But-"

"I was just thinking, that's all." He finished. "Right now, though, I think we may have other problems to deal with."

oOoOo

Nikolas Zygra slowly stirred, then blinked awake, trying to see through the alcohol-fuelled haze that surrounded him. A quick check told him that he was indeed in his bedroom in the imperial palace. Another quick check told him that the maid he'd spent the night with was long gone. "Dammit." He muttered. It would have helped if he could remember her name. But then he figured, he'd see her around the palace sooner or later.

There was something bothering him, however, something that he was meant to be doing. He vaguely remembered that today was meant to be important, and that there was some stupid royal duty that he was meant to prefer, like standing with his dad on a platform and waving his hand ant passers by or something like that. Except he had a lot of duties like that, which meant that it was hard for him to remember which one it was.

"Screw that. There's people to remember things for me." He began as he looked out the window. "I'm sure that it wasn't too important... unless..." He could see over the wall that there was a large crowd gathered in the central parade ground outside the palace, and that there was a large stand over the gates. "Wait a sec, that's..."

And then he remembered. It was Victory day, probably the second most important day of the year after Empire Day itself. It was one of those days where he did have to stand up on a platform and wave his hands at people while every news camera in the Empire was focused on him, it was also where he should be right now or, more to the point, probably several hours ago.

"Screw that." He muttered. "I'll get them to make up some story about me being at Paladin training or somesuch." He flopped back on his bed. He was in no condition to go anywhere today, and he knew he'd only make a mess of things if he tried. In fact, he was doing his father a favour by not going, yeah. He was going to maintain the positive image of the family, which would be not only good for his father but for the empire as a whole. Perfect.

"So all will be good..." he began, then trailed off. Something passed over the parade ground, then climbed into the air over it, some strange black Zoid that he didn't recongise. There was a brief flash of light from the Zoid, and then a tremendous white explosion erupted in the middle of the parade grounds. The blast surged outwards, enveloping the Zygra Zoids gathered there, as well as the crowd... and the Royal stand... where his father was.

"Wha..." he began as he tried to think clearly enough to understand the situation. Something had just happened. Someone had just attacked the parade. Someone had just killed his father. His father was the ruler of the Empire. His father was dead. He was the last member of his family alive.

Which meant that...

He stood, pressing his hands against the window. He could see the parade ground, now reduced to a smoldering crater. Above it, the black Zoid flew off, streaking across the city headed to some other destination. He tried to follow it, but couldn't keep track of its movement, the machine vanishing out of his field of vision.

He could hear more explosions in the distance now, as well as the sound of gunfire. Something was going on in the capitol - _his _capitol - something that he wasn't ready for, something that shouldn't be happening. He should be out there, doing something... or maybe ordering the Paladins and Knights to do something. Yes, that was it, He'd find a Paladin and give them orders to deal with... whatever it was that was going on outside and restore peace and order. He knew that he could and that he had the authority to give them orders. After all, he was the heir to the Empire.

He just needed one to give orders too, that was all. And there would be plenty of them in the palace; there always was. In fact, they'd need to come to him, because he'd be waiting here where they would know where to find him, of course. In fact, this room would be a great place to remain because it was private and secure and everyone would now where he was; be they a Paladin, a Knight or even that cute maid.

Nikolas wished he knew where she was right now. He could really, really use some company in such a critical moment.

There was more fighting going on now. More Zoids were appearing in the city below, while he could see fires breaking out. Above, the sky was black with smoke, and the shapes of strange Zoids passing overhead, odd ones that he couldn't recongise. There was more gunfire, both the sounds of Zoid based weapons and personal firearms. He knew that he was safe in here; despite its appearance, the royal palace was built liker a fortress with thick concrete walls, reinforced shatter proof glass and even its own internal life support systems. His grandfather had made sure that it would be able to resist most anything.

He wanted to do something. He needed to do something. These people, whoever they were should not be allowed to run rampant in his own city. He would have to stop them. He would issue orders, directing his men to end this conflict at any cost. As soon as he found someone to give those orders too.

He glanced at his door. _Why haven't they come? _He asked himself. Surely someone would have come for him by now. After all, they had to. He was the Prince and was, as such, the second most important man in the empire. probably the most, he figured as he glanced back at the ruined parade ground.

As if in response to his thoughts, there was an urgent knock at the door. "come-" he began, but was cut off as the door was swung open. He turned back to see who it was, only to find that it was the man that he wanted to see the most, Paladin Winters. "Paladin." He began. "We need to-"

"There's no time, your majesty." Nathan cut him off. "You're in terrible danger. Get dressed now and we'll go."

"But-"

"Now, sir." he continued. "This is very important."

"But dressed in what?" He asked.

"Anything!" Nathan snapped. "Something you're comfortable traveling in."

"I see. What else should I get?" He began as he walked over to his wardrobe.

"Nothing." Nathan shook his head. "Your majesty, we are in a hurry. The matter is of the utmost urgency."

"What?" Nikolas turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that the city may fall at any time and that it is not safe to stay here." Nathan continued. "For your safety, as well as the future of the entire empire, we need to get you to a safer location."

"What is going on outside?" He asked.

"An attempt to overthrow the government." Nathan explained. "Now hurry up, your majesty."

A few minutes later they were marching down a hallway, Nathan leading. Around them there were officials running around as if in a blind panic, as well as more then a few soldiers. "Are you going to help defend my capital?" Nikolas asked.

"No, I am going with you to ensure your safety." He replied. "Right now, I don't think that one man will make much of a difference to the situation."

"But you are a Paladin." He continued.

"And the enemy is armed with a Gungyarados." Nathan explained. "That makes things very difficult."

"What's a Gungyarados?"

Nathan sighed. "A powerful dragon-type Zoid. It is capable of flying at mach 3.6 and carries a Charged Particle Cannon that it can deploy while in flight. It also is coated in laser-resistant armour which makes it near impervious to harm."

"What's a Charged Particle Cannon then?" Nikolas continued.

Nathan shook his head. "This way, sir." He began, directing the man into a small storage room.

"So this is the plan then?" Nikolas began as he looked around. "We hold out in here and hide? It doesn't seem... dignified" he then noticed Paladin Dezalg waiting by a large supplies cupboard. "Paladin Dezalg?"

"Good to see that you're here." Dezalg began, then opened up a panel on the cupboards door, revealing a keypad. He keyed in several numbers, then stood back as the door opened. Inside was not cleaning supplies as Nikolas had expected, but instead a small elevator, barely big enough for the three of them.

"Your majesty, if you could?" Nathan asked, indicating to the elevator.

Not sure what was going on, but at the same time not wanting to argue, he stepped inside the elevator. Moments later, Dezalg and Winters joined him. Dezalg entered more numbers onto a keypad, then the doors shut ansd the lift began to descend.

"Where are we going?" Nikolas began.

"Your grandfather prepared for many emergencies." Dezalg continued. "This lift leads to a secret maglev subway that links the capital to a fortress a few hundred kilometers away." The lift stopped, its doors opening onto a subway platform. A single, streamlined car waited at the platform. "The idea was that if the capital fell, we could have an emergency fallback that we could easily access."

"We're leaving Gayos?" He asked.

"The situation in Gayos may yet be salvageable." Winters added. "However, we must do everything to ensure your safety and the continuation of the Empire's government. Until then, we will move to our fallback position and monitor matters from there."

"But the Empire-"

"Will survive as long as you do." Dezalg finished as he opened the car's doors. "And if you are captured, then there is no future for the empire. Your majesty, please." He indicated towards the open train door."

"But what's to stop them form following us?" He asked as entered the car.

"Very few know of this tunnel." Nathan explained. "And even them, we have sealed the shaft, so that thy can't immediately follow us even if they do discover the entrance."

"So we're going to hide in some fort?"

"Hide, hell no." Dezalg smiled. "Your grandfather took a lot of precautions and prepared for a lot of possible outcomes. From there we can plan to take back the capital, and then defeat the Red Claw."

"By making this move," Nathan finished. "they have exposed themselves. Their greatest strength was their secrecy. Now that they're out in the open, they have made themselves into targets. We will retake Gayos, your majesty."

"I understand." Nikoals finished, even though he wasn't fully convinced. "Let's go."

The car streaked off into the depths, speeding away from the fighting and vanishing into the subterranean darkness.

oOoOo

Jenice ignored the mud and soil that coated her once-pristine dress uniform as she reached into the small hole she'd dug. her hands instead closed around the small metal box that she knew would be here, the one that she had left here years ago. She'd buried it not too long before the start of her trial, one that she knew the outcome of was already predetermined. Burying these materials ensured that it would not be found and used against her and, more importantly, that she could use them afterwards.

She stood, clutching the box in her grime-encrusted hands. Scraping the last of the dirt away, she could see that the box was intact and still sealed... which meant that its contents would be still intact. Holding it in one hand, she pulled out a small key form a pocket and unlocked the box. _Perfect. _She slowly opened the lid, as if she was wary of its contents. _But why shouldn't I be? These are forbidden works, ones that nobody was meant to possess. _She smiled. _Ones that I now control - even if they are but a fraction of-_

She paused as she opened the lid. The box was empty, save for a small folded note, which was exactly the opposite of what she had expected. Jenice carefully picked the note up, as if it were dangerous or she was expecting it to explode. With some apprehension she unfolded it.

_Jenice,_

_I took the records here. I had to. They're too dangerous for you - or anyone else - to have. Instead, I'll guard them. It's just that some things may be better off left buried._

_- G_

"Damn you Glass!" She shouted out loud, the threw the box at a nearby wall. It bounced off, then clattered to the ground, forgotten. Crushing the note in her hand, she strode back towards her Zoid, an angry yet determined look on her face. "Damn you." She clambered into the machines cockpit, then activated her communicator. "Towne, get me a squad of Chimeras and some infantry."

"Can I ask what we're-" Towne began, but Jenice cut her off.

"We're taking the palace." She stated.

"I see." Levisha finished. "I'll get you your troops immediately."

Jencie closed the channel before Towne could finish. Instead, she powered up her Zoid, striding across the city, heading straight towards the Imperial Palace. The massive structure, resembling nothing so much as a stepped pyramid, loomed over the city, dominating the skyline around it. Numerous pillars of smoke were coming up form near it and within its grounds, all the result of the fighting that was going on around it. Despite all that, however, the palace itself seemed to be unharmed.

Across the grounds, panels slid back to reveal defensive cannons and other fixtures concealed within the walls around the palace and its surrounding grounds. Zoids and troops joined them, all rushing to defend the heart of their nation from attack. Jenice didn't care for their numbers; she just wanted to destroy as much as possible. The anger at loosing her valuable cache drove her forwards, clawing at the heart of her being.

A Godos stepped forwards first, opening fire with its beam weapons. Most of the shots bounced harmlessly off the Zoid's reflective armour without harming it. Standing its ground, the Zoid opened fire with its hip-mounted cannon, the heavier shot spearing into the side of Jenice's Zoid. This time the beam had some effect, actually managing to score the amour. Jenice didn't care, however. She remained focused on the enemy Zoid, opening fire on it with the Impact Cannon.

The twin shots blasted into the Godos, staggering it and forcing it back. Another pair of blasts drove it down to one knee, tearing apart the Zoid's chest and arm armour. Seeing that it was down, Jenice drove on it. Her Zoid leaped at the enemy machine, raking it with its claws and gouging out what remained of its chest and shoulders. Mortally wounded, the Zoid collapsed behind Jenice's fleet-footed machine.

She spun the Zoid around, opening fire on several of the defensive turrets, quikcly silencing them before she set off again. More canons opened up, but their remote-controlled weapons were for the most part not able to track the swift Zoid. The few shots that made their marks simply bounced harmlessly off the armour before Jenice turned her attention to the attackers.

A warning beep from her sensor avoided her that another pair of Zoids were approaching her and trying to engage. A pair of beams narrowly missed her before scoring into the wall of the palace, Jenice turning back to locate their source. _There it is, _she thought as she spied the attacker, a Barrigator, skulking behind a wall. Her Zoid surged forwards again, charging at the enemy machine. For its part, the Barrigator stood its ground and actually moved forwards to expose more of its body to her fire.

Jenice understood why in a moment, as the Zoid was reveled to be carrying a twin-barreled Attack Cannon in place of its regular missile launcher. The Zoid turned its heavy cannons, bringing them to bear on Jenice before firing. Twisting the controls of her Zoid, Jenice managed to weave out of the line of fire, the shots instead tearing into the ground behind her. She came around, opening fire on the Barrigator with the impact cannon. The two shots struck at the Zoid, striking the base of the assault cannon, blasting it free from the Zoid's body.

Before she could strike again, her sensors screeched out a warning of an enemy missile lock on her Zoid. Glancing around, she saw a Double Sworder, armed with a Bomber Unit, bearing down on her. This was suddenly a problem for her; in its current state, her Zoid had no weapons that would be able to hit the airborne Zoid. Grimacing, she bought her machine around, looking to put some cover between her and the two Zygra Zoids.

Abruptly, a shot tore straight through the body of the Doublesworder, shredding its systems and leaving a trail of debris behind it. The Zoid rolled over, crashing to the ground in a mess of tangled parts. Glancing around, Jenice saw the source of the assault; a Diploguns charging towards the palace at high speed. Above and behind it was Levisha's Lord Gale, directing their assault.

The walls of the palace came crashing down as a squad of Shellkarns and Demonsheads charged in, throwing themselves at the Palace's defenders. A Shellkarn lunged at the battered Barrigator, smashing its twin fists into the Zoid's back, crushing its armour. Before the Barrigator could respond, it was punctured by a Demonshead, which stabbed its lances into the Zoid's open maw. While Jenice couldn't see for certain, she knew that the Demonshead had likely also impaled the pilot.

"I have the situation under control here." Levisha began over the comms channel. "A support squad are on their way."

"Very well." Jenice replied. Stopping the Zoid, she clambered out of it, her feet hitting the ground just outside the front door to the palace building itself. _I always knew I would be back here, _she thought to herself. _Last time here, I was a prisoner. Now I am a conqueror. _Despite the loss of the contents of her cache, there was a definite feeling of victory. She was on the very cusp of achieving one of her greatest goals. Nothing would stop her now. She stood before the imposing bulk of the palace, looking over its damaged facade. To her mind, this place was the source of all her problems, the reason why she had created the Red Claw in the first place. And now she would being it down.

A pair of panel vans pulled into the ravaged palace grounds, their doors opening to reveal a squad of Red Claw troopers armed with assault rifles. "You're with me." Jenice commanded. "We will enter the Palace and seize control of it. Prince Zygra should be inside - he is to be captured alive at all costs. Otherwise, you are to shoot to kill."

She turned to the Lord Gale. "Towne, clear us a path in."

"Understood. Stand back."

The squad moved aside as a Shellkarn lumbered forwards. The squat Chimera Zoid crouched down, then opened fire with the quartet of missile launchers on its back. The four weapons smashed through the palace doors before detonating inside, sending clouds of smoke and dust billowing out. The Zoid stopped for a moment, then opened up with its shoulder canons, spraying shots into the mess at sight unseen targets.

"Cease fire." Jenice said, razing a hand. As if on her command, the Zoid straightened up and backed off. Instead, Jencie took its place, staring into the ruins of the Palace's entrance. Her squad formed up behind her, following her in.

The front of the palace had been devastated by the Shellkarn, its grand, formal entrance now little more then a mess of broken walls, and smashed furniture decorated with the torn bodies of its defenders. Jenice paid them no heed, instead continuing on with her men in tow. Reaching the back of the room, she headed up an intact flight of stairs in a deliberate, confident stride.

_Nothing will stop me now._

Reaching an upper floor, she left the stairs, instead heading down a hallway, her men right behind her. There was no reason for her to be leading other then simple pride; she wanted whoever she faced to know who she was and why she was here. The point was not just to take the palace but to make a statement. _You cast me out for what I am. You resisted change when it was most needed. Now your inflexibility has destroyed you and bought you to this._

Except there was nobody there.

Apart from the defenders at the front gate of the Palace, everything else was empty. There were no guards, no servants, no officials, no aides, nothing. The building was apparently deserted, its population having fled before she arrived. The guards outside and at the front gate were what then, she wondered. A distraction? There to buy time while they retreated?

She paused outside one office. "Here." She began as she ran her hands over the door. She remembered this place well from the last time she was in the palace. It was here that she and her men had been dragged after -

"Break it down!" She shouted.

A pair of soldiers kicked open the doors, then the whole squad stepped inside, rifles at the ready. However, there was no response. The room was empty, save for the soldiers in the doorway.

Jenice stepped in, walking past them. Ignoring their presence she headed for the desk and chair at the far end of the room. This was the personal office of Emperor Zygra, the place form where he ruled his empire. And now it was hers.

"Perfect." She began, one hand running across the desk. She didn't notice the muddy tracks she was leaving on the carpet, nor the dirt on the table. What mattered now was that this was _hers. _This room, this building, this Empire.

"Fan out!" She commanded. "Search the palace for anyone who may still be here!"

"Yes commander!" One soldier called out.

"Wait!" She continued as she turned to leave.

"Commander?"

Jenice grinned. "Get me a camera crew. I believe that it is time for the people of the Empire to meet their new leader.

oOoOo

The commander sat in his office, watching events as they unfolded in Gayos. The feeds both from Fourty-Two's Lord Gale and the secondary transmitters in the Chimera Zoids gave him a near-complete view of the battlefield, letting no detail escape his attention. He scanned over the numerous feeds; here a Demonshead terrorizing a few Zygra troops, there another swathe of destruction cut by the Gungyarados' cannon, in another place still where Red Claw Zoids were surging into the city. One view in particular held the center of his attention; looking down at the city from atop the palace.

"Excellent." he muttered to himself. "This is just as we had predicted."

"Commander?" Jaeger began as he entered. "I have the latest reports from Gayos-"

"I can see them here." He replied. "But thank you or bringing them, to my attention."

"Thank you, commander."

He switched one feed to a different view, looking up at the palace. The Lord Gale perched atop it like some gigantic, grotesque gargoyle, snarling at all who dared approach it as it directed its Chimera troops. "It is you who deserve the thanks." He continued. "This wouldn't have happened if not for you."

"I only served to facilitate events."

"You underestimate yourself." He shook his head. "You were the one who recruited forty-two into our ranks. You were the one who first discovered the Red Claw. And it was your work that has steered them along this path. This is as much your victory as it is theirs."

"You overplay my hand, sir." he continued. "Forty two deserves just as much credit as I do. She is the one who has managed this, who made the Red Claw into a threat. She has done far more then I have."

"And she will be rewarded for her part as well." He agreed. "But you must not underestimate your role."

"Thank you, sir."

He switched to another display. "By all reports, the first of our new army should be operable within days. Again, this is excellent work that you have done, Jaeger. We can claim what is ours while the Empire falls into chaos, while using the Red Claw to mask our activities. And when the time is right, our new army will rise up. None of this would have been possible without the aid of people like you and her."

"I understand."

"What is the status of Zero point?" he asked, changing the subject.

"It is progressing as we expected." Jaeger answered. "It has passed its terminal point and is beginning retroactive maneuvers. Its final stage should commence within two weeks."

"And are there noticeable side effects?"

"Considerable satellite disruption, probably from Zero Point's subversion of extant systems." Jager explained. "Our own systems have not been compromised yet, but other parties should begin to notice the effects soon. Fortunately, they will almost certainly be unaware of what is going on." They only knew of Zero Point simply because they knew what to look for, something that no other planetside authority would do. Many years of work had made sure of that.

"Excellent." He finished. "We stand on the cusp of a new age, one that will reshape this world. These are delicate times; we must proceed carefully or else all will be lost." He turned to look at Jaeger. "It is a place I have been before; unfortunately, it was unsuccessful."

"Sir?"

"Some eighty years ago, another man who was in many ways my mentor, attempted to reshape this world and advance the cause of all humanity. He was unsuccessful; those who feared change stopped him and destroyed his dreams. Theory didn't realize what he was doing in his attempts to elevate mankind above their current state."

"This time, we will not be defeated."


	33. New Order

An eerie silence seemed to have settled over Gayos, as if the city was holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen next. Pillars of thick black smoke rose form multiple fires across the city, few emergency crews daring to brave the contested streets. The fighting seemed to have slowed; the Red Claw controlled key positions throughout the city including the palace and most military installations. Their Zoids and troops were on the streets, while others circled overhead.

If to proclaim their ownership of the city to the whole world, the two machines that had unleashed the most destruction upon the city waited on top of the palace, looking for all the world like a pair of bizarre, sinister gargoyles. The Gungyarados and Lord Gale loomed over all around them, symbols of the Red Claw's power and control. Around the palace was a ring of the bizarre, twisted Chimera Zoids, waiting patiently for the signal to reawaken and continue their assaults. The terrifying Zoids had engaged in a murderous rampage across the city, forcing the Zygra forces to abandon their posts to stop them.

For their own part, the Zygra forces were broken and scattered, with isolated pockets of troops still holding out in some parts of the city. They had almost no Zoids left; those that hadn't been destroyed in the Gungyarados' initial strike had been hunted down by the subsequent invasions, or savaged by the murderous Chimeras.

To make matters worse, there was no clear indication of who was in control of the empire. Emperor Zygra was almost certainly dead - he'd been at ground Zero of the Gungyarados' CPG blast, and there was no way he could have escaped it. General Wrightfield had died along with him, robbing the military of their leader. Nobody had seen Prince Zygra since the start of the attack; the report was that he was on field exercises, but nobody seemed to know where. To make maters worse, at least half the Imperial Paladins were killed in the attack, and their leaders were all missing or reported to be trapped in the palace - the place which was now the center of the Red Claw's control.

Rumors were flying that the prince was dead, that he was trapped inside the palace or that he was already in exile and gathering allies to help him retake his empire from those who had seized control of it. But nobody knew for certain. All that anyone could be sure of was that the empire was in a dire situation. With no capital, no leader and a fragmented army, the Empire could not stand.

Late in the evening, a single figure emerged from the palace, up on the roof, standing between the two Zoids that had taken up residence there. The figure approached the flagpole located at the very peak of the temple-like structure, working in silence, silhouetted against the setting sun. He lowered the flag there, then ran up a new, different flag to the top of the pole. This new one depicted a red disk with a trio of claws tearing through it, set against a desert-orange background.

It was the flag of the Red Claw, flying form atop the palace to signify their rule over the city - and the end of the Empire.

oOoOo

**New Order**

oOoOo

Jenice sat behind the desk in the Emperor's personal study, staring straight ahead at the array of cameras before her. She was dressed in her full dress uniform; cape, braids and epaulets decorating her normally plain grey jacket. Behind her, the Red Claw's banner hung from the walls, covering the windows that normally looked out over the city itself.

This was her moment, when she would claim what was hers.

A director gave her a thumbs up signal, indicating that he was ready to begin. She knew that this address would be going out not only to the captured city, but to the entire empire. Red Claw forces controlled all the radio and television transmitters in the city, giving them an effective stranglehold on the empire's media. It was a vital weapon to their cause, one she intended to use to its fullest.

"Citizens of the Empire." She began. "I am Jenice, the leader of the Red Claw. I have taken control of Gayos, my forces easily defeating your supposed defenders. All resistance has been crushed."

"I have not come to destroy the empire, however. I have come to save it." She continued. "The Zygra Empire was a noble experiment, an attempt to end war and ensure a lasting peace across the Shelflands, something that had been thought impossible for centuries. To an extent, it succeeded."

"However, over time, the empire has become weak. Its leaders have allowed it to rot from within, letting it slide back form the great power for peace that it once was. Instead, it has failed, turning in upon itself, allowing itself to stagnate and degrade. The Zygra Empire has fallen by the wayside, allowing the rest of the world to pass it by. If it is allowed to continue on this path, it will collapse, falling prey to those around it."

"The only way to save the empire is to force it to change. When I was a Zygra knight, I attempted to do that, to force the Empire to adapt. I wanted to change things; however, those in charge feared any change to the status quo. That is why I created the Red Claw; I would do through force what had to be done, and force the empire to change and adapt to the world around it. Today's events were the first step in that process."

"To the remaining leaders of the Empire, I Implore you to consider your position. We possess weapons that allow us to level whole cities from the air; as you have seen today we will not hesitate to use them if we feel it is needed. However, I would rather not use force to achieve our objectives. I wish to negotiate with you, to find a way that we can work together to create a newer, stronger empire. I implore you to think of your people, and of the future we could create for them. Through such cooperation, and not more needless fighting, we can achieve this goal."

"A newer, stronger empire is a dream, but an achievable one. Together, we can achieve it."

She waited a moment until the technician indicated that they were done, then stood. Nodding quietly, she looked across the assembled media representatives. "You have all done an excellent job here. I thank you for your cooperation in helping me to spread my message." At the same time, she shot a glance to the squadron of Red Claw soldiers by the door. "It will be for all our benefit if you could ensure that this broadcast goes out by all outlets and affiliates of your networks."

What she didn't say was what would happen if it didn't. However, the threat was pretty clear. Media conferences with lots of armed soldiers left a pretty unambiguous message about what was going on.

Without any further word, Jencie strode out from the room, leaving the representatives to consider their next moves. Heading out into a hallway, she was immediately greeted by both Levisha and Sturm. "I saw the speech." Levisha began. "I think it will have the desired effect."

"It is not my wish to destroy the empire, Towne." Jenice stated. "But I will if forced to. And we do have the means to do such."

The pair of then glanced at Sturm, the pilot of the Gungyuarados that had unleashed so much terrible devastation. "Whoever it takes, I will support you, commander." He replied.

"Excellent." She finished. "So what is our situation then?"

"We have the city almost entirely under our control." Levisha explained. "Resistance is continuing, but is light and scattered. Certainly its nothing too threatening. They have no Zoids and seem to be limited to only small arms now."

"And our losses?"

"We lost about sixty percent of our Chimeras." She flatly stated. "But those were the worst of it. Losses amongst our manned Zoids were relatively light; the Chimeras managed to draw off the bulk of the fire that should have been directed at them. And the infantry also did well. We're still collating the numbers, but things are looking pretty good thus far."

"So we can hold the city?"

"I believe so." Levisha finished. "But the Gungyarados will be the key to holding it. We can use it as a combination of deterrent and terror weapon to secure the city. Fortunately, the Zygra forces currently lack an effective way to combat it."

"How are we doing with the city itself?" Jenice asked, turning to Sturm.

"Things have largely gone as we expected." He answered. "The Security arrangements were exactly as our guest reported. As a result, the operation to secure control over the city's infrastructure has been successful. Fortunately, the city's infrastructure has survived largely intact; its only in the military districts where there has been severe damage."

"Excellent." Jenice nodded. "Now, I must ask one thing - what of the Empire's leadership?"

"That's... still a problem." He admitted. "Through comparing records of who was where and what we've found, we can confirm that both Emperor Zygra and General Wrightfield were killed in the initial attack. However, Price Zygra has escaped, along with Paladins Dezalg and Winters."

"Those two will be a problem." Jencie contemplated matters. "Do we have any idea where they are?"

"I do not know for certain, but I have a good idea." Sturm answered. "The Empire maintained several emergency boltholes that they could use for their leaders to take refuge in. That way, should something like, well... what we've just done occur, then they will be ready for it."

"So where are they?"

"I'd need to do some digging, but I think we can narrow things down a little." Sturm offered. "There are several likely sites that we'd need to explore. Of course, once we find it, we have them."

"Good. Tell me how things go." She glanced around. "Gungyarados or not, however, if we are to take on the entire Empire, we will need to expand our forces. From what I gathered, we've managed to take the Imperial factories, correct?"

"They were actually quite lightly defended, surprisingly such." Levisha explained. "The factories fell a lot quicker then we expected and with minimal damage."

Jencie nodded. "So we have a new source of materials and Zoids. Very good. I'll need to see whoever's in charge there and try to figure how quickly we can get a new army built up."

"Of course. I will have them bought in."

"Make it tomorrow. We have much to do tonight." She nodded. "Now, the other issue is personnel. We will need to increase our numbers in order to make our control over the city absolute, not to mention any expansion."

"Do you have any suggestions, Commander?" Levisha asked.

"The McNeils have managed to recruit a good portion of this city's criminal underside to our cause." She explained. "However, that will still not be enough. Levisha, I want you to put out feelers to gather more bodies. Seek out those like the ones that we initially built the Red Claw from; the desperate, the dangerous, the criminals, those on the fringes of society. I suspect that today's demonstration of power will do a lot to gather more interest in our cause."

"Yes, commander."

"One other thing - I know that we have other issues to deal with, but it is imperative that we capture Glass and that woman he travels with." Jenice explained. "I think... I think that a nationwide bounty might be of a benefit to our cause. Maybe we can issue bulletins identifying them as criminals or similar."

"I agree there." Levisha replied. "I'll see to it."

"Excellent. We have come a long way today." Jencie noted. "But this is just a step. We still have a lot further to go."

oOoOo

The Maglev car came to a halt in a small station, similar to the one it had departed from. Its journey from the capital had traveled along a single, straight line without a single bend in it. There had been no other stations, nor were there any branches. The tunnel was designed for only one reason, and offered only a single destination.

No sooner had it stopped then it was greeted by a pair of Zygra Soldiers. Dezalg, Winters and Prince Zygra all disembarked, and escorted by the soldiers, headed for a lift on the far side of the room that was far larger then its counterpart in Gayos. As soon as they were out, several other technicians moved in and began work on the far end of the tunnel.

"What are they doing?" Zygra asked as the elevator doors closed.

"Sealing the tunnel to make it harder to penetrate." Dezalg replied. "That way, the Red Claw cannot get to us through it. We want this fortress to be as secure as possible against any possible invasion - and this tunnel is a weak point."

"There are armoured blast doors over the end of the tunnel." Winters explained. "As well as others every few hundred meters in the tunnel. That way, if they do discover the tunnel, they will not be able to use it to infiltrate us, at least, not without cutting through a lot of doors, which will give us plenty of time and advance warning."

"So where are we?" He began as the doors opened, the three of them stepping out into a barren grey concrete hallway. Military personnel were milling around, seemingly not giving them a moment's notice as they proceeded on their various tasks. This place couldn't have been too much more different to the place that they had departed form only a few hours ago. "I've never heard of this... place."

"This is our emergency fallback command center, code-named Sandcastle." Winters explained. "This is all a part of a massive subterranean complex concealed under some old ruins. Very few outside this place even know of its existence. Most of them are dead."

"Fifty years ago, this was Hydra's final fallback." Dezalg continued. "We captured it, and made it our own. Your grandfather had it rebuilt into this facility for an emergency just such as this. I had hoped that it would not need to be used."

"But why did he create all this?" Zygra asked. "Why not build a huge fortress under the palace?"

"At the start of the war, Hydra indiscriminately used weapons of mass destruction on cities as a way of destroying their enemies." Dezalg explained. "Even if such a facility survived an attack on Gayos, you would be, in essence, trapped there. However, this facility is away from any area that would be a likely target of an attack. The idea is that nobody would think to look for us here."

"I would never have thought to hide in a Hydra ruin." Zygra commented.

"Exactly." Winters finished. "And there we have our first advantage."

A pair of doors opened, the three of them stepping into a massive room. A huge monitor dominated it, displaying a map of the Empire covered in innumerable symbols and tags. Numerous other monitors and screens surrounded it, while dozens of technicians attended systems on the operations floor. "This... this is amazing." Zygra began.

"From here, we can run the entire military." Dezlag offered. "In essence, it functions as a duplicate of our command center in Gayos" A command center that, by now, was either in the Red Claw's hands or had been reduced to ruins by their attacks.

A tall, dark-skinned woman with a shaved head approached, dressed in a Paladin's uniform. "Your majesty." She began, bowing to Zygra.

"Paladin Okaro." Dezalg began.

"It is good to see you are all alive." She replied. "I had feared for the worst."

"We're fine for now." Nathan replied. "What is the latest on the situation?"

"This way, please." She nodded, leading them to a small office off one side of the room. She closed the door, the looked around, as if she felt she was being watched. "Things are looking pretty grim in Gayos, sir." She began, looking at Dezalg and momentarily ignoring Zygra.

"How bad?" Nathan asked. "The Claw were closing on the palace as we were leaving, but we've been understandably out of the loop since then. I'm going to assume that things have not been going to our advantage, then."

"That would be correct." She nodded. "Our forcers in Gayos have completely lost cohesion. From what little we've gathered they've broken down into smaller units and some are still fighting, but there's nobody in command. They're limited to only small arms, as far as we can tell, there are no operational Zoids left under our control in the city."

"And the Claw?" Nathan asked.

"While there is still some fighting, they've got things pretty much under control." She admitted. "Virtually every key point in the city is in their hands. They control the palace, as well as the power stations, the communications and the media. They don't have our military facilities in the city, but that's only because those were destroyed in the opening of their attack."

"This doesn't sound good." Zygra commented. "But I'm sure we can defeat them. We must take Gayos back at any cost."

"That's not going to be easy, your majesty." She explained. "They have several advantages."

"But we do have a larger army. Gayos isn't the entire empire." Zygra stated. "And they must have committed their entire force to this operation."

"That may be true, but there is more to it then that." Dezalg continued. "While yes, we do have the advantage of numbers-"

"We should use it." He defiantly answered. "We must defeat them."

"There is something else that occurred wile you were in transit." Okaro spoke up, trying to deflect the inevitable argument. "The leader of the Red Claw made an appearance on national Television. As she controls the capital, she was able to use all our media outlets to transmit her message."

"What did she say?"

Okaro shook her head. "In short? She controls the empire, and we had better accept it. And if we don't, she'll turn that monster Zoid loose on any city that opposes her."

"This is rather grave." Dezalg commented. "And I have no doubt that she would do it."

"Also, if she has the Palace, then we could be in more trouble." Nathan spoke up. "Trogdor would know a lot of its secrets."

Zygra turned to Winters. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Who is this man?"

All three of them gave him an incredulous look. "You didn't tell him?" Nathan asked.

"I'm sure I did." Dezalg surreptitiously replied. "But then, if I did, then he may have forgotten already..."

"Who is this man?" Zygra demanded.

"He was an Imperial Paladin." Nathan stated, gravely. "One of my best and most trusted men. And while he did not know all the details of the fallback operation, he certainly would know of this place."

"Well you said this place was secure." Zygra continued. "You said it was safe. So I shouldn't have anything to worry about in the advent of an attack, correct?"

"Ordinarily yes, your majesty." Dezalg offered. "However, we didn't take into account the Red Claw - or anyone else - using a weapon like a Gungyarados against us."

"You keep saying that!" Zygra snapped. "Why then? Why didn't you take this monster Zoid into account?"

"Because it's not supposed to exist." Dezalg finished.

"I'm sorry?" Zygra continued. "What do oyu mean by that?"

"The Gungyarados was never a common design, and it had fallen into disuse over a century ago." He explained. "The Hydra war destroyed almost all that remained; by the end of the war, there were less then half a dozen in existence. With the post-war disarmament treaties, they were all retired and placed into constantly monitored long-term storage. Additionally, their weapons were dismantled to prevent them from being readily reactivated. I doubt that there is anyone remaining with the knowledge or skills to make one of those Zoids operable again."

"But this one clearly is active." He stated. "And we must destroy it and reclaim my city and my Empire." He slammed his hand down on Okaro's desk.

"Your majesty-" Nathan began.

"No, Winters." He angrily stated. "I am your Emporer. You pledged your loyalty to me and my empire, am I correct?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Then you are bound to follow my orders, correct?."

"Yes, your majesty." Nathan repeated with a sigh.

"What has happened here today is unacceptable." He looked over the three Paladins. "Your failures allowed this to happen, all of you. I should have you all sacked and replaced for your incompetence, but it is a luxury that I cannot afford right now."

"Your majesty, I-" Nathan continued.

"I do not want any more excuses." Zygra cut him off. "Your task is to work on a way to destroy that Zoid and reclaim our capital. That is our top priority from here on in. Do you understand?"

"Yes, your majesty." They replied in unison.

"Very good." He finished. "Your task is now to develop a plan to deliver my empire form the clutches of the Red Claw. I want them driven out and destroyed utterly, do you understand me?"

"Yes, your majesty." They repeated.

"You two may go." He added, dismissively. "Paladin Okaro, I would have a word with you."

The pair of them bowed, then left the office, walking out into the main room in silence. It wasn't until they were on the opposite side of it to the office that either of them dared to speak. "That went well." Nathan finally began.

"He has just lost his father and been forced from his home under very trying circumstances." Dezalg admitted. "And he is, well, rather unprepared for the tremendous responsibility that he has just taken on."

"I hope it is just that." Nathan replied. "Right now, we can't afford any mistakes."

The pair of them glanced up at a monitor which was showing a live feed from the city. The image focused on the palace, the roof of which was illuminated by searchlights. The two Zodis kept their position there, glaring down at the city below them. Between them flew the flag of the Red Claw, just as strong a symbol as the two war machines. "If we fail, this is our future."

oOoOo

"Paladin Okaro." Prince Zygra began. "You are a fully qualified aerial Zoid pilot, correct?" He glanced out of the office, as if to see if there was anyone observing him and her.

"It is a standard part of the training for all Paladins, your majesty." She replied. "Any Paladin is a qualified pilot."

"More to the point, you're a... better pilot then average, correct?"

"Yes, I am." She nodded. "I was the third highest ranked aerial pilot in last years trials."

"Good." Zygra dismissively replied, not even bothering to ask about the other two. "I have a mission for you, Paladin, one of the utmost importance to state security. One that you are to tell nobody else about at any cost. Do you understand?"

"I do, your majesty."

"Good. What I am about to tell you will not go beyond this room." He glanced around again. "I am to assume that we have some Pegasoluses here?"

"Pegasuros? Yes, we do." She confirmed.

"Excellent." He continued. "And are any of them training models?"

"I would have to check, but almost certainly one would be."

"Good." He nodded. "Have that one set aside and removed from active duty. Say that I ordered it if anyone questions you."

"I understand sir. Can I ask why?"

"If we are to attacked, you are to use that Zoid to fly me out of here." He explained. "I will provide the destination once we are airborne, but until then you will head due east from here - avoiding any combat, if possible."

"Should I do this in the advent of any attack or..." She glanced around.

"If they bring that... thing." He explained. "Or if the fortress's fall seems inevitable."

"I understand." She finished. "I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety, your majesty." She bowed before him.

"Excellent. I knew I could rely on you at least, Okaro." He finished. "Leave me now. I have to make... arrangements."

"Thank you, your majesty." She finished, bowing as she departed.

He waited until she was gone before he activated the small terminal in the room. Despite not being the actual ruler of the empire until recently, his position had given him access to options that would have normally been unavailable. It also gave him a great deal of influence, which was helpful. He'd made a fair few high-level contacts outside the empire itself, ones that he had hoped to use when he became the Emperor.

That time was now. And he needed them more then ever before.

oOoOo

Floyd and Thorne had spent many hours working with their Zoids' communications systems, trying to fine tune them and get a better idea of what was going on around them. It had been hard going; their location and relative proximity to the Krupp wastes made radio reception a somewhat difficult task at the best of times. Sorting out what was going on between dozens of different channels, each of which seemed to be running a different, contradictory feed, was harder still.

The situation wasn't helped by the fact that neither of them seemed to be interested in aiding each other in their work. Thorne seemed to be too proud and to stubborn to admit that she needed help, which meant that she wouldn't accept any outside offers. Not that Floyd was offering any assistance, instead being determined to do everything on his own. When pressed, he said that he wouldn't accept any help form her, simply because he thought that she wouldn't be able to offer anything more then what his own brilliance would come up with.

Althiea, in the meantime, had just focused on trying to get their Zoids fully operational again, deciding to leave the pair of them to it.

She'd worked late into the night, eventually retiring and planning to finish what was left in the morning. By then, she figured, both Floyd and Thorne should have gotten over their argument and decided to work together. She was at least hoping that Floyd would be a little more reasonable, knowing full well that an apology from Thorne would be a long time coming.

The next morning, however, saw the pair of them continue to argue rather then making even the slightest suggestion of working together. Sighing to herself, Althiea went back to work on the more damaged Zoids, trying to put the situation put of her mind.

She'd found that working on a Zoid bought her a certain degree of inner peace and calm that she couldn't achieve otherwise. It meant that, if only for a little while, she could forget about what was going on around her and focus on a single task. Given the current situation, it was defiantly a relief to be able to tune out the rest of the world for a while. There was a certain grace and beauty to the machines she was working on, a nice orderliness that served as a stark contrast to the chaos of the outside world.

The others seemed to be content to let her get on with it. Leanne's Gunsniper had been the first Zoid she'd completely repaired, which allowed them to use it as a scout and patrol unit. At the moment she was prowling around the edges of the camp, keeping an eye open and her radar on in case anyone approached the camp. Everyone knew that something was going on, but thy didn't know exactly what it was; as a result, it paid to be careful.

Jason and Rayvenne had been spending some time talking, but she had no idea what over. She knew that the two had become more then a bit close since they met, but she wasn't sure how much of it was just physical attraction. But then, she would have readily admitted that she had very little idea about interpersonal relationships. It was not something she'd never been very comfortable or capable with.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Jason leaving a tent and heading across their small camp. To her surprise, he was heading over to Thorne's Zoid, which made her immediately wonder what he was up to and why he was going there. He seemed to have the second best relationship with the Blackstar pilot of anyone in the group; there seemed to be some connection between her and Glass that neither of them were willing to publicly acknowledge.

By comparison, Jason seemed to be at least willing to talk to Thorne; neither Leanne nor Ravenne seemed to want to speak to her any more then was necessary. Of course, she had to again wonder if he was talking to her for any reason beyond pure physical attraction. Certainly Thorne hadn't shown any interest in communicating with him beyond the general put-downs she offered everyone else on the team.

Of course, Althiea had her own problems with the Blackstar pilot, but those were ones she wasn't quite ready to discuss yet.

Jason approached the Darkhorn's open cockpit, waving to the pilot inside. She seemed to ignore him, instead working on her Zoid. He stood there for a moment, before speaking up. "Getting anything yet?" He asked.

"I would have told you if I was." Thorne replied, flatly.

There was a pause. "So can I assist you in some way?" He continued.

"I highly doubt it." Thorne dismissively answered.

"Well then... what about sorting the information you have?" He asked. "I could help you with that..."

"I have an expert system linguistic filter already doing that for me." She countered without even looking at him. "I highly doubt that you'd be able to offer anything better then what it has achieved so far."

"I see..."

"In the highly unlikely event that I need any help, I will ask someone." She paused. "Someone with more qualifications."

"Right, well..." He shrugged. "I'm here if you need me. Yeah. Here." He turned around and walked back to the cluster of tents, a dejected look on his face."

"Well what's up with you?" Rayvenne asked as he approached. "You look like someone just kicked your puppy."

"Nothing." He muttered. "Just... waiting for our stuff to get fixed so we can find out what's happening and get the hell out of here."

"If that's what's bothering you then go help Ali with it." Rayvenne snapped. "Don't sit around camp being a broody sook all day. That silent loner act doesn't impress anyone."

"I'm fine, dammit." He continued. "And I wouldn't know what to do to help Ali anyway."

"You're just sooking over that Blackstar woman, aren't you?" She continued, needling him. "That's it, yeah."

"I am not!" he snapped.

"Oh suuure." She replied. "You've been mooning over her since she first joined us. In fact, you've probably had the hots for her since you saw her kick the crap out of those two guys in Freedom." She sneered. "Go on, admit it."

"I am not!" He repeated. "I just want to help her so we can get out of this mess!"

"Right. Of course." Rayvenen continued. "That she's tall and gorgeous and gets around in that stupid black technofetish garb has nothing to do with it, right?"

"No!" He snapped. "And... its not like you can talk! I mean, you're... good looking and..." he paused. "And you walk around near naked anyway!" He turned to stare at her, while she glared angrily back.

There was a long silence, interrupted by a crackle of static. "Hey, is there anyone there?" Leanne's voice suddenly began over Jason's communicator. "Hello?"

"Leanne?" Jason began.

"Yeah, its me." She continued. "I've been tryin' to get y'all!"

"What's happening?" He asked.

"My radar's spotted a small group of Zoids headin' our way." She explained. "Looks like Zygra Types but... I dunno what's going on around here. It could be anyone from the sounds of it."

"Right." Jason replied. "Fall back to the camp. If they follow you, we'll deal with them here where they can't pick us off."

"Who put you in change, Jase?" Rayvenne snapped.

"This is important." He growled back. "If you have a better idea and are able to get through to anyone else, then you're welcome to it."

"I..." She began. "Fine, dammit."

"Get to your Zoid." He finished. If this is bad, then we want to be ready for it."

She scowled at him, but then ran off to her Sinker. Waiting until she was gone, he clambered into his Iguan and activated its systems. A check across the board showed that it was still far from fully repaired and, as such, was not in peak condition. _That'll have to wait. We'll have to go with whatever we have at hand._

"Floyd, Thorne!" He called out. "Whatever it is you two are doing, cut it out now!"

"What?" Floyd began.

"How dare you presume-" Thorne continued, but Jason cut her off.

"We have potentially incoming hostile Zoids!" He snapped. "You two can argue later!"

"A sound plan to me." Floyd finished. "Captain Thorne, mayhap we can continue this little debate at a later date, then."

"Fine then." Thorne finished, clearly not happy with the idea of taking orders from Jason but unable to think of a good reason not to. The Darkhorn closed its canopy and stalked towards Jason's Zoid, the Darkhorn seemingly looming over the Iguan. It glared at his Zoid, as if to indicate the pilot's displeasure at the situation. Even as scarred and damaged as it was, the Zoid was still an intimidating sight.

The Gunsniper sprinted back towards the camp just as Althiea had begun to power up her Iron Kong. "They're comin'!" Leanne shouted out. "Looks like a coupla squads of Zygra types with a Tank fer support."

"Shouldn't be too much of a problem then." Thorne replied, the Darkhorn's powerplant beginning to glow as it drew in power from the environment around it.

"Let's not be too hasty there, little lady." Floyd cut her off, the Gustav rolling up next to her. "Let's jus' see what they want first, okay?"

The Darkhorn turned its head to look directly at the Gustav; it was easy to imagine that it was merely imitating its pilot's actions and conveying her displeasure. "Fine then." She finished. "But the instant they turn hostile-"

"Yes, you'll fill them full of concentrated stimulated light energy beams. I understand completely." Floyd finished. "But for now, try being diplomatic. I know it's an alien concept to you but..."

"Glass..." She snarled, the Darkhorn grunting angrily as if to underscore the fact.

"Can you two please stop that, if only just for a bit?" Althiea asked, her Zoid stepping between the pair of them.

The Gustav and Darkhorn turned away from each other, the pilots not speaking. At the very least, she figured, they weren't arguing, which was a plus. The Iguan and Gunsniper formed up in front of their Zoids, while Rayvenne's sinker hovered overhead. Her sensors beeped as the enemy force approached; she began to pick out individual Zoids from it. Most of them were indeed standard Zygra types, but there was a pair of Tanks and a Bigasaur with them.

"This is Knight Schale of the Zygra army to enemy Zoids! Identify yourselves!" A voice called out over the radio.

"Well, that's a good question." Floyd replied. "I don't think this group has a collective name for itself as such. We're looking for ideas, actually." The Gustav Rolled forwards a bit.

"Power your Zoids down and step away from them!" He continued.

"Why?" Floyd asked.

"Our orders are to apprehend all outlaw Zoid groups. You will comply with our requests." Schale continued.

"We're not criminals." Jason replied.

"You are illegally using Zoids. That makes you criminals." He stated.

"But we're actively fighting the Red Claw." Leanne spoke up.

"That's a maybe, but we cannot take that risk." he stated. "Your Zoids will be confiscated until we can prove what you are saying is true."

"No they will not." Thorne stated, her Darkhorn barging past the Gustav and other Zoids. "I am captain Asheligh Thorne, assigned to the Black Guards unit. This group is under my control and, as such are operating as a part of the Blackstar army. Any attempts to disarm them will be taken as an act of open hostility towards the Blackstar government. Do you understand, Knight?"

"If you are a Blackstar, you are operating outside your legal authority."

The Hibilt Vulcan cannon swung towards the Bigasaur as the Darkhorn turned to glare at it. "I was operating here as a part of a cooperative task force on the authority of Paladin Nathan Winters. If you have issues with myself or my men being here, then take them up with him." She finished, her Darkhorn's glare seeming to underscore the point.

Schale must have been in the Bigasaur, as he seemed a little apprehensive as he replied. "I... I cannot do that right now, captain."

"And why not?" She asked.

"Because..." He paused. "Because... Gayos has fallen to an enemy force. We've had no contact with anyone inside the city since last night. That includes Paladin Winters."

"So then where did your orders come from?" She demanded.

"I..." He paused, wondering whether he should be revealing such information to a foreign national. The Hibilt Vulcan cannon, however, remained in place, acting as a persuader to Thorne's arguments. "We were ordered by the regional commander to make a sweep of the area for any signs of hostile activity in order to secure our flanks before we make a drive on Gayos itself."

"So what force has taken Gayos?"

"The Red Claw." He admitted.

"Fine then." She finished. "You may resume your duties."

There was another long pause. "Should we just let them walk off?" Rayvenne hissed. "After all, thy can tell us about what happened and all, and we seem to have the same goals..."

"If I'm not mistaken, then Thorne made a deal with one man to assist him." Glass replied. "They have no authority to aid her in any way. And, given the traditional nature of relationships between the Empire and the Blackstars, I would not be surprised if he would rather not work with her."

"Bad?" Jason asked.

"If you call forcing them to jump through hoops and twisting every word you say to suit their needs to be bad, then yes." Glass continued. "The Blackstars make their contempt for you pretty clear."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience, Floyd." Leanne spoke up.

"I travel a lot." He finished. "Ah, they seem to be done."

The Zygra group turned away, several of the Zoids clearly keeping an eye on Thorne's Darkhorn as they left. For her part, she never turned her Zoids weapons away from the Zygra Zoid, keeping them focused on it. "You see," Floyd continued. "That is how they negotiate. They bully people into giving them what they want, using their superior military strength and technology. With a reputation for being undefeatable, they have a lot of weight."

"I'm more interested in what he said about Gayos falling." Althiea spoke up. "If that's the case... then are we too late to stop the Red Claw?"

"Maybe... maybe not." Floyd finished. "This is going to take a lot of careful planning. And for that we will need a lot more information about what exactly is going on in Gayos." He smiled to himself. "Captain Thorne?"

"Yes?" She asked.

"I feel that, for the sake of both m people and your mission, that we should put aside our differences and cooperate with each other for the point of gathering information on the situation." He began. "Certainly, I will be willing to aid you and provide whatever help you need to gather the intelligence we will require."

"Good. We'll get started immediately." She finished, then closed the channel.

"Great!" Floyd called out. "I knew that would work."

"What, blatantly kissing up to her?" Rayvenne added, sounding somewhat incredulous.

"Oh yes." He finished with a smirk. "You see, there's one way to get what you want out of a Blackstar. And that's to fee their monumental egos." He shook his head. "They're so predictable in many ways."

oOoOo

Jenice had initially considered using the Emperor's office as only a temporary measure until she could find a place that was better suited to her particular needs. However, she'd found that she liked it there. It conveyed a certain sense of authority which gave some legitimacy to her position, regardless of the methods she had used to acquire it. And today she was going to take steps to further legitimsise that control and position.

Before she did that, she had a meeting to attend to, one that would be vital to her cause.

A pair of troopers escorted a woman into the office, marching her up to Jenice's desk. Of average height, she looked to be in her early fourties but, at the same time, very well kept. She had long. straight black hair that framed an attractive face and dark blue eyes. She was dressed in a simple black suit and skirt, something that Jenice would have expected from someone in her position.

"You requested to see me?" The woman asked, not sure of what title to use.

"That I did." Jenice replied, casually. "Please, be seated, Ms Rouget-Simons." The woman took a seat, not wanting to anger a woman who's soldiers had bougth her here. "I trust you understand why you are here then?"

"I am to assume that it has something to do with my role as the chief of the Imperial Zoid Factories, correct?"

"That it is." Jenice replied. "I have a need to both rebuild and expand my military, Ms Rouget-Simons." She explained. "I figured that the best way to do such would be to speak to you directly and bypass the middle man."

"I am listening. What is it you need?"

"I understand that you had been asked to ramp up production of new Zoids for the imperial army." Jenice continued. "Now the exact capabilities of your production facilities were always a close-guarded secret. I want to know what they are capable of."

"Certainly." She replied. "At present, we are working at maybe a quarter of our total capacity. Most of our equipment has been offline but can be readily reactivated. We were simply producing to remain ahead of attrition."

"And how quickly could you bring everything up to full operational capability?"

"Given a sufficient workforce, probably a week." She stated. "As we are, we've only got enough people to keep our current lines running at low capacity."

"Very well. I'll have it arranged immediately." Jenice quickly made a note. "The second question is, what weapons and Zoids can you produce?"

"Besides those machines normally used by the Knights, we do small production runs of Godos, Gyusack, Barrigator, Pteras, Snakes and Doublesworder Zoids, as well as the occasional Tank, Mammoth and Bigasaur. We have the capacity to produce Command Wolves, Arosaurers and Gorheks, but haven't done such in decades."

"Could you switch the production lines over to the more powerful Zoids?"

"Not as such. But we could dedicate a larger work force to them in order to speed up production. Once again, however, I would need a larger workforce."

"Again, I will arrange for that." Jenice continued. "Now, regarding additional weapons systems; I saw a number of Zoids using CPs during our liberation of Gayos."

She didn't rise to Jenice's terminology, but instead remained her calm, professional demeanor. "Those were taken from stockpiles of older systems, ones that were either salvaged after the war or confiscated from illegal users. We do manufacture some additional systems, chiefly for the older Zoids, however. We also do manufacture Supercannons for the Bigasaurs and Mammoths, but those are obviously not of too much use otherwise."

"A problem. Could you adapt the additional weapons you do manufacture for use by other Zoids?"

"It shouldn't be too much of a problem." She admitted. "Most of those systems are considered generally outdated, but I suppose a small firepower boost is better then none at all."

"Very good." Jenice finished. "I shall provide you with the additional workers you need as soon as possible."

"Thank you." She nodded. "Now, I do have... one small request to ask of you." She began. "I know that you must be terribly busy with creating a new government, and that I am in no position to negotiate, but... I want to build good relationships with your new order, and I would like to think that you can live up to some of your claims of building a better empire."

"Do go on." Jenice continued, somewhat surprised that she would be so bold. This woman was proving to be most interesting, and definitely someone she would have to keep an eye on. Her readiness to comply with Jenice's demands could be based on any number of things; a desire to work with her new order, a shared interest in changing the empire or even the simple greed for the increased profits such an arrangement would bring. Or she could have some other motivations, a desire to get something in return.

"Two years ago, my son, Jason, ran away from home to have himself some sort of adventure." She explained. "Now while I understand that he is now a grown man, I have not heard from him since then. I believe that he is the sort of person who would have been... attracted to your organisation in past. If it is not too much of an ask, I would like to know if he is in amongst your ranks and, if so, how he is faring."

"That should not be a problem."

"I am sorry to bother you with such a trivial request."

"Not at all. He is family, and you want to know where he is. It is perfectly natural." Jenice nodded. "And as you are doing so much for me, I feel that it is the least I can do for you."

"Thank you for that." She finished. "If there is anything else..."

"No, that will be it for now. I will have my people contact you to arrange the details of what you will need for your expanded workforce, but until then I believe we shall be fine." Jenice smiled. "Thank you."

The woman stood, the two soldiers resuming their places at her side and then escorting her out. After waiting a few minutes, she activated her personal communicator. She and most of her command staff were still using those, not trusting the Palace's internal communications to be entirely bug free. "Levisha, I need to see you. Something's just come up."

A couple of minutes later, Levisha strode into the office, her face the same impassive mask that she usually wore. "What is it?" She asked as she approached.

"Have we ever had a recruit called Jason Simons, or maybe Rouget-Simons?"

She paused for a moment. "I would have to check my records. Can I ask why?"

"Apparently, he is the son of the chief of the imperial Zoid works and, for some reason, she believes that he may have joined us at some point. Since her cooperation is vital to our plans, I figured that it would be worth investigation."

"I agree, commander." She nodded. "I shall look into it right away."

"There's no need to immediately, Levisha." She replied, dismissively. "We've got other, far more important things to attend to."

"Speaking of which, the senate is ready to see you."

Jenice smiled, and then stood. "Excellent. I think it is time that we made this empire our own, don't you?"

"Yes, commander." Levisha finished. She waited until Jenice had left before she quietly smirked to herself as she considered this new information. _This will be very useful, _she thought. _Very useful indeed._

oOoOo

Following their debate with the Zygra patrol, Floyd and Thorne had gone to work ion trying to gather more information. Working together and coordinating their efforts, they had managed to get a pretty good idea of what was going on, Unfortunately, the news was anything but good for them.

"This is the situation as best as we can determine." Thorne began, addressing the rest of the team who were gathered around a camp table. "The Red Claw have seized control of Gayos, in the process killing the emperor and disabling their military command structure. The result is that the empire is paralyzed, the government unable to function and its military is fragmenting while they await orders."

"As near as we can tell, the entirety of their force has deployed to Gayos." She continued. "They have complete control over the palace, the media and most military installations. The few military facilities that they do not control have been destroyed. Their control is likely being enforce by footsoldiers, supported by their Chimera Zoids."

"So how were they able to do this?" Jason asked. "They can't have had the strength to attack Gayos. I know they gave us a good run in the jungle but... that's far from enough."

"They did it with the aid of this little beauty." Floyd replied, dropping a bunch of photos and an old, photocopied page onto the table. The pictures, mostly blurry screencaps, depicted a black, winged, serpentine Zoid, either n the air over Gayos or couched on top of the palace proper.

"What is this... thing?" Jason asked as he picked one up.

"DPZ-23 Gungyarados, Burninator Type." Floyd began. "In its day it was a machine of almost unmatched power and destruct."

"In its day?" Jason asked.

"Well, that was before our modern era of arms limitation and downsizing." He explained. "Today it would be far, far more dangerous."

"Is it bad?" Rayvenne asked.

"It can fly at Mach 3.6, carries a charged particle cannon and its body is incredibly resistant to energy weapons." Floyd continued. "So I'd say 'yes'."

"So It'd be fair to say that we ain't gonna take it on." Leanne commented.

"Definitely not." Floyd commented. "Even with Althieas Iron Kong and Thorne's Darkhorn, we'd be far from guaranteed a victory against it. It could readily use its charged particle cannon from outside the engagement range of both Zoids."

"Then we cannot defeat the Zoid." Althiea commented. "At least not in battle. Unless..."

"Ali?" Rayvenne asked.

"If we could try to disable it, maybe." She explained. "We know we can't defeat it but... maybe if we could render it inoperable."

"That makes sense." Thorne spoke up.

"Of course, we'd have to get in there." Jason shook his head. "And its not like they're giving people guided tours of it."

"And we're kind of known to the Red Claw, unless you forgot." Ravenne added. "I mean, they have a serious mad on for Floyd, and they came gunning for me. So they ain't got much love fer us."

"Not quite true." Althiea continued. "They're hunting for the mysterious Sinker Pilot. I very much doubt that they know about you as, well, you."

"Huh?"

Floyd spoke up. "What she means is that the Red Claw know of the mystery man in the red bandanna, not the young lady bursting out of her outfit."

"Ah, right. I think I follow you." She finished. "So what you're saying is that I could get inside their operation a lot easier then, say anyone else here."

"Actually, I think that Leanne would also stand a fair chance of getting in as well." Althiela continued. "I don't think the Red Claw would recongise her as a person either."

"That seems fair to me." Floyd nodded. "What do you think, Leanne?"

"Well..." She began. "It sounds dangerous. But then, that's really why I'm here in the first place, to have an adventure an' stuff like that. An' frankly, I like the idea of poundin' a few Red Claw heads in fer all that they've done."

"That's the spirit." Floyd grinned. "So that's two now."

"I also have a suggestion." Thorne spoke up. "Simons should lead this operation."

"What?" Jason spluttered, turning to her. "But, I'm an ex-Red Claw!"

"Which means that you will have more knowledge of their operations and procedures, their personnel, their capabilities..." She trailed off.

"But... what about the risk?" He asked. "I'm not exactly on good terms with them right now."

"No, but nor are you actively hunted by them."

"Well..." Jason paused. "I'm not?"

"At no point have the Claw been gunning for you, Jason." Floyd took over. Its all been me and, to a lesser extent, Althiea. If they still had a mad on for you, they're not letting it show. Frankly... I don't think thy care any more."

"So there should be no problems with you leading the operation, Simons." Thorne finished.

"Well... umm..."

"Unless you are either afraid to go, or incapable of performing what's needed of you, I see no reason for you not to." She finished.

"Well I, uh..." he slumped, clearly defeated. "Fine then." He admitted. "I'll go."

"Good." Thorne continued. "Besides sabotaging their Zoid, your main objective should be to gather information. We need as much as we can get on their exact numbers, disposition, operational capabilities and so on. The more we have, the better we can plan our next move."

"Now people, I know that this seems like a big deal, but I want you to consider things." Floyd cut off Thorne. "We've fought the Red Claw before. And we've each got a good reason to want to give them one. But this is bigger then any of that. From today, we're not just fighting for ourselves. We're fighting for the whole world."

"The world?" Thonre spoke up. "I assume you mean, the empire."

He turned to look at her. "Ms Thorne, I know what I mean."

oOoOo

The imperial senate was one of the biggest rooms in the palace, a massive, half-bowl shaped amphitheatre designed to accommodate the representatives of the Empire's people who were elected to represent them. It was from here that imperial policy was made and enacted, and the Empire was run.

Today, its benches were largely empty, with loess then a third of the Senate in attendance. Many had been away from Gayos for the holidays, seeing it as a chance to get away from things. Others had managed to flee the city or were otherwise in hiding within it still. And more then a few had been killed during the battle for the city itself. The chamber seemed a little less empty thanks to the presence of several squads of Red Claw troopers guarding its exits as well as the speaker's podium.

Jenice entered, dressed in her full dress uniform, complete with cape. Next to her was Sturm, dressed in a modified, black version of the Paladin's dress uniform, designed almost as a mockery of their own dress. Finally came Levisha, who, dressed in her normal black and red flightsuit, was somewhat less impressive then other two, offsetting them somewhat. Jenice took the speaker's podium, the others waiting a few steps behind and below her.

"Senators of the empire. I thank you all for coming here today." She began as she looked around the room. Her words were far from the truth; those who were here had been bought here at her demand, several at gunpoint. "We have a lot of work that must be done."

"I have gathered you here because you represent the greatest power in the Empire, the most important part of its government. It is though you that the state is able to function, through you that the day to day business of managing such a massive organisation is run. I bring you hear today to ask for your support and your assistance in letting me rebuild the empire, to remake it anew as a stronger, better one that will not fall."

"I ask that you continue your roles in the government. I want you to each continue the portfolios that you supervise, and to represent your people. All I ask is that you lend me your cooperation in running the state. I state what needs to be done and, through you, it will be enacted. Together, we can build a better world."

"I will not force you to take up this role." She continued. "Rather, I will let you each decide for yourselves. I will accept that each of you may have his or her own reasons for not wanting to continue their role, and I will accept that. And, whatever successor replaces you will also have that choice." The threat inherent in her statement was clear; she could just as readily dispose of and replace them all. By appealing to them, she hoped to, at the least, speed things up a bit. Of course, the armed soldiers in the room added an extra weight to her arguments.

"I wish to allow this grand experiment to continue, and I wish that you will help me. I ask this not for myself, but for all the people of the empire. When you make your decision whether or not to support my actions, think of your families. Think of the benefits that they would gain from your assistance, from your cooperation in these trying timers." Again, the implied threat was clear enough.

"If there are any who wish to resign their position, I urge you to speak up now. Otherwise, I will be glad to welcome you to the new age; not just one for the Zygra Empire, but the beginning of one for all the peoples of the Shelflands."

"Thank you."

She paused as she scanned the chamber. Those present seemed not to react, or were rather guardedly reserving their actions. She knew what was going on, knew that each and every one of them would be considering their actions and contemplating what would happen if they spoke up or chose not to support her. She wondered how many of them were simply waiting for somebody else to speak.

Finally, after giving them a few more minutes, she spoke up. "I am glad that you have all chosen to support me, and I thank you for that show of confidence. I promise you that, by working together, we will create a better world."

_And now the final piece is in place, _she thought. _The empire is mine._

oOoOo

Nathan Winters looked over the intelligence that had been gathered on the situation in Gayos, considering all the developments and how it affected their chances of reclaiming the city. At the same time, he was also watching several newsfeeds from within the captured city; while the Red Claw controlled the media, it was still a source of information that they could use.

The latest news was far from encouraging. The senate had apparently given approval to Jenice to become the leader of the empire, in essence legitimising her takeover of the city. While he knew that the senate had likely been forced into their actions, it also gave Jenice a certain air of respect and credibility, one that made her look more like an actual ruler, rather then an upstart usurper. It meant that getting international support to overthrow her would be one step harder, as there would be some inclination to see her as the empire's true ruler, especially with prince Zygra in hiding.

He sighed as he went over his work again. They were still collecting data from the various regional commands within the Empire, trying to get as much info as possible as to what was going on in the rest of the empire. At the moment, near as anyone could tell, most people were staying back, cautiously watching the situation to see how it would unfold or looking for some sing form the actual Zygra government that someone was in charge.

Nathan couldn't say he blamed them. His study of the Red Claw's capabilities had confirmed what he'd initially feared. It didn't matter that the Zygra army outnumbered them, nor that they could surround them and simply attack their forces from every side at once. The Gungyarados more then made up for the numerical disadvantage the Red Claw faced. The Zoid could destroy large numbers of Zygra Zoids form the air, and with its combination of speed, mobility and its laser-resistant armour, remain all but invulnerable to any counter-attack they could offer.

He'd been trying to figure out scenarios aimed at taking it alone out of action, but there was nothing that immediately seemed viable. He knew that they would not commit it to a battle without providing it with some escorts to cover its few vulnerabilities, He'd seen first-hand what massed swarms of Chimera Zoids could do; any attempt to overwhelm the Zoid with sheer numbers would end up flying into a wall of claws and fangs instead. And that was not to mention the capabilities of the Red Claw's other airborne Zoids, the Redler, Evoflyer and Lord Gale.

By his best estimate, an attempt to destroy it through simply attacking in sheer numbers would wind up getting bogged down in a drawn-out dogfight with its escorts... and would leave the Gungyarados free to attack their forces on the ground anyway, which would get them nowhere.

He shook his head, sitting back in his chair for a moment to consider his options. They needed a viable plan to take on that monster more then anything else. Unless they could eliminate the Gungyarados, then they had no chance to defeat the Red Claw. Taking out its pilot wasn't an option, as he was sure they would have a backup or two. No, the only option was to destroy the Zoid itself.

He found it particularly interesting how they left it on such public display. Pressing a few buttons on his terminal, he bought up an image of the Zoid perched on top of the Imperial palace. By showing it there, it was almost like they were boasting about its capabilities while, at the same time, darign anyone to try and attack it. At the same time, it made for a potent symbol of the Red Claw's rule.

"Busy" Dezalg asked as he entered the office without knocking.

"Incredibly." He replied. "I've been trying to figure a way to get into Gayos."

"And how's it going?"

"The whole thing would be a lot easier if they didn't have that damn Gyungyarados." He explained. "Its just one Zoid but... it makes all the difference."

"Ahh.. the Gungy." Dezalg shook his head. "I'll admit now that I've never actually faced one, nor do I ever want to."

"I thought you fought all kinds of stuff during the Hydra war... all the crazy things they created."

Dezalg sighed. "The strange thing about Hydra is that, for all their engineering skill, they had surprisingly little imagination. They produced so many samish variations that they seemed to loose track of where they were going, and seldom tried anything truly original. It was only at the end that they did and, well, by then it was too late." He shook his head. "They never had anything quite as powerful as a Gungy on side. I dread the thought of what might have happened if they had."

"So any ideas of how we beat that... thing?"

"We don't have a handy Evil Pegasus, which does rule out the most obvious plan." He shook his head. "However... well... I think the time has come to show you something that I think will be of some help to us."

"Oh?" Nathan looked up.

"Its a little thing that we've been keeping in storage. I think that now's as good a time as any to break it out. If you could follow me, please, I think we may have the solution to our Gungyarados problem."

The pair of them left the office, heading over to the lifts. As they stepped in, Nathan noted that Dezalg had to type in a security code to access the level he wanted. "What you are about to see, by the way, is one of the empire's biggest secrets. Its not something we exactly let other people know about. If we did, well, it'd be a lot of trouble for us."

"More so then we currently are in?"

"Probably." He finished as the lift came to a halt. "Outside of myself, only a handful of technicians know about this. Oh, and you now." He added as the doors opened, the pair of them stepping out into a massive Zoid hanger. In the center of it was a large, black and bright red Zoid, far bigger then most of the designs used by the Empire. Bipedal, its form somewhat resembled a Rev Rapter, only on a far larger scale. Its back sported a massive thruster pack, while a pair of crab-like claws jutted out from its sides. Its head was darned with a large metal crest, topped with a forward-jutting spike.

"This is..." he began as he looked up at the Zoid. He recognised the design from books and historical photos, but had never seen one in person. But then, he'd never imagined that he ever would either. "It's a Geno Breaker, correct?"

"Geno Breaker Jet." Dezalg added. "Probably the last of its kind in the Shelflands. Or at least, the last active one."

Nathan nodded in acknowledgement of what Dezalg had said. The war had destroyed many Zoids, and Hydra had over-run the primary factory of this type early in the war, converting the production lines over to their own use. Any others that survived were disabled and stored as a part of the disarmament treaties, likely to never see action again. That they had kept this one Zoid was a severe breach of those treaties; he wondered if this one machine had been kept simply for an emergency like this.

As he walked around it, a symbol caught his eye; a stylized letter 'Z' imprinted on one of the Claws. "This..." He began. "This is his Zoid, isn't it?"

Dezalg nodded, a smile on his face. "Several of us... his supporters, put it on there, sort of as a mark of recognition and respect." He explained. "At first, Zygra didn't like it; he said he wasn't anyone special. We argued otherwise, saying that he had earned it. Over time, it became one of the most hated signs amongst the Hydra forces."

"Do you really think it could take on that Zoid?" He continued.

"A Geno Breaker against a Gungyarados? No idea." Dezalg admitted. "But It's a better chance then anything we have at the moment."

"But who-"

"I've rigged up one of the simulators to cover this machine." Dezalg cut him off. "Simply put, Nathan, you're the only one remotely qualified to operate it. I know you did the advanced Zoid course, as well as that... uh... other one." Which was a polite euphemism for an off the record course to learn to operate several types of advanced, high-performance Zoids still in use outside the Empire. Sturm had also done the same course, which lead to Nathan's belief that he was the Gungyarados pilot.

"Thank you." He nodded to his mentor. "This... this is a great honour. To be allowed to use this machine..."

"Don't get all teary eyed yet." Dezalg finished. "We've still got a lot of work to do before we're ready to go." He looked up again at the massive black and red Zoid. "But I believe that we're on the right track."

oOoOo

Jaeger stepped into the war room, watching the dizzying array of images on the various screens. For the moment, the focus was chiefly on Gayos, displaying images from that particular battle. Others showed current troop dispositions, as well as estimations of force strengths. And at least one tracked a path headed towards the planet, traveling at a steady and inevitable pace. It was that single image, above all others that concerned him the most.

He had again been invited here by the commander for reasons that he had declined to make clear. Jaeger was well used to it by now; the Commander rarely felt the need to explain his actions, However, as Jaeger knew that he was currently in the commander's favour, it made sense not to question why and just accept it. Certainly he couldn't see that anything would be gained from arguing with him.

Walking across the room, he took his place beside the commander's desk. "Reporting as ordered, sir."

"Most interesting." The commander replied.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, momentarily lost.

"There has been an increase in communications traffic to both UZN and Drakken border units, but no actual troop movements as yet." He explained. "As it stands, I would imagine that both sides are monitoring the situation, but neither is willing to act as yet."

"I have to wonder why."

"It is possible that Zygra's neutrality has worked against it." He offered. "Neither the UZN nor the Empire wishes to attack in order to stabilise the situation or remove the Red Claw for fear of offending the other and inciting another war. For all the rhetoric about reclaiming their lost lands, it would appear that the Draken regime is erring on the side of caution. And while the UZN preaches peace, it could be that their leadership has become bogged down in their usual political problems."

"So it is a standoff then." Jaeger observed.

"For now, certainly." The commander concluded. "However, we should remain alert for any signs of activity."

"Of course." Jaeger agreed. "Is this why you bought me here?"

"No, but it is an interesting aside." He continued. "I have something far more important to show you, the metaphorical fruits of your labours."

He pressed several buttons on his terminal, the main screen instead changing to a fast-moving view through a Zoid's Heads-up display as it sprinted through a twilight desert. The display was clipped at the edges, as if it was being fed from a circular sensor or screen. "That's..."

"The first completed squadron of Type 006 units was dispatched for operational maneuvers earlier today." He explained. "With a type 001 model at their lead."

"The pilots?"

"All are normal human operatives for now."

"I see..." Jaeger commented. "And the situation?"

"They have detected a group of Zygra Zoids ahead. We have decided that this is an opportune time for a live-fire test of their capabilities. It would be preferable if we had more time to explore their capabilities, but the present situation means we must accelerate our schedule."

"Then this will be a suitable test then." Jaeger concluded.

"Exactly." He finished. "Now, let us see how this unfolds."

The first Zygra Zoids appeared on the screen, initially unaware of the approach of their attackers. The lead Zoid - presumably the type 001 - was the first to strike a ball of flame striking into a Gorgodos. The smaller Zoid was slammed in its flank, crashing to the ground, the armour on its side a burning mess. Several more blasts were unleashed, tearing into the Zygra Zoids around it.

The enemy force seemed to regain their composure, Zoids turning and facing their attackers, then opening fire with their own weapons. "And now this gets very interesting." The Commander commented. "I read Watanabe's discussions on the capabilities of the new armour. It will be interesting to see how it fares in the field."

Jaeger could see the shots form the enemy weapons striking their Zoids, but, at the same time, thy seemed to be deflected away with little or no effect. Instead, the attack continued, the Kuroru-kai's new weapons attacking with both their flamethrowers and their melee weapons, He noted how they seemed to be disproportionately powerful for their size, able to carve into their targets with relative ease. "Very interesting" he continued.

"So it would seem that your new weapons are a success, Jaeger." The commander continued, not taking his good eye off the screen.

"It would appear so."

"Very good." The commander finished. "Now the pieces are in place. And when the game truly begins, we will make the opening move."


	34. Rain of Fire

"People of the Zygra Empire, these are difficult times."

Emperor Nikolas Zygra stood behind podium, dressed in a full Paladin's dress uniform. Behind him hung a pair of banners, depicting the crest of the empire, while a third banner hung from the front of the podium. The scene was arranged such that there was no indication of where exactly he was, while still retaining all the imagery that the people normally associated with the Empire.

"As week ago, a despicable terrorist group attacked Gayos, killing many of our people. The losses were terrible, but were compounded by the fact that, amongst them, was my father, Emperor Marius Zygra. His loss is a terrible one that effects us all. However, I have survived and, as your new ruler, will continue to uphold the state that he held so dear."

"Since that time, these terrorists have seized Gayos, holding the city and its people to ransom. They are demanding nothing less then the complete surrender of the empire and its people, in essence asking us to accept them as their new rules. To enforce their demands, thy have made use of an ancient and terrible weapon, the sort that my grandfather, Emperor Zygra the first, crusaded so long and hard to eliminate from this world."

"However, we will not be cowed, nor will we bow to their demands. We will stand firm, and resist their efforts to destroy us and our way of life. We will not give in or surrender, and instead will stand firm against their efforts to break us. As I speak, the forces of the Empire are marshalling to retake the city and not only drive back these vile invaders, but to destroy them utterly. And while we are aware of the terrible weapons that they have used against us, we possess weapons of our own that will be used to defeat them."

"This will not be an easy task. The losses that they have inflicted on us are severe. However, we will survive, and we will take back what is rightfully ours. I ask of you to all remain firm and resolute in the face of this terror, to stand firm and not be cowed by these criminals or their insidious demands."

"Our forces need your support. With your help, they can triumph, and we can rebuild the empire. But only with your help. I ask that you cooperate with your local military authorities, and aid them in any way you can. Any contribution, no matter how minor, is a benefit to us and our cause."

"This message is being broadcast to all corners of the empire in order to demonstrate that, despite the terrible losses we have suffered, we will survive and rebuild. It is my belief that, if we all stand firm and stand together, we will triumph."

"I thank you for your time."

oOoOo

**Rain of Fire**

oOoOo

Nathan Winters stormed into Dezalg's office, a look of surprise on his face. "What..." he began. "What in the name of all hell was that?"

Dezlag looked up from his monitor. "I wish I could tell you, Nathan." He offered. "I really do."

"I'm going to assume then that you didn't authorize this?" Nathan asked.

"Of course not." Dezalg replied. "The last thing I want to do is risk giving away our location for some half-arsed speech."

"I'll assume you had some other plan then?"

"If needs be, yes." He explained. "Most notably, I would have it pre-taped, then arrange for a more... subtle distribution of the results. Certainly, I wouldn't broadcast it direct from our secret fallback point."

"Well, he pre-taped it at least." Nathan observed. "Although that could probably just be to stop us from cutting him off."

"Indeed. I have to wonder how he got it done without us knowing, however." He looked over the screen. "My only guess is that he managed to pay off a good number of the staff here and use his rank to bypass us."

"He is the Emperor, you know." Nathan offered. "He does supposedly rule this country."

Dezalg raised an eyebrow. "That he does. But, just as much as he is the Emperor, he is also a womanising drunkard with a tendency to hop from one bed to another and fall over. He has no idea of the actual responsibility of his position, nor of the gravity of the situation that he is in. He just wants to make a few speeches, let some other people do all the work for him and get back to ruling his empire that he's inherited and chasing maids around."

"Bitter any?" Nathan asked.

"Not so much that you'd notice." Dezalg replied. "You know, after all the blood, sweat and tears that Zygra and I shed to create the empire... I never thought that I would see it come to this. The Red Claw on one side, this trumped up little..."

"Maybe we should give him some time." Nathan commented. "As hard as this is for all of us, its harder still for him. His mother died when he was young, and he's just lost his father in a quite horrific way, then been forced to hide in a hole in the ground."

"I know..." Dezalg sighed. "I tend to think the worst of people some days." He admitted. "I saw a lot of awful things in my youth, ones that did a good job of destroying my faith in humanity. Zygra, well... he restored a lot of that. But recently, well..."

"I think that we really need to give him some time." Nathan added. "While, at the same time, trying to figure out just who on the base he's been paying off to let him get away with things like this."

"He probably slipped it past us while we we in one of those planning meetings of ours... you know the ones where we run into a Gungyarados shaped wall at high speed."

"Probably." He admitted. "And the sad part is, that thing is not going away any time soon."

"That is true..." Dezalg glanced back at the monitor. "Although I do notice that he mentioned a weapon capable of taking it on. I have to wonder then if he knew about the Geno Breaker?"

"That's a good question. I was of the impression that only the pair of us, Okaro and a hand full of technicians did. Certainly I know that I didn't tell him for just such a reason as this. And I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't either."

"Me? Definitely no." Dezalg shook his head. "Next thing I know, the little brat would be asking me to teach him to pilot it or something to that effect."

"I thought as much." He considered matters for a moment. "You don't think that it was Okaro, do you?"

"I doubt it." Dezalg shook his head. "She's too intelligent for that. And while she has been a little, well, ambitious in past, the defeat she suffered at the hands of the Red Claw - and Sturm in particular - seems to have slowed her down to a degree. No, I'm pretty sure that its somebody on the technical staff who was hoping to get in good with the right people when all this was over... heck, it could have been a totally innocent case of just saying the wrong thing at the wrong time."

"I'd like to think so, at least." Nathan nodded. "But I do think an internal investigation is warranted."

"Sadly, I must agree." Dezalg finished. "And while it would normally be the last thing we need right now, we need an intelligence leak even less. But for now, I suggest we make it discrete, talk to people and ask them a few questions."

"And this is in between taking practice sessions in the simulators, planning to retake Gayos and restructuring the government for a new postwar model, correct?" Nathan asked, a wry grin on his face.

"You're beginning to understand how Zygra and I thought." Dezalg added with a smirk. "It makes me glad. Keep thinking like that, and we'll beat them yet."

oOoOo

Jenice watched the speech intently, despite the fact that it was at least the fifth time that she had seen it today. "Paladin Trogdor, I want your opinion on one thing." She spoke up as she paused the screen.

"Yes, commander?" Trogdor asked. He was seated next to her in her office in the palace, observing the speech as well.

"When he claims that he has a weapon capable of defeating the Gungyarados... is this a bluff or is he actually stating fact?"

"It is hard to tell, I must admit." Trogdor replied, stroking his chin. "I have long believed, albeit without proof, that Zygra maintained a cache of otherwise banned Zoids for use in an emergency like this. I think that, in all honesty, he was far to canny to just surrender everything he had at the end of the war. Such weapons would have provided a handy 'stick' in the advent that diplomacy hadn't worked in the postwar period."

"So you believe this is the case then."

"Certainly, I would be inclined to believe what is said here." He continued. "Nikolas Zygra is neither imaginative nor overly intelligent. I doubt that he'd make such a bluff unless he was prepared to back it up; if he stated so defiantly that they had a weapon capable of matching ours, then I would be inclined to believe him."

"This changes matters considerably."

"To say the least." He nodded. "Up until this point, I had planned on Zygra not having a weapon capable of matching my Zoid, commander. That they do and, more to the point, they seemingly have the willingness to use it, indicates to me that we should take precautions to eliminate it."

"A good plan, but it has one problem." She replied as she stood. "We still have no idea where they are. And now, more then ever before, we have a pressing need to locate and eliminate them."

"I understand commander." He nodded. "And I think that I have a number of leads on where they could be."

Jenice turned to look directly at him. "Do tell."

"They went to great lengths to hide the location and ensure that there would be nothing that could indicate where it would be; in this regard they were rather successful. Examination of the picture yields no clear results, nor does any of the content of his speech." He glanced back at the screen. "However, with luck we may be able to find a source for the transmission; it was done over a wide-band override of local media outlets, which we may be able to trace back."

"So they may have given away their location?" Jenice asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Or at the very least, helped us narrow it down." He explained. "If we can even find a general area, then I could probably pinpoint its locale for you based on a collection of likely sites."

"Very good." Jenice nodded. "Get to it immediately. I'll see that you have whatever resources you need."

"Thank you commander." He nodded. "However, I have to wonder why they were so willing to expose themselves to us like this."

"How so?"

"In making this broadcast, they were running the risk of exposing themselves. I suspect that they could have used more... subtle means." He looked over the screen. "It's almost as if they want us to find them."

"You suspect a trap, then?"

"I think it might be." He explained. "They say they have a weapon that can defeat the Gungyarados, then let us know where it is. Then, I go after it in order to stop them from using it against us."

"An interesting idea... but I thought you said that Zygra wasn't that imaginative."

Sturm nodded. "However, he is likely being supported by both Paladin Winters and Dezalg; this is something that I can see them thinking of. Both will have considered the Gungyarados to be the most potent weapon in our inventory and the greatest obstacle to their defeating us. Thus, by eliminating it, they would gain an awful lot."

"I see." Jenice smiled. "Well then, it is a good thing that they do not know about our... other weapon."

He nodded in agreement. "When I find them, then wee can destroy them."

"Excellent." She finished. "Sturm, I do not want there to be any obstacles to our defeat of the Zygra Empire. The new world that I am going to create cannot wait any longer; I need these people eliminated."

"And I will do everything in my power to make it happen, commander." He finished.

oOoOo

Jaeger examined the main situation board, noting well the deployments of the various forces across the length and breadth of the empire. At present, the purple symbols representing the Zygra army seemed to be scattered or unfocused, some in transit from one locale to another, and others standing their ground inside the empire's cities. However, they all were staying well away from Gayos, as if they were afraid of what lurked within there.

_And well they should be, _he mentally added as he examined the situation.

Looking over it further, he could see a single brilliant golden pulse hovering over Gayos, representing the only concentration of Red Claw Forces. As small and insignificant as it looked, he knew that it represented a far greater power then its size would suggest. Additional symbols prowled the map; bright yellow ones representing the Kyuroryu-kai's handful of expeditionary forces, while grey ones represented unidentified or non-aligned units. The freedom defense forces showed up as a very light blue, while the Blackstar Guard were represented in Neon Green. Neither force was moving away from their home cities, which was exactly what he had hoped for.

Of course, there was still a single non-aligned force that he was looking for which had failed to resurface; that small group which had become the focus of their efforts of late. They had vanished two weeks ago following the Red Claw's attack on the southern jungle - the same attack that had netted them the resources they needed to continue their plans. It worried him, as he knew that group would be vital to their future, and finding them would be a top priority.

After completing the first batch of the new Zoids, a number of them had been sent out to search for that small group. In addition, they would gather more combat data on how the Zoids fared under field conditions and in live combat. Initial tests had been promising, but there were still a lot of questions that needed to be answered about such new and untried technologies.

Glancing up at the board, he could also see a few red and blue symbols, representing Draken and UZN units respectively, on the outside of the empire. There had been a small buildup of forces along the Drakken border, but that didn't seem to be a threat; at least, not yet. Of course, at this stage, they didn't want to take any risks. A quick glance at a different status board told him that they were now running on a very tight schedule.

_But how to advance matters? _He asked himself. _There has to be a way... _He looked over things and tried to consider what to do. _The Red Claw have escalated the situation, but we still need more. The situation is developing along the lines we wanted but... it is not yet moving fast enough. _The problem was that the Zygra leadership had survived, and the empire was still viable; both were situations that his scenario didn't allow for.

"Excuse me, sir." A female technician interrupted his thoughts. "We've intercepted an unusual signal. I thought you would like to see it."

"Certainly." He replied. "Send it to my terminal."

A moment later, his screen lit up with the image of Prince Nikolas Zygra, standing behind a podium and making a speech. It seemed an attempt to rally his people and marshal his forces, an open statement of defiance of the Red Claw and their attack. He found it particularly interesting that he claimed to have a weapon that could defeat the Gungyarados; to his knowledge, there was nothing in the Zygra inventory that was capable of doing such.

"Where did this transmission originate from?"

"I am unable to determine an exact point." The technician replied. "But we can ascertain a rough idea of its locale."

"Excellent. Tell me when you have the most precise result available."

"Yes, sir." She finished, and then went to work.

_Because I have a feeling that there will be some people that would be very interested in this information. _He finished. _Very interested indeed._

oOoOo

"Down!" Jason called as the high-pitched whistle of an incoming shell filled the air. His Iguan vaulted over a ridge and crouched down just as the shell struck home, blasting into the ground nearby his machine. Fragments of rock clattered of the Iguan's armored shell, the Zoid escaping otherwise unscathed.

"Leanne!" he called out. "Got any idea what that was?"

"Nope, sorry." She yelled back. "All I know is that its across that ridge, an' they've got us good with some kinda spotting radar!"

"Right... Rayvenne, where are you?"

"Just behind ya, Jase." She replied, her voice the horse whisper of her masked persona. "I'm going to see if I can sneak up on them and try to silence that gun."

"Roger that." Jason finished, then ducked again as another shell blasted into a nearby rock. The three of them had broken away from the rest of their team to head towards Gayos. The idea was to get a better idea of what was going on in and around the city before they attempted to infiltrate it. The plan had seemed sound; unfortunately a group of raiders had intercepted them along the way.

"Any idea who the ferking hell these guys are?" Leanne called out as her Gunsniper took advantage of the break in shelling to scurry forwards, hopping from ridge to ridge. It ducked down under cover as another shell went off, this one a lot closer then the other two had been. "Dangit!"

"None at all." Jason stated. "And I don't think they're Red Claw; I'd figured that everything they had would be inside Gayos by now."

"Well, whoever the hell they are, they're bein' a right-royal pain in the behind." She snapped. "An' I'm sick of that frelling cannon!"

"You shouldn't need to worry about it too much longer." Rayvenne replied, still keeping her voice low. "Here I go!"

The Sinker streaked past the pair of them, staying low to the ground as it approached the ridge. The Zoid skimmed along the surface, then suddenly popped up, climbing over and up. "There we go..." She continued. "We've got a towed field gun up there making the noise. Well, not for too much longer, at least."

The Sinker dived down, the two gattling cannons under its wings spitting fire at the cannon. The shots tore though the ground before blasting into the cannon itself, ripping it apart. As the cannon began to brew up into a cloud of black smoke, several other Zoids turned to follow hers. Shots rang out, the enemy machines filling the air around her with fire.

"Got a tank and three others here." She reported as she pulled away. "But not that much fire. I think we may be in luck here."

"Gotcha. Leanne, while they're distracted, let's get going!" He yelled out. His Iguan fired its boosters, leaping up the ridge. Landing in a crouch, it broke into a run.

"Right behind y'all." She added, her Gunsniper sprinting along behind his Zoid. The pair of them headed up the ridge before vaulting over, heading down towards the group of enemy Zoids. Their opponents were, for the most part, to preoccupied with Rayvenne's attack to notice them at first.

Jason struck first, opening up with the quad canon on the Tank. The shots blasted into the Zoid's side, tearing into its armour and causing the Zoid to rock on its base. The startled pilot managed to return fire, a pair of poorly-aimed blasts flying well wide of Jason's Zoid.

With a roar, another member of the enemy team leaped into action, their Leoblaze charging forwards straight at his Zoid. As it ran, its claws began to glow a brilliant golden colour, preparing to strike at his Zoid. Thinking quickly, Jason twisted the controls around, the Iguan ducking just as the Zoid leaped at him. The Leoblaze sailed through the space where the Iguan had been, then was caught in the underside as Jason swung the Zoid around. The Iguan's foot slammed into the Leoblaze's belly, sending the small Zoid sprawling back, crashing to the ground.

"Surrender now!" he called out. "And we won't hurt you!"

"Why should we?" Another pilot began, his Rev Rapter hissing at Jason's Zoid. Behind him, the Gunsniper reached the crest of the hill, also looking down on the three of them."

"Because we have the advantage of air superiority." Jason replied. "And two of your Zoids lack ranged weapons, which puts you at a severe disadvantage."

"Yeah, but we still have the numbers." The Rapter pilot continued. "And that's gonna count for a lot more." His Zoid snarled again, while the Leoblaze rolled over and joined it. "So I'm thinking that you're the ones who should be surrendering, bub."

"Jason, why the heck don't we just blast 'em anyway?" Leanne asked over the channel.

"Because, Leanne, I have a plan." He replied. "And these guys are the key to it"

"Right." She finished, he Gunsniper hissing at the other Zoids. "Well, whatever it is, I hope it works out for ya."

"Don't worry." He finished. "I'm sure it will."

"Well, mate?" The pilot of a Godos added as his Zoid joined the others. "What's it gonna be? Do you give up now or do we rough you up a little first?"

"Thing is..." Jason continued. "Thing is, we've got you outnumbered. We've got more Zoids nearby. We're just the advance scout force."

"Yeah, right." The Rapter pilot snorted. "Give up now and-"

A trio of explosions cut him off, the blasts ripping into the landscape around his Zoid, leaving massive craters in their wake. Glancing around, he could see another Zoid up on a ridge, the bulky shape of a Darkhorn. "Crap!" He called out. "That's... that's a..."

"A Blackstar." Jason finished, smugly. "As I said, we're just the advance for another group. Now, what was that about surrendering."

"Slick move, Jase." Rayvenne hissed as her Sinker swung past the Darkhorn. "I like it."

"Yeah." The Rapter pilot finished. "I... I think we might... want to talk, huh?"

"Thought so."

oOoOo

"Sturm." The former Paladin stopped in his tracks as he heard the hissed voice behind him. "Quickly, in here."

He glanced around, noticing Levisha glancing out from behind a doorway. Checking to see that there was nobody else around, he ducked inside the room, shutting the door behind him. "Well hello there." He began as soon as it was securely shut, a friendly tone his his voice. "Its been a while-"

She held a finger up for a moment, then glanced around. "Its not about that." She hissed. "Well, maybe later. I have a far more important concern right now."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Go on."

Levisha laid out a map on a table, then gestured for him to follow her. "Some of... my people managed to track down a likely point of origin for that broadcast." She explained. "They don't have an exact origin, but at least have a likely direction."

"Which was?" He glanced over the map.

"Somewhere probably east-north-east of here, probably at least three hundred kilometers out." She indicated to an area on the map that had been shaded in pencil. "So I have a rough location, but still a lot of area to cover."

"No, this is very useful." He commented. "In fact... looking at this map, I have a very good idea of exactly where it is."

"Really?"

"Yes." He nodded. "There's an abandoned Hydra fortress in this region."

"I know of it, yes." She nodded. "It was their last stronghold during the war."

"Indeed. But there's more then that." He explained. "I know that Zygra had it converted to use as some sort of storehouse or possible command post. The exact details are beyond me, however; it was aboive my secuirty clearance. Certainly, however, it wouldn't be too hard to believe that this place is the one we're after."

"I see... it makes sense." She nodded. "So you think it will be there?"

"Almost certainly." He agreed. "The idea is simple; the place has pre-existing fortifications, a secure underground shelter and hanger facilities for a large number of Zoids. And while al ot of those were destroyed or damaged during the fighting, it would be easy to restore. Furthermore, the place was designed to withstand a protracted siege - it took the empire ages to break it. So it makes perfect sense for them to be there."

"Of course. So now we have them."

"Indeed..." He glanced over her. "Can I ask how you came by this information?"

Levisha again looked around. "My... associates, the ones I told you of happened to locate the signal and told me of it. I'm merely passing it along."

"And you would rather not have to name your sources, hence the discretion."

She nodded again. "At this point, it is best if things remain discrete."

"Perfectly understandable. Form what I've gathered form you, discretion is a very big part of this all. And to do otherwise would compromise their... our mission."

"That is correct. I would be... very grateful if you didn't mention how you found this out to Jenice."

"I suppose I could elevate myself a little more in her eyes." He continued. "Maybe claim that it was all my own brilliance."

"You could." She grinned slyly. "I wouldn't object at all."

"Very well then." He finished. "So, let us tell Jenice of this vital development. I'm sure that she will be pleased with the idea of eliminating the last remnants of the Empire."

oOoOo

Jason warily eyed the small group of captured pilots that were tied up in a group. There were four of them, as well as another pair who had been manning the field gun, all bundled together in a single lump. The two gunners had suffered some minor cuts when their cannon had been destroyed, and the Leoblaze pilot had some bruising, but otherwise they were fine. Of course, their presence raised a lot of other issues.

"So if I get this straight." Leanne began. "These clowns were only workin' together because they happened to run into each other in the desert."

"That's the gist of it, yes." Jason nodded. "They were all headed in the same direction and decided to hook up, it would seem"

"An' they only attacked us 'cause they recongised us." Leanne finished. "Wonderful."

"How'd they know it was us, though?" Rayvenne asked, still in her disguise. "Couldn't we have been some other group of wandering desert loonies?"

"I think this might have something to do with it." Thorne commented as she walked over, a sheet of paper in her hand. "It's a bounty out on the heads of this group. It describes your Zoids, but strangely enough, only two of the pilots."

"Don't tell me, Floyd and Ali, right?" Rayvenne asked.

"Mind if I?" Floyd asked her, taking the sheet from the Blackstar before she replied. "Ho ho! This is an interesting kettle of fish."

"How so?" Althiea asked.

"There's sketches of the pair of us - and I must say, thy make me to be quite the dashing rouge." He rubbed his chin and smirked as he read over it. "I'd say that Jenice has decided she wants me that badly."

"That much I can understand." Thorne commented. "But Althiea?"

She was about to explain when Floyd cut her off. "I have no idea at all, really." he spoke up. "I mean, there's nothing unusual or that interesting about you, is there Ali?"

"Well... no." She replied, nodding.

Thorne glared at the pair of them, clearly not believing a word that either of them said but, at the same time, not wanting to press the issue. Instead, she turned towards the group of captured pilots. "Your organisation suggests that you were not intending to hut us, but merely saw an opportunity and decided to exploit it. Am I correct?"

"Well, yes." The Rev Rapter pilot admitted, clearly not wanting to antagonize a Blackstar.

"Then why were you traveling together? I find it very unlikely that you all just happened to meet just before you found us."

"The Red Claw wants more pilots and more Zoids." He continued. "We were all heading to Gayos to join up, having met along the road. When we saw your Zoids approaching, we figured it was you guys and decided to try to cash in on the bounty. We also figured that it would help us get in good with the rest of the Claw, that we might get better treatment or something for getting rid of this group that they were hunting four. I mean, if they're goin' after your guys, you've gotta be worth something to them."

"Well, I won't reveal all the details, but you are correct. The lovely Ms Jenice has had her eye on me for some time now..." He smirked.

"Floyd!" Leanne shot at him. "You ain't helping!"

"I'm sorry, Leanne." He smirked. "I think my ego momentarily got the better of me."

"Like that'd ever happen." She snorted.

Jason looked over the four Zoids. All were rather worn and battered, and both the Tank and Leoblaze sported recent battle damage. Still, they were very normal, rather anonymous Zoids, the types that were more commonly used by roving bandits and the like. Certainly, they were a lot less immediately distinctive then the Gunsniper or Sinker, to say nothing for the Iron Kong or Darkhorn. While Jason's Iguan was a relatively common model, it was apparent that he now had a "guilt by association" thing going, which would make his Zoid immediately stand out.

On the other hand, it was clear that the Claw weren't looking for him, Rayvenne or Leanne. He figured that if they knew them as people, rather then Zoid pilots, then they would have mentioned them in the bounty warrant. Which, regrettably meant that Floyd's plan made even more sense. Still... an idea began to form in his head.

"Hey Floyd." He began. "I was thinking... they recongise or Zoids now."

"That hyt do. I guess we're infamous or something." He grinned.

"Well, I had an idea..." He glanced over the quartet of captured machines again. "What if Leanne, Rayvenne and I use those Zoids to infiltrate Gayos with. We're morel likely to be able to get in good with the Claw if we're using our own Zoids, which will give us a better chance to get at their other Zoids and figure exactly what's going on."

"Hmm..." He rubbed his chin again. "Well, the Godos and Iguan are brothers, so it'd be easy to go form one to the other. And, despite their completely different mission profiles and armaments, the Rev Rapter and Gunsniper generally perform and feel about the same. And even an idiot could handle a Leoblaze."

"So you think it's a good idea?"

"My boy, I think it's an excellent idea." Floyd beamed. "Think of it, the three of you against the entire Red Claw. Such daring, such heroism..."

"That's not quite what I had in mind."

"Oh, I know." Floyd finished. "But I'm just figuring on the possibilities."

oOoOo

Nathan winters ran down to the operations center floor as soon as he heard the alarms. Technicians were already calling out figures and reporting numbers; while the main screen confirmed his fear. A display showed a group of dots heading towards the fortress at high speed. From the looks of things, their course would deliver them right to the center of it.

"What do we have?" He asked as he approached a technician.

"Small group of Zoids closing in on us at high speeds." The Tech confirmed. "No positive identification as yet, but they're not responding to automated warnings."

"From their speed and heading, they have to be coming straight for us." He muttered. "Its almost certainly the Red Claw." He turned as Dezalg approached. "It's a fair bet then that they know we're here. I figure its a probing attack to get a measure of our location and strength."

"And I've got a pretty good idea of how they know we're here." Dezalg added, glancing at the main office. Zygra was waiting there, Okaro at his side. "Which means that they're probably looking for the supposed superweapon that we have here. Looks like the game is up now."

"I agree there." He nodded.

"Either way, the game is up." Dezalg continued. "If we don't engage, they'll be able to find us and establish a beachhead on the fortress. And if we do, we'll just confirm that we're here."

"So then what do you suggest?"

"I have an idea." The older Paladin spoke up, stroking his beard. "One that may help us deal with several different problems at once. It's a risk, however."

"Go on."

"If they've come looking for our superweapon, then we shall give it to them." He explained. "We use the Jet against their initial probing attack in what will seem like a complete overkill response. This, in turn, will encourage them to use greater force against us in their next attack, one that will be able to match your capabilities."

"In other words, they will have to send the Gungyarados after us." Nathan finished.

"Exactly." Dezalg nodded. "Which will give us an opportunity to engage it on our terms, rather then theirs. We force it to engage you over the fortress, and then we use your Zoid, and our defenses, to take it out of action."

"Which will leave them open to a sudden counter-attack on Gayos." Nathan finished. "I see."

"It's a big risk, but I think it could just pay off. Certainly, its better then any other options we have available to us." Dezalg explained. "However, if we could break them here, it would be well worth it."

"And, of course, I'm the bait." Nathan finished. "However, considering who's likely piloting that Zoid, it does seem appropriate."

Dezalg nodded. "Go. You have a duty to perform to your state." He smiled. "Take the Jet. I know that Zygra would be proud of you."

"Thank you." He saluted, then turned to leave, only to note both Nikolas Zygra and Okaro entering the room. Your majesty." He began.

"What's going on?" Zygra demanded.

"The Red Claw have made a terrible mistake, your majesty." Dezalg explained.

"Mistake?" He asked. "Form where I'm standing, it looks more like they're heading straight for us."

"That is what it would appear. However, we have our own plan to deal with them."

"Do tell."

Dezalg paused a moment before continuing. "We shall use that special Zoid to defeat their initial attack. This will force them to bring out the Gungyarados, which will give us a chance to destroy it. With that Zoid out of the way, we will be able to retake the capital and restore you to power, your majesty."

Zygra seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "Very good. Excellent work there, both of you."

"Thank you , your majesty." Dezalg and Winters both bowed.

"With your permission, may I go to engage them?" Winters asked.

"And I shall assist." Dezalg continued.

"Of course, yes." Zygra finished. "You will both be commended for your bravery on this day."

The both bowed again, and headed off towards the lift. "I think we managed to sugarcoat it enough for him." Dezalg commented. "In fact, in some ways, I envy you."

"How's that?" Nathan asked.

"If this goes bad, then the odds are that you won't be around to take the blame." He replied with a wry grin.

"That's very reassuring." Nathan replied. "But I know what you mean."

They both stepped into the lift. "My boy, this is a very, very brave thing that you are doing." He continued, more earnestly this time. "And I wish you all the best. Know that when you go out there, we are all behind you, every step of the way."

oOoOo

Zygra waited until the pair of them had left before returning to his office, Okaro following behind him. "Paladin Okaro, what do you think will happen?"

"Paladin Winters is a very skilled pilot, your majesty." She replied. "And I think that if anyone can take that Zoid down, it will be him."

"Cut the Dibison Crap." He cut her off. "I want you to be honest with me. You're the only person here who I can rely on to do that."

She sighed. "I cannot predict the outcome, your majesty. Paladin winters had never used this Zoid in combat before, and he will still be at a disadvantage against the Red Claw's machine. I really think that it could go either way."

"I see." He finished. "Head down to the main hanger. I want that Pegasuros ready to go at a moment's notice."

oOoOo

From the cockpit of his Hellrunner, Bob could see the fortress looming up in the distance. It wasn't that imposing or intimidating looking, more of resembling a cluttered pile of half-destroyed buildings then any kind of fortification. Jenice had said that it would resemble a ruin, but was more likely actually a fully functional fortified command center. If it was, however, he didn't see it.

He'd had some apprehensions about this mission; he was concerned that he and his men would be charging headlong into a trap or into far, heavier fire then they would be able to deal with. However, Towne had dismissed his concerns; she'd pointed out that this was just an initial probe and there was little risk of actual combat. She'd also added that he was the perfect choice to lead the mission; not only was his Zoid very fast and agile, but he was one of the Claw's most experienced soldiers. She said that it was these sorts of Special Qualities that made him a natural for this mission.

He'd liked the sound of that. He'd never realised it before but, now that he knew, he felt a lot more confident about himself.

Glancing over the controls he could see that his Zoid was maintaining a steady 250 kilometers an hour, eating up the distance. He was a little dissatisfied at the performance; it was only just half his Zoid's top speed, little more then a casual stroll for it. Glancing over at Ruud's serpent, he could see that it was matching is pace at what amounted to barely a crawl for the wheeled Zoid. They were only maintaining the slow speed for the pair of Garius and the Gargantula that made up the other members of their squad. All three Zoids had been captured following the takeover of Gayos, and had been allocated to new pilots.

The last week had seen a considerable swelling of the Red Claw's ranks. Flushed with new Zoids taken from Gayos stockpiles, they had seen a veritable flood of new recruits, all eager to possess the power and the prestige that piloting a Zoid bought. It was getting to a point where people like him who had been with the Claw for some time were being promoted to lead smaller groups of new recruits.

"I've got something." Ruud called out over the comms channel. "Looks like a single Zoid in amongst the ruins. Large one too..."

"Is it a Bigasaur or a Mammoth?" He asked, suddenly wary of coming under attack from a Supercannon barrage.

"Negative." Ruud continued. "It's smaller then that... and the profile doesn't match at all."

"Strange that..." He considered. "What's going on there?"

"Not sure... it seems to be standing there, really."

"Roger that." He finished. "We'll get closer and investigate, Remain in formation for now." The squadron surged forwards, heading towards the jumbled mess that was the outer areas of the ruined fortress. Bob really didn't want to get too much closer; the broken ground would severely reduce his Hellrunner's ability to use all of its speed and mobility, which were its only real defenses.

Looking up, he caught a glimpse of the Zoid; he almost wished he hadn't. The machine was nightmarish in form, a strange, bipedal machine with a pair of massive claws folded across its back. As they approached, he saw its jaw swing open, a strange blue glow beginning to build up inside its mouth.

"Oh hell!" he called out. "All units, break contact! Repeat, break contact and retreat immediately!" His Hellrunner peeled away from the formation as he opened up the throttle, the Zoid trying to accelerate away from the fortress and its guardian as fast as possible. Ruud's Serpent did the same, suddenly peeling off in the opposite direction to him.

The three other members of the squad never stood a chance. A searing blue-white beam of energy shot out form the monster Zoid's mouth, instantly obliterating the three of them and tearign into the desert floor. As he sped off, Bob could see a trail of fused glass where the beam had carved into the sand. He had no idea exactly what it was they were facing, but at the same time, he knew that he didn't stand as chance against it.

"This is Bob to headquarters! We need reinforcements immediately!"

oOoOo

Cruising high above the cloud layer, Sturm patiently waited in the cockpit of his Zoid for his instructions. Glancing to either side, he could see Gwen's Redler and Zale's Evo Flyer escorting his machine. The interior of the cockpit was bathed in red light from the Zoids numerous displays, giving everything a strangely eerie look. Looking down, he could see the expanse of the desert wastes below him; form up here he could pick out a target and simply vaporise it form the air before anyone could do anything about it.

"Sturm, this is Towne." His communicator began, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you there?"

"I am." he replied. "What's the situation?"

"We have confirmed contact with enemy target." She explained. "Sensor readings paint it as a single Geno Breaker."

_A Breaker, eh? I have to wonder what else Zygra may have been hiding from us. _"Roger that." he replied. "What's the situation?"

"The Zoid has taken up position on top of the main fortress ruins." She explained. "There are no signs of other Zoids, nor of any ground-based defenses; however we must assume that they are present."

"Understood. Beginning my attack; tell all forces remaining near the fortress to pull back."

"There will be no problems with that, trust me." She finished. "Out."

Unlike normal operational procedure for the Red Claw, Sturm had been given overall command of the operation. Because of the situation, Levisha had been left in control of the Red Claw's forces in Gayos and was simply coordinating matters. The actual battlefield command now rested in Sturm's hand; it was a great responsibility, but one that he was more then willing to take on.

He changed channels. "Zale and Trake, you two will hold back and suppress any other enemy defenses. Do not engage the primary target unless I explicitly order you to."

"Roger that." Zale replied.

"Yes, commander." Gwen added a moment later, a degree of reluctance in her voice.

Deciding to overlook it for the moment, he nosed the stick forwards, placing the Zoid into a gentle dive. As it began to descend, the intakes on its Charged Particle Cannon opened, drawing in particles form the outside air and beginning to charge the weapon. His sensors beeped to alert him of the target below, waiting on top of the ruins as if it was inviting him in. _Perfect, _he thought as he lined up his shot. _This is too easy._

A small smile came to his face. _Nathan, it has been very interesting knowing you, and it seems fitting that it should end like this. My only regret is that you could never see the truth of what I was saying. Instead, I shall have to demonstrate it to you in full!_

A green light flashed on the console, indicating the cannon was ready to fire. Nosing the Zoid down to point directly at the target, he squeezed the trigger, the Zoid's massive weapon discharging and recoiling back, belching forth a stream of brilliant energy at the target. The beam seared into the ruins, disintegrating brick and sand as it tore towards its intended target. However, before it was struck, the Geno Breaker fired its thrusters, leaping away from the searing beam before it was struck.

The beam faded, Sturm suddenly pulling back on the stick as he realised what had happened. _He let me attack him! _He realised. _He made himself into a deliberate target so that I would- _A high-pitched wail cut off his thoughts as the Gungyarados' sensors detected multiple radar and targeting systems acquiring the Zoid. All across the ruins, multiple launchers emerged from under their covers, weapons rotating skywards to face the incoming threat.

He pulled the Zoid up and away, trying to break from his run as the defenses opened fire. A hail of laser fire spat into the sky, filling the air around him with shots. Several bounced off the Zoid's body, leaving int unscathed, but that was not the source ofr Sturm's concern. Studying the machine had reveled that the Gungyarados' wings were very frail and easily damaged, which meant that a single lucky hit could knock him out of action.

A second wail from the Zoid's sensors indicated the launch of a flight of missiles, heading after his Zoid. He opened up the Gungyarados' throttle, pulling into a steep climb, aiming to try to escape the weapons launched after him. At the same time, he opened up a comms channel to his wing.

"Zale! Trake! Get in there and knock out those defenses while they're focused on me!" He yelled out.

"Yes sir!" Zale called out, her small Evo Flyer zipping past his Zoid.

"What's the matter, Sturm? Can't your big, bad Gungy handle-" Gwen sarcastically added, but he cut her off.

"Get in there and shut those weapons down now, Gwen!" He snapped. "Or so help me, I will kill you myself!"

Suddenly shutting up, she put her Redler into a dive, following the Evo Flyer down towards the Fortress. Sturm Ignored her for the moment, however, instead concentrating on the missiles that were chasing him. They were only just able to reach his speed, inching closer and closer to his Zoid. _So time to take them to the edge of their envelope, se what they can do._

The Gungyarados climbed further, the missiles beginning to drop back as they struggled to keep a lock on him. Nearing the Zoid's effective service ceiling, he looped it over, bringing it around before diving back at the fortress. Unable to match his maneuvers, the missiles lost their lock, instead flying off into the distance.

_That was closer then I'd wanted, _he thought. _I won't be caught like that again._

The huge dragon Zoid again swooped down, heading back towards the Zoid that had been its primary target. "We're taking fire from the Genobreaker!" Zale called out over the channel. "We need help here!"

"Ignore the Breaker." He calmly stated. "I will deal with it. You focus on your mission and deal with those air defenses"

As he closed in, the secondary laser batteries again came to life, presenting him with a wall of fire. Not wanting to risk a hit on the wings, he twisted and jinked the Zoid in the air, trying to weave his way though the fire. A glance at his status board told him that the charged particle cannon was still recharging, which meant that he'd have to rely on his secondary for this run. He lined up the Genobreaker just as it turned to him, settling back and angling up to face him.

The two pairs of cannons on the Zoid's hips spat fire at him, the quartet of beams searing skyward towards him. Again Sturm managed to jink past the beams, evading the worst of their fire. A single shot grazed the Zoid's side, but the bulk of that was deflected away. _As I thought, the beams are designed for single hits, not high-speed attacks. They're no good against a fast-moving airborne target. _He grinned as he figured his next move. _Whereas my weapons are perfect for the task at hand._

Looping around, he dived again at the Genobreaker, opening fire with the pulse cannon. The weapon spat hundreds of energy beams at the enemy Zoid, raking along the ground before tearing into its flank. The enemy machine swung one of its shields around, blocking the shots. Not to be deterred, Sturm continued the assault, pumping more rounds into it before opening up with the flamethrower. A massive ball of flame rolled out form the Zoid's mouth, heading straight for it.

The Genobreaker suddenly fired its boosters, leaping away from the path of Sturm's attack. As the Gungyarados pulled away, the Zoid spun around, unleashing a quartet of missiles from its hip-mouted pods. Sturm hurriedly broke, trying to avoid the assault. A pair of weapons stayed on course, however, slamming into the Zoid's lower back, shaking it. Glancing down at the status board, he could see that the missiles had done little more then superficial damage.

"Is that the best tyou have, Nathan?" He called out over a broad channel. "Is that all you can do to me?" He didn't know for certain that it was his former friend inside the Zoid, but he suspected it was. he knew of no other imperial pilots who would be able to handle the massive machine or, for that matter, match skill worth him.

Not getting a response, he again sped away, looking for another chance to strike. More shots went by him, but none were able to find their make for now. Weaving and twisting, he tried to keep away from the enemy fire. Out of one corner of his eye, he saw Zale and Trake going to work, their Zoids pouring fire into the enemy air defences and doing their best to shut them down. The Geno Breaker wasn't giving them much attention, instead concentrating on tracking him and waiting for his next attack. In turn, they were avoiding opening fire on it, although that was more likely because their own weapons were unlikely to have much effect on its armour.

The green light flashed on again, indicating that the Charged Particle Cannon was ready. "Zale, Trake, break off now!" he shouted as he came around, aiming directly for his opponent. "Farewell, Nathan." He muttered, then fired again. The brilliant beam again leaped from the Zoid's back, searing through the air. Again, however, the Breaker leaped out of the way, the shot instead leaving a massive crater in the ground where it had been.

The Breaker settrled down, elevating itself and again opening fire with the quartet of cannons. Twisting through the shots, Sturm turned straight towards it, opening fire again with the pulse cannon. This time, instead of evading, the Breaker swung its claws around, activating its energy shield. The shots from Sturm's cannon raked against the shield, but seemed to be absorbed with no ill effects. Pressing the attack, he continued to spray shots with the pulse cannon, then sent another belch of flame at the shield. There was a ripple of distortion, and the shield dissipated.

_And now I have you - NO! _Sturm realised what had happened as the smoke cleared, a blue glow building up inside the Breaker's mouth. He pulled back on the stick, the Gungyarados turning and climbing away as the brilliant beam of the enemy Charged Particle Cannon shot though the air, heading straight for his Zoid. He only just made it out of the path, the turbulence form the beam rocking his machine in the air.

There was a hiss and crackle of electricity, followed by a wail of sirens. Warning lights came on across the board as the secondary electromagnetic effects of the beam washed over the Zoid, shorting out or disabling numerous systems. As he tried to pull away, Sturm analysed the damage. _Not good... nothing crippling yet, but I'm going to be at a severe disadvantage-_

A different wail caught his attention, his radar warning indicating the presence of multiple new attackers, each locking their radars onto him. Glancing at the scope, he could see a squadron of Pegasuros closing in on him, probably launched as soon as the Breaker's charged particle beam had cleared. He opened up the throttle, pushing his Zoid to the very limits of its performance in an effort to get away form the new attackers. While he knew he could take them on, the problem was that right now they had an advantage, one which-

A high-pitched screech filled the cockpit as the entire enemy flight opened fire with their missiles, sending a veritable swarm of warheads streaking towards his Zoid. Again he opened up the throttle, trying to put as much distance between them and him as possible. Glancing at his scope, however, he could see that they were still closing. Faster and more maneuverable then the SAMs he had faced earlier, they would not be easy to shake - and there was more of them.

"You two!" He called out over the channel. "Get some of these Zoids off my tail, now!"

Not waiting for their reply, he figured on a desperate plan, one that might just work. Pulling back on the stick, he bought the Zoid around in as tight a circle as its speed and bulk would allow. Several of the missiles lost contact with him, streaking away, while more turned so that they were now heading straight for the Zoid. Seeing a chance, he opened fire with the flamethrower, lettign out a massive ball of fire, then cutting it off as he pulled up.

The trick worked, several of the seekers breaking off and following the ball instead of him. Their proximity triggers detonated, setting off each weapon in a spectacular conflagration of flame and debris. He pulled up as the blast expanded, trying to escape the worst of it, hoping that it wasn't over yet.

The Zoid shook, while a few more red lights came on; however, he could see that he was still in the fight. As he came around, however, the enemy defenses again opened up, spraying the air with shots. Cursing, he was forced to climb away again, desperately trying to evade the enemy fire.

"Sturm to command." He began as he opened up a channel. "Situation has turned bad. Request immediate reinforcements."

"Confirmed." Levisha calmly replied. "Stage three of operation has commenced."

"Understood." He finished, closing the channel, a wry grin on his face. Winters and Dezalg had constructed a very well planned trap for him, aimed at destroying his Zoid. What he didn't realise was the Red Claw had though their way around him, and had their own plans that were now going into motion. And far from being the original target, Sturm was now the bait.

"Alpha Talon is inbound." Levisha added after a few minutes.

"Perfect." Opening up the throttle, he again dived towards the Genobreaker, raking it with weapons fire. He no longer needed to destroy the Zoid, instead his objective was simply to keep it in place until the right time.

oOoOo

Jenice pushed the throttle of her Zoid all the way open, watching as the landscape in front of her became a high-sped blur as its speed climbed. The Zoid's powerful drive system rumbled as it cranked up to its full speed, pushing her machine to the very limits of its performance, ones that it had not reached since she had reactivated the machine. She had idly wondered how long it had been since this Zoid had seen action, and how long it had been since someone last pushed it this hard.

"What's our status, Levisha?" She asked over the communicator.

"Sturm is still entangled over the enemy fortress. The enemy have deployed a small force of Pegasuros that are being used to harass his squadron and prevent him from landing a killing blow. Sturm's Zoid is damaged, while the primary target is still fully functional."

"Understood." She replied. "As long as Sturm keeps it occupied, that is all we need."

"Agreed." Levisha finished. "What would you have me do?"

"Prep an expeditionary force for when we are done here; I'll need more troops and Zoids for a mop up. However, keep the chimeras and the bulk of our forces in Gayos; I don't want anything happening while we are away."

"Affirmative."

Jenice nodded as she closed the channel, instead checking over her Zoid's status board. The canon was showing as green for the first time since she'd reactivated the machine, the end result of many long hours work and a number of modifications. As near as she could tell, it would be good for at least one shot; after that it was anyone's guess. She needed it to function, if only for this one attack. She was already beginning to consider options for its replacement; a number of different ideas were coming to her mind for weapons that, while less destructive, would have a far greater elegance to them.

But that was for the future. For now, she had other things to concern her.

Looking up, she could see the fortress ahead. Pillars of black smoke rose into the sky, intertwining to form a dark, ominous cloud that hung over it. The sky was lit up by the odd beam of light, exchanges of weapons fire between the various combatants. Her Zoid's sensors picked out the various targets, painting them with identification tags. Finding the single machine she was after, she steered straight for it. The Zoid pushed itself forwards, exceeding 400 kilometers an hour as it closed in.

As she closed in, she activated the Zoid's main weapons system, preparing for the attack. Inside her Zoid's body, mechanisms went to work, reading the weapon for fire. Like the Charged Particle weapons carried by the Gungayrados and Genobreaker, this one was a special system that required a degree of operation before firing.

A single shell was assembled form components, wrapping a hard-shelled casing around a core of depleted Deohalcum, the same material that was used to power the Blackstars' infamous Dark Zoids. Once assembled, the shell was loaded into the gun, launching the next stage of the process. Two shell-like panels on the Zoid's back swung open, reveling the previously concealed weapon before it was elevated into place.

With the cannon active, Jenice bore down on the Genobreaker, keeping it in the center of her sights. She only had a single shot, and wanted to make sure that it would hit. Fortunately, the enemy Zoid was still too occupied with Sturm to notice her approach.

She fired, just as the Zoid was turning to face her. The world seemed to slow as, for an instant, it looked like the shell would miss its target. But then, it struck home, imbedding in the Genobreaker's side just aft of the hind leg. She peeled away just as the Zoid turned to face her, and suddenly pitched backwards.

_Perfect._

Imbedded in the Genobreaker's body, the shell activated its special warhead. Rather then exploding, it used the depleted core to create a small artificial singularity, in essence projecting a miniature black hole inside the Zoid's body, causing it to collapse in upon itself. The results were dramatic; the Genobreaker's body twisted and warped, the machine bending and crushing itself from within. For an instant, she thought she saw the pilot leaping out just before the process completed itself, the machine collapsing inwards into a pile of unrecongisable junk.

"Talon Alpha to command. Target is down, repeat target is down. Activate stage four."

The simple statement couldn't conceal the satisfaction in her voice. This, the Zygra Empire's last hope of victory, was ended. Now, the empire was hers to rule. The Descat sprinted away form its work, its pilot grinning to herself at the thought of what she had accomplished.

oOoOo

Nathan had heard the sirens going off, accompanied by a sudden, ear-splitting shriek of twisting metal. The entire status board had gone red at once, as if the entire Zoid was failing. Around him, the cockpit began to dissolve into chaos as monitors cracked and panels buckled. He had no idea what was going on with the Zoid but, at the same time, he knew that he didn't want to be in the center of it.

Praying that it still worked, he pulled the emergency canopy release mechanism. The front of the Zoid's chest blew off, then suddenly whipped back, smashing into the side of the cockpit and buckling. Shattering glass form monitors sprayed his face and arm, but he had other things to worry about now. Instead, he took a risk, leaping form the Zoid's cockpit and hoping for the best before he hit the ground.

He landed in a bad crouch, hearing a sickening crack accompanied by a sudden, searing pain thought his side. Keeling over, he felt a wet trickle down one side of his right leg, figuring quickly for it to be broken. He flopped over, crashing on his back before glancing up. What he saw shocked him.

The black and red Genobreaker has collapsed inwards into a bizarre, tangled mess that resembled some odd origami or maybe postmodern sculpture. There was no indication of the Zoid's original form, nor any idea that the machine had even been a Zoid. As he collapsed again, he looked up to see the Gungyarados overhead, still chasing down the remaining Pegasuros form their defense force.

_So this is it, then. _He thought as looked up. _This is the end of the empire. _Without the Genobreaker, he couldn't think of anything else they could do to stop the Red Claw now. It was over; finished. They'd had their last gamble, and it hadn't paid off. _But what was that weapon? _He wondered. _I didn't know the claw had anything like that..._

He felt light-headed and dizzy, but knew that he couldn't rest. He still had a duty to do; to protect the emperor and ensure his safety, one that he would do at any cost. Rolling over, he tried to drag himself forwards a little. The sheer pain of it told him that his leg wouldn't be up to supporting any weight, but he knew he had to go on somehow. The future of his nation depended on it.

There was a sudden roar of engines from up ahead. squinting, he could see a shape rising from one of the concealed bays on a pillar of smoke and flames, soaring off into the sky. It took him an instant to realise that it was a Pegasuros, escaping form the base at a full booster climb, aiming to put as much distance between here and itself as possible. _I thought... they all were launched... _He contemplated. _So who is that?_

Gasping, he rolled over again, collapsing onto his back. Looking up at the Pegasuros, he smiled to himself. _So this is it, then. _He swallowed. _I'm sorry. I've failed you all._

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the vapor trail from the escaping Zoid being blacked out as the massive form of the Gungyarados passed over him.

oOoOo

The Pegasuros leveled out, its rocket booster disengaging. The Zoid's speed dropped, but the pilot kept the throttle open, keeping it at the upper edge of its normal performance. Checking her sensors, she confirmed that they were not being followed. "We're clear of the battlefield, your majesty." Paladin Okaro finally spoke up. "Traveling at just over mach two, heading due east as per your instructions."

"Excellent." Zygra replied from the back seat. "You have done your empire a great service, Paladin Okaro. Your loyalty and dedication will be rewarded."

"It is an honor, your majesty." She replied. "However, I will need to know where we are headed."

"Of course. One moment." He finished. Waiting patiently, Okaro could hear the sound of rustling paper behind her. "Here it is. You are to head directly for reference point ZMS3. Maintain altitude and speed for as long as possible, and do not deviate from the course."

She checked her navigational system, imputing the data. "Your majesty?" She asked.

"Yes, Paladin?"

"That point... Its inside-"

"I know where it is, Paladin Okaro." He finished. "And I have given you an order. You will head there."

"Of course, your majesty." She finished. "Laying in a course now."

"Excellent." He finished. "I will regain my empire. This is but the first step in that process."

oOoOo


	35. Heart of Darkness

As he approached Gayos, Jason Simons was struck by how different it looked to when he had last seen it, which had been almost two years ago. He'd imagined that the fighting would have had some effect on the city, but not to the degree that he could see as he surveyed the place. Huge swathes of the city were reduced to fields of rubble, glaring empty holes in the city's skyline that had been torn apart by the Red Claw's actions.

A second thing that caught his eye was the presence of Zoids in the city. The outer walls were being patrolled, and he could see numerous other machines in the streets. He imagined that there were still more around, merely hidden from sight by the buildings. He could never remember seeing this many machines on the streets before. The image of their omnipresence was reinforced by the presence of the two Zoids looming on top of the palace, visible from anywhere within the city. The two machines served as much a symbol of the Red Claw's presence as anything else they did.

However, if anything more imposing then the Zoids themselves was the numerous Red Claw banners and flags that flew across the city. From a massive flag at the top of the palace to the huge banners hanging over the gates, they served as a reminder that the Empire had fallen and that a new order ruled in its place.

"Okay everyone." he began over the comms channel, his Godos glancing over Leanne and Rayvenne's captured Zoids. "This is what we're heading into."

"Red Claw City." Ravenne replied. "Nice."

"I'd always wanted to see Gayos." Leanne added. "But not now, not like this."

"I understand." He continued. "This place... it was my home, the place where I grew up. To see it like this, well... its not what I would have wanted to come home to." Which was an understatement, to say the least. Seeing Gayos like this only made him more angry, and more determined to drive the Red Claw out of it.

"Well keep that in mind then." Leanne continued. "'cause we're relying on you to get us though here an' show us where we're goin' and what we should be doin'. An' yer still the leading expert on the Red Claw."

"Of course." Jason nodded his head.

"You okay there, Jase?" Rayvenne asked over a closed channel, obvious concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He lied. "We just gotta keep focused, that's all."

"Sure thing." Rayvenne agreed. "But if you need anything, you just let me know, okay?"

Jason didn't reply, instead pushing his Godos forwards, heading to the main gate of the city. The other two Zoids fell in behind him, their pilots content to follow his lead, at least, for now. The trio headed towards the city gates, moving in a casual stroll that suggested that they were in no real hurry to go anywhere.

As they approached, a pair of Garius at the gate turned to face them, their shields raised and spears pointed at them. Jason noted the hastily-applied red claw crests sprayed onto the shields, another indicator of their rule. "Halt!" One of them called out. "Identify yourselves!"

"Hey buddy." Jason casually replied, the Godos raising its arms and opening its hands. "We're here for the Claw... yanno, the whole recruitment thing you guys got going."

"Hell yeah." Rayvenne spoke up. "You guys are supposed to be where the action is."

"We ain't gonna cause trouble, if that's what you're worried about." Jason continued. "We wanna be with the winning team."

"Well then..." The Garius stepped back, raising its shield. "We'll get someone to greet ya and get ya into the Claw." The Zoid waved an arm as a signal. Behind it, the city's main gate began to open. "Welcome to Gayos, my friends."

oOoOo

**Heart of Darkness**

oOoOo

Nathan's eyes blinked open, the world around him initially just a white blur. Screwing up his eyes, he opened them again and tried to focus. He could see a white ceiling above him, and hear a beeping noise form nearby. He was lying down, and his right leg felt heavy and stiff. The last he recalled was it breaking as he fell from the Genobreaker's cockpit...

The Genobreaker...

He had been at the fortress. he had been trying to defeat the Gungayrados. Something had struck his Zoid, some horrible weapon that had caused its structure to collapse in on itself, he had jumped out -

he glanced around again. He was in an infirmary, but he had no idea where. The curtain around his bed was drawn, which meant that he was further cut off from the outside world, giving him no apparent clues to his location - or to who had placed him there. All he knew was that he was now lying in bed. His body felt sore and heavy, and it was almost a struggle to move it.

"Damn it." He muttered. He needed to know what was going on. Feeling around his bed, he found what he hoped was a call button, and pressed it. Then, releasing it, he slumped back for a moment to consider his situation. _My Zoid was destroyed, yet the Gungyarados survived. The Red Claw have a second superweapon that they can use against us. Clearly, things have not developed to our advantage._

A few minutes later he heard the sound of someone opening the curtain, then shutting it again. "I see you're awake then." A familiar man's voice began. Rolling over, Nathan could se Sturm standing by the bed, dressed in a black version of a Paladin's uniform. "Glad to see you survived."

"You bastard." Nathan croaked out.

Sturm nodded. "I understand your anger to me. Despite that and our other animosities, I am glad that you survived."

"Why?" He continued. "So you can gloat over me?"

"No." Sturm shook his head. "Because I wanted you to understand why I have done this, why I have tried to destroy the empire."

"I don't care, Sturm." He muttered. "Just tell me what happened to the others."

Sturm sighed. "I was hoping that you would be more... accommodating, Nathan, a bit more reasonable. However, I can understand your desire to find out what's happened." He nodded. "We took the fortress, as you can understand. After your Zoid was destroyed, all the fight went out of the remaining defenders. Most of them surrendered without any further interference."

"Most?" he croaked.

"A few soldiers, mainly." He admitted. "We took Dezalg alive. He's unharmed, and being kept as a guest, pending your awakening."

Nathen knew what 'guest' meant. "And Zygra?"

Sturm seemed to be surprised at this point. "He escaped." he explained. "You all did such a marvelous job of selling your lives that he was able to slip away without us noticing. Very well done; I didn't think that you would have it in you."

_That's not what was supposed to happen, _Nathan thought. _And he certainly never mentioned an escape plan to me. So what is going on? _He glanced over at his former friend. _Best to play along - for now. _"My mission is to preserve the empire, Sturm, at any cost if needs be."

"So of course, we don't know where he is now." Sturm continued. "Or what he's planning, or what resources he has at hand."

_That's both of us, then, _Nathan grimly thought. "Don't expect me to give him up, either." He continued.

"You would be doing everyone a favour if you did, Nathan." Sturm stated. "As long as you continue to fight, you'll only cause more suffering and death. The war is over, and the empire has lost. Just admit it."

"You were the ones who started this war, Strum." He angrily stated. "You were the ones who burned Gayos, killed the emperor and overthrew the government. Do not blame us for this conflicts."

"I am not absolving myself of responsibility." He shook his head. "All I am saying is that you have lost this war, and it is time for you to accept that defeat."

"Never." he muttered. "We will continue to fight."

Sturm sighed. "I wish you hadn't said that, Nathan. Really I do." He sat down next to the bed. "I didn't want this to happen at all. When I joined the Red Claw, I had hoped that we would be able to find some other solution to this situation, some way whereby the Empire would accept its failings and try to change for the better. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Thus, we were left with only one choice; to force that change."

"I've heard the rhetoric before, Sturm." He stared. "It doesn't change the fact that what you did is wrong."

Sturm chose to ignore him before continuing. "All I am asking is that you consider all the options. When you think about it, you'll realise what we're trying to do."

"I understand what you're trying to do." Nathan stated. "You're aiming to destroy a government that was created as an attempt to forge a lasting peace following a devastating war. You want to remove it and replace it with a dictatorship set up and run entirely for the benefit of a single woman who is carrying a grudge. And you want power, regardless of where it comes from; since Zygra couldn't give you what you wanted, you chose to take another option. You're willing to destroy anything that stands in your way, Sturm. You preach all your talk of change and reform, but you rarely don't care. In the end, its all about you."

Sturm paused, as if he was unsure of what to make of Nathan's statement. "That's not it." He answered, almost a little uncertain of himself.

"Hit a bit too close to the mark, did I?" Nathan sneered.

"No." He shook his head. "But you've made it clear that you don't understand what's going on at all." Sturm stood, looking down at his former friend. "I had really hoped that you would join us, Nathan, and that you would see the failings of the empire you claim to protect. But now I see that you're just as blind and foolish as everyone else."

He turned his back to leave, and then paused. "There are a pair of guards outside, so don't think that you've got an easy escape, Nathan." He sighed again. "I was really hoping that you'd see the light and join us. We could have done great things."

"Great things that didn't involve Jenice?" Nathan asked. Sturm paused for a moment, and then walked off.

Nathan lay back and considered matters. Zygra was alive and still at large, but he ad no idea where or what he was planning. This alone was an important development, as it meant that not all was lost. If Zygra survived, then there was still a chance for the empire, regardless of what he was planning. It also meant that, no matter how hard she tried, Jenice would not have complete control over the empire. And that Sturm had to pause for a moment told him that, just maybe, all was not well within the Red Claw.

_It's a small start, _he thought to himself. _But it's more then I'd dared to hope for._

oOoOo

The Pegasuros continued its flight, heading on a straight course at near its maximum service ceiling. The Zoid hadn't made any turns or changes of heading since it had laid in this course; its passenger had insisted that they flight directly to their destination. Its pilot, a touch concerned about where they were heading, had chosen not to say anything; she had a vital mission to perform, and it was not her place to question her orders.

"Your majesty?" Okaro began. "We're approaching the target. However, I don't see anything around." Her maps showed that there was little more then empty, rolling plains for miles in any direction; they were out in the middle of nowhere, seemingly without a soul around. "I'm not sure where we're headed."

"We will be contacted in a moment with landing instructions." Zygra stated from his passenger seat. "Until then, maintain this course and altitude."

"Yes, your majesty." She replied, just the slightest hint of reluctance in her voice. She wanted to believe him, to know that he had some master plan that he was for some reason, not letting her in on. She'd already found that he was a lot more cunning and imaginative then she (or anyone else) had given him credit for. However, there was a lot about this operation that she was uneasy with. She knew the general direction that they were headed, but not their final destination. And she still didn't know why.

The Zoid's navigation computer beeped to indicate new information; sure enough, as Zygra had said, landing instructions were bought up on the screen. "I have the information, your majesty." She began. "They are signaling for me to begin my approach."

"Do." He simply replied.

She nosed the Zoid down, beginning a long, gentle decent. The Zoid dropped below the cloud layer, giving her a better look at the area that she was supposedly meant to put down in. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing but an endless expanse of grasslands, stretching out to the horizon. However, as she descended further, she could see something else - a small airbase, looking for all the world like it was completely deserted.

The Pegasauros circled the field, Okaro taking in the details as she surveyed it, trying to figure out what was going on. The buildings were very worn and run-down looking, the hangars streaked with rust and grass growing up between cracks in the concrete. The main runway itself looked clear, however, despite the thick grass on either side of it. Most interestingly, there was a flag flying form the roof of an otherwise derelict looking building, one that looked to be brand new.

It was the flag of the Drakken Empire.

When she had set this course, all she knew as that she was heading to a point well inside the Empire's territory. She had no idea what she was expecting or, more to the point, why Zygra wanted them to go there. The relationship between the two empires had never been friendly, and she had to wonder what benefit would be gained by heading into their territory now.

On her first pass, the airfield looked to be deserted; there were no guards by the gates, and no signs of anyone outside. A quick glance over it showed that there was no security to speak of; the fence was rusted and half collapsed, while the two sentry cannons near the base's main gate were both clearly inoperable.

"Your majesty?" She asked, somewhat apprehensively.

"Just put us down, Paladin." Zygra stated.

"Yes, your majesty." She finished. The Zoid circled once more, then came in for a landing. Unlike many other flying Zoids, the Pegasuros had no vertical take-off or landing capability. Instead, it needed a long approach before coming down, the wheels it used in place of feet bouncing once before settling down. The Zoid slowed to a halt, its engines quickly spooling down.

As soon as the machine had come to a halt, Okaro opened the canopy to take a look around. She cautiously reached for the small pistol she kept in the cockpit, just in case. However, it seemed like there was nobody around. _So why have we come here? _She wondered.

There was a loud creaking noise from one of the hangers which caused her to start. Spinning around, she pointed the pistol at the run-down building as its side door opened. A pair of soldiers emerged, dressed in brown longcoats with bandoliers over their shoulders, their faces concealed behind gasmasks. She recongised them immediately as being Drakken Imperial infantry, the standard troops of their army.

Behind them, however, was a third figure that she couldn't immediately place. Unlike the other two, he was dressed in a form-fitting black, red and silver bodysuit, which sported an armoured chest and shoulders. He didn't wear a helmet, revealing his handsome face and long red hair. He stepped past the pair of soldiers and approached the Pegasuros. And then, to her surprise, he kneeled.

"Emperor Zygra?" He asked.

"I am, yes." Nokolas began, standing up in the cockpit.

"I am Major Alistair O'Bannon. I was sent to meet you."

"Thank you." Zygra replied. The two soldiers approached the Zoid, helping Zygra down from the cockpit. "Oh, and I will need some assistance for my aide as well."

O'Bannon glanced at Okaro, who smiled, weakly. "Of course." He nodded, the soldiers helping her down as well. "We didn't expect you to bring anyone... your information indicated that you would be coming alone."

"I cannot yet operate a Zoid." Zygra stated. "Thus I needed Okaro's assistance."

"Of course." He nodded. "Unfortunately, she will have to wait here until we make travel and accommodation arrangements for her." He explained.

"Can I ask what your current plans are?"

"We need to be as discrete as possible." O'Bannon explained. "For now, its best to maintain a degree of secrecy regarding your presence here."

"I understand fully. An intelligence leak at this point could be fatal." Zygra nodded, then turned back to his pilot. "Paladin Okaro, you will remain here for now. I or representative of the Imperial army will contact you when we have made suitable arrangements."

"Yes, your majesty." She replied, a touch reluctantly.

Zygra turned back to O'Bannon. "I am to assume that the meeting I requested will not be occurring here." He indicated to the wastes around him, specifically the rotting buildings. From the ground, thy looked to be in far worse shape then thy had from the air. "So how then are we traveling from here?"

"Air travel would be far too conspicuous, and we cannot use a transport for similar reasons." O'Bannon replied. "So I instead have planned something else."

The two soldiers ran over to the hanger, sliding open the main doors for him. Inside, Zygra saw a new shape revealed as the doors slid open; a massive, black and red feline form, its head crowned with a golden horn and blade. He walked forwards, looking up at the Zoid. "An Energy Liger?" he asked.

"Indeed." O'Bannon replied. "This one has accommodations for a single passenger. As soon as you are ready, we can depart."

"Thank you." He nodded. "Then we shall depart immediately." He glanced at O'Bannon. "The fate of my empire and my people rests in the balance here. I see no reason why we should delay matters any longer."

oOoOo

Once inside the city, it had become apparent that the Red Claw had been far more interested in their Zoids then they were in them as people. Jason, Rayvenne and Leanne had been photographed and been asked to give some particulars, then frog-marched towards an improvised barracks where they were told that someone would see to them 'eventually'.

Their Zoids, in the meantime, had been parked in what seemed to be a makeshift depot with a fair number of other assorted machines. Several guards patrolled the perimeter, but it was apparent that they were waiting on someone to look over them. The other Zoids assembled were similar in nature to theirs - generally smaller, older machines, a number of which looked rather worn or battered. There were no flying types amongst them, Jason noticed, nor any Gunsnipers, which seemed to bear out what they had figured about his Zoid becoming suddenly distinctive.

"This is not good." He muttered as he glanced out the window of the barracks again. A prefabricated building, it had been hastily outfitted with a row of bunks. He'd wondered why thy hadn't been put up in any of Gayos' extensive military facilities, and then figured that it was because the Claw had probably destroyed or attacked them all during their initial strike. From what he'd gathered from Floyd, the Gungyarados had the capability to lay huge areas to waste with a single blast from its main cannon - what he could easily imagine happening here in Gayos.

"What's up?" Ravenne asked, cautiously.

"These Zoids." Jason commented. "I've been keeping a running tally of all the damage we've done; taking all things into account, there's a lot more Zoids here then we've seen so far in the Claw. Certainly its a lot more then they had when..."

"You were a member, right." Leanne finished. "You don't need to mess about, Jason. We know already."

"Right." The truth was, he just didn't feel happy talking about his time in the Red Claw. And while Rayvenne seemed to be over it, Leanne still gave him an angry glare whenever he mentioned it. He'd explained that he'd never actually done anything while he was a member, but that still didn't seem to mollify her attitude towards him.

"So what does that mean?" Rayvenne asked.

"It means that the Claw is a lot bigger then I thought." He explained. "And if they're able to get a good amount of salvage from all this, as well as get something out of the factories, well, then they could grow quite quickly."

"But what about pilots?" Rayvenne asked. "If they make more Zoids, they're gonna need pilots for them."

"There's no shortage of angry young men who want a bit of power." Jason offered. "And Jenice offers the kind of power that many people can only dream of."

"Y'all mean, people like you, right?" Leanne continued.

Jason chose not to rise to the comment, instead keeping his eyes on the Zoids. "Interesting... I wonder."

"Something wrong?" Rayvenne glanced past him.

"They had a shortage of technical staff when I was with them." He explained, shooting a quick glance at Leanne. The other woman just grunted at him. "And I cannot imagine that this sudden expansion of their forces would improve matters any. Qualified Zoid techs are hard to come by outside of the Imperial army."

"So why not just coerce some of those who worked for the army?" Rayvenne asked.

"It wouldn't be that easy." Jason explained. "They've probably got virtually everyone who was in the army under lock and key right now. That's a lot of people and, as such, its going to take a lot of time and manpower to sort out who's who. Its probably a luxury they don't have time to afford, what with having to police an entire city on what would be rather thinly-stretched forces."

"Reckon we could use that?" Leanne asked.

"Almost certainly." Jason nodded. "Hold up, something's happening."

A red and green Gustav, one that they had seen several times before, rolled into the yard, cruising along the length of Zoids. It pulled up at the near end, next to the machines the three of them had used to enter the city. As Jason watched, a grossly overweight man clambered out and waddled over to the Godos that he had been piloting. "Just as I thought."

"What's that?" Leanne asked.

"That man is Jencie's chief technician, a rather foul man called Bart." He explained. "If he's looking over the new arrivals, it means that they've probably got a considerable shortage of staff. He's probably alternating between this and looking after the heavy hitters."

"Speakin' of which, we have to find a way to get to that thing." Leanne reminded him. "That why we're here, after all."

"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to gather a little intelligence." Rayvenne offered. "And besides, anything that we find out here has gotta be of some use."

"Exactly." He began. "For starters, it's clear that Bart is one of the most important members of their team." Jason explained. "And if we can find some way to get him out of the picture, then we will have made a significant dent in their capabilities. It'll be an achievement that will go some way towards defeating the claw."

"Yeah, but how?" Leanne asked. "If he's that valuable to them, he's not going to be an easy target. They're gonna make sure that he's well protected."

"I'm sure we can think of something." Jason muttered, watching the man. He was looking over the three new Zoids, but seemed to be glancing elsewhere. Looking around, Jason could see a female soldier walking past nearby.

"I dunno..." Rayvenne commented. "I think i can find a way."

"I won't ask." Leanne shook her head. "Instead, I'm gonna ask this much. When the heck do we get outa here?"

"If it's anything like things were before, then we'll probably get asked a few questions and allowed to leave - albeit under close supervision." Jason explained. "Of course, that was a part of a very, very different Red Claw..."

"We'll figure it out." Rayvenne finished. "We always manage to find a plan, no matter how nuts it seems."

oOoOo

If Levisha had one complaint about the takeover of Gayos, it was that it was a lot harder for her to get a quiet moment. She had so much work to do that it was very difficult for her to just slip away, even if for just a few minutes. In the old days, she could just make some vague excuse to Jenice and fly out into the middle of the desert for a clandestine meeting. Of course, those days were now long past.

She'd managed to mutterer something about inspecting new recruits before slipping off, getting a minute or two to attend to important matters. Weaving her way through the Palace, she found herself in a stores supply well out of the way of everything else. Glancing around to see that nobody was looking, she slipped inside.

"Well?" She asked, not making direct contact with the room's other occupant. Levisha knew who she was, agent Seventy-Seven, a low-ranked operative who had infiltrated the palace as a maid. If some of what was said about her was true, then she'd managed to worm her way into the prince's confidence through his bed. Until recently, it was considered to be a minor triumph, price Zygra being of only minor importance to their overall aims.

Now, things were different.

"Command confirmed what I suspected." She began. "They tracked a lone Pegasuros crossing into Drakken airspace."

"So that's him, then." Levisha commented.

"It would seem so." The other agent nodded.

"You were the one who was supposed to know him so well." Levisha continued, a hint of arrogance in her voice. "So then you could tell me if this is consistent with what you had expected."

"He... he had long boasted of having 'friends' outside the empire, ones that his father didn't know about." She admitted. "Certainly he didn't confide any information to me regarding their identities, but I had reason to believe that he was referring to someone in their military chain of command, presumably of considerable rank."

"I see." She paused. "Excellent." Levisha finished with a grin.

"I don't understand." The younger agent replied. "It's good that he escaped?"

"Oh, definitely." Levisha smiled. "He's worth a lot more to us on the loose then he is in our captivity."

"So I will assume that you will not tell Jenice?"

"Certainly not." Levisha commented. "Just because a situation is to our advantage doesn't mean that its always to Jenice's. In fact, if this plays out along the lines that I think it will, then it will nicely setup the end of this little scenario."

"How so?"

"Its simple." Levisha finished. "The Red Claw has taken Gayos and destabilised the empire. That means that, very soon, its usefulness will be at an end."

A beep from her communicator interrupted her thoughts. She glanced at her fellow agent, who nodded and left the room. "Towne here." She began. "What's going on?"

"This is Jenice." Came the reply. "We have a situation developing here."

"What is it?"

"A few hours ago, the commander of the Imperial forces in Browning mobilised his troops." She explained. "He is apparently heading towards Gayos."

"I see." Levisha nodded. "And you want me to arrange a suitable reception for them?"

"No." She explained. "Paladin Trogodr and I will be dealing with the situation ourselves. We want to send a clear message to the remnants of the empire of the power that we possess."

"It sounds a little risky. This may be another trap." She offered.

"I understand, but we feel that the time is well past due to give the rest of the empire an... incentive to accept our terms."

"Of course, commander." Levisha accepted. "What is it you want of me, then?"

"I am placing you in charge of day to day operations in Gayos." Jenice replied. "I am expecting a lot more... action after we deal with this incident. As a result, Paladin Trogdor and myself will be very busy. Your task will be to maintain things here."

"Yes, commander."

"Very good. We shall contact you as the situation develops." Jenice finished. "Out."

Levisha smiled to herself as she closed the link. _So the empire is trying to dislodge us, Jenice is going to make an example of those who try, while Zygra himself is in the Empire, trying to start a war. In the meantime, I have been left in charge of matters in Gayos. _She allowed herself a brief chuckle. _Things are going perfectly._

oOoOo

It was some hours before the three of them were released from the barracks, and were given free reign to wander around what amounted to a walled-off compound inside the city. It appeared that this place was the home to the majority of the Red Claw's troops in Gayos, effectively becoming their base of operations.

The three of them had disguised themselves, although it was less an obvious attempt to conceal who they were and more of a shot at looking a little different so they wouldn't be picked out immediately. Jason was wearing his hair loose, and sporting sunglasses to hide his eyes from anyone who may recognise him. He'd left out his jacket, instead opting for a sleeveless vest with a holster. While not much, it was a start. It also meant he was putting in more effort then the other two.

Leanne had simply removed her trademark bandanna and was sporting a sleeveless tank-top, which didn't amount to much of a change. Ravenne had been even more minimal, simply wearing one of her typical 'casual' outfits; a reveling mini-top and low-cut pants. Of course, since it meant she looked nothing like her Sinker pilot guise, it was a start.

"Looks like they don't want us getting out." Rayvenne commented as she looked over the high mesh fence around the base, which was in turn topped with rolls of barbed wire. "They must really trust us newcomers."

"It might be more then that." Jason offered. "Remember, we're in the middle of an occupied city. The populace are probably still somewhat hostile, and I suspect there are more then a few Zygra troops left in the city still." He glanced around. "So they're probably aiming to keep others out of here."

"That's nice an' all, but..." Leanne stated. "What about that damned Gungy? We're 'sposed to be takin' it out, remember?"

"I know, I know." Jason snarled. "And I'm trying to figure that one myself. Unfortunately, it looks like they keep it at the palace and, well, that looks far more high security then even this place. I doubt that low-level grunts such as ourselves would be able to get in there."

"Not officially, at least." Leanne commented. "So we're gonna have ta figure a way to sneak on in to that place an' take a look at it."

"Agreed there." Jason. "But how-"

"Relax, guys." Rayvenne smiled. "I have a plan already."

"Do tell."

"Like, no way." Rayvenne replied, with an exaggerated tone. "Guys, trust me. I've gotta do this myself. You two will only mess things up."

Leanne glared at her. "Hey, don't sell us short already-"

"Lee, don't get me wrong." Rayvenne put her hands up. "You've got skills that I don't. You could totally kick my arse in a fight, and you could probably lay out half the people here before they could put a finger on ya. And that's cool."

"Yer point?"

"In the same way, I've got skills that you don't, ones far better suited to this then you would be." She explained. "And trust me, you don't wanna try what I have in mind."

Jason looked over at her. "Rayvenne, are you sure-"

She nodded. "Trust me, Jase. I'm the only one who can pull this off." She smiled, weakly. "And I'll be fine, really. You don't have to worry about me." She backed off and smiled. "And you two get to work too. I don't want to find you slacking off and leaving me to do all the work."

Before either of them could say anything, she ran off, ducking around a building. Jason watched her go, then sighed.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Jason." Leanne spoke up.

"Yeah, I guess so." He nodded. "Right. Let's just get on with this and see what we can do."

Leanne's reply was cut off form a shout form someone next to her. Several people ran past, heading towards the inner end of the compound that faced the palace. "What in the heck?" She began, noticing several people running past.

"Could be worth a look." Jason commented, joining the crowd. The pair of them joined several others that were heading towards the fence, all gawping and pointing upwards. He wondered what was going on, what it was that could be holding everyone's attention. And then, as he followed the direction they were looking in, he realised what it was.

The Gungyarados was lifting into the air, circling over the palace itself. Then, with a roar, the Zoid swooped down and flew straight overhead, passing over the camp before heading out of the city. There was a round of cheers from the Red Claw soldiers, who were seemingly excited to see their powerful weapon in action.

"I sure feel sorry for whatever sucker's on the receiving end of that one." One voice in the crowd called out. "Ain't nobody gonna mess with us after it's done."

Jason watched the black Zoid heading off into the distance, then glanced at Leanne. _We need to stop them, _he thought. _And soon. _She nodded back at him, as if to agree with him.

oOoOo

Rayvenne had waited for the noise to die down, the temporary fuss over the Gungyarados' departure to be forgotten so things would get back to normal. To her mind, she felt it was better to work on things when everyone was clam and relaxed, not all worked up over some big, horrible Zoid. Keep it simple, have everyone casual and friendly, that sort of thing.

There were several reasons why she had volunteered herself for this particular job. While she knew that she was the best member of the team suited to what she wanted to try, there was more then just that. She'd been more then a little ashamed of her actions when they last faced the claw on foot; she'd run and hid while Leanne and Jason had fought.

At the time, she'd been willing to accept that she was a coward, and that there was nothing she could do about it. But the more she dwelt on it, the more she realised that she'd been letting her friends down by not doing anything. It had strengthened her resolve, made her determined to find some way that she could help out and make up for her past cowardice.

And this was the chance she had been looking for.

She walked into the Zoid pen, a swagger in her step, heading over to the battered Leoblaze that had been her ride into Gayos. The guards on the gate paid her no real heed; she'd figured that they assumed that the only people who would be in here were ones who should be; that and they were probably bored and lazy. At any rate, as far as she could tell, there was no reason why anyone would want to steal a Zoid; once you were in the claw, you'd have no reason to leave.

Jason excepted, obviously.

As she approached the Leoblaze, she noticed the Gustav parked nearby, as well as the sound of someone swearing loudly at something. Peering around the Zoid, she was greeted by the incredibly unpleasant sight of an overweight man hunched over the foot of a very worn-looking Krok, various tools and parts scattered around him. He was swearing and muttering to himself, letting out a stream of curses at the dilapidated machine he was working on. Between the Gustav and his not inconsiderable girth, she figured him to be Bart, the man Jason had pointed out.

Perfect.

She sighed loudly to herself, hoping to catch his attention. When that didn't work, she did it again, but the man remained at his post. Finally, admitting to herself that he probably hadn't heard her, she opted for a more direct approach.

"Excuse me?" She began.

"Whaddaya want?" The man snapped as he stood, turning around. Up close he was even more unappealing then she'd imagined; heavy jowled and with small eyes, his blond hair was either shaved off or missing entirely. His skin was blotchy, and he was covered in all manner of stains, both from machines and food. He was sweating and frankly reeked. He glared as he stood, then suddenly topped, straightening up as Rayvenne smiled at him.

"Um, sorry to interrupt y'all." She began, nervously, trying to imitate Leanne's accent. "But, uh, I was told that you were the man to talk to about getting my Zoid looked at."

"Well that's okay, you sweet little thing." He leered. "Now how can I help you there."

Rayvenne grinned broadly. "Well, I came in with this Leoblaze but... well, it was a little banged up when I got it, and I was worried that there may be something real bad with it."

"Well lets just see, shall we?" He asked as he waddled past her. "After all, I couldn't have something bad happen to a cute little thing like you."

"You're too kind." She commented as he passed, trying to keep a straight face.

"Well lesse..." Bart looked up at it. "Well, that's a but fierce ding you got in your underside there." He commented. "Where'd you get that from?"

"That, well... it was like that when I found it." She offered, which was mostly true.

"Looks like an Iguan kicked it... and I've dealt with enough Iguan kicks in my time to know what they like, trust me." He sighed.

"Something wrong?"

"Well, nothing you need to worry yourself about, pretty lady." He explained. "It's just that, well hell, I jus' got so much dammed work to do around here nowadays. Too many flipping Zoids and not enough flipping technicians... and what little they give me are all butt monkeys who don't know their arses from their ears. Useless!" he waved his hands in the air.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you then." She meekly replied, shrinking back.

"Ah hell... Ain't nothing you gotta worry about, lady." He grinned, showing a mouth full of yellow teeth. "Anyways, you were smart to come to me. Those Leoblazes... they got no stamina at all. If that kick had been any harder you wouldn't have had a little kitty to walk here in." He finished. "Yeah, I can fix that pretty easy."

"If its not a problem, sir..."

"For you, little lady?" He grinned again. "Not a problem at all."

"Wow..." Rayvenne nodded. "This must be a pretty amazing job, really. I mean... you've gotten to look at some pretty awesome Zoids. There's that huge dragon thing, for starters."

"The Gungy?" He commented. "That thing's a titanic pain in the arse. Hell to work on."

"But... its just such an amazing design. So powerful, and sleek and deadly..."

"Well yeah." He admitted. "There is that."

"I mean..." She smiled. "I'd do anything to see a Zoid like that up close."

"Anything?" He raised an eyebrow. "Well, stick with me, littler lady. "We'll see what we can do."

Rayvenne smirked to herself as she nodded at Bart. Things were going just to her plan. And, as repulsive as it seemed, this man was the key to it all.

oOoOo

While at the time he'd been against the idea, Colonel Zeke Frost now considered himself lucky to have been reassigned to Browning. A mid-sized regional town of only moderate importance, it had none of the prestige or the presence of the capitol and, to his mind, was a rather lackluster assignment. He'd begun to wonder if it wasn't the army's way to force him aside, to encourage him to retire and let them promote someone younger.

Of course, that had been before the events of Victory day. After seeing the destruction of the parade and the invasion of Gayos, he was suddenly glad that he was well out of the way. Nott because he had avoided an untimely death, mind, but because it meant that he had survived and was in a position to try and do something about it.

He'd contacted several other commanders in the region, trying to build a coalition of units under his command to try and retake the capitol. There had been a considerable amount of resistance to this plan; many had argued that their duty was to remain at their posts and not cause any trouble. With the rumours saying that Zygra (or his son) had survived, they had suggested that the best plan was to just stay at their posts and await further instructions, rather then rushing into some attack on the city that could cost them dearly.

The debate had gone back and forth for several days until he'd finally managed to win them over. He'd pointed out that they probably outnumbered the Red Claw forces in Gayos. Furthermore, there would still be Zygra forces within Gayos itself who were loyal to the emperor and would support them when they began their attack. Finally, he'd explained that the forces in Gayos likely represented the entirety of the Red Claw's strength. By taking the city, they were basically exposing themselves, putting themselves in a place where the Empire's army could crush them in one place, rather then having to hunt them down like they had in past.

There had been some concerns, based on the presence of the huge dragon Zoid that had unleashed so much devastation upon the city in the initial attack. However, Frost was confident that thy could overcome those issues. He'd been working on a plan that would neutralise its strengths and allow them to effectively combat it.

His Supercannon-armed Mammoth lead the force as it strode across the rolling grasslands, heading straight towards Gayos. He knew that there was no point in hiding his force; a group like this would be impossible to conceal. Instead, they were moving towards the city by the fastest, most direct route possible. His point was simple; the Claw would either need to commit a large portion of their force to defeat him here, or attentively fight him inside the city. Either way he had an advantage.

At the same time, he'd kept his force relatively dispersed, making sure that a single strike couldn't take them all, or even a significant proportion of them, out. It also meant that there was a lot of overlap of covering fire, which meant that the group had no vulnerable areas through which an enemy could strike.

So far, all was going to plan.

His radar beeped, indicating new contacts approaching the group from directly head on. Curiously enough, they appeared to be ground-based, not airbornes he had expected. "Contact!" A member of his squad called out, as if to confirm what he had seen. "Incoming, estimate five fast-moving ground based targets."

"Confirmed." Frost replied. "What about airbornes?"

"Negative." The pilot replied. "Only ground based."

_How odd... _"Any ID On types?" he asked.

"Confirmed, mixed Hellrunner and Serpent squadron, no Ident on leader."

"Hmm..." He looked over it himself. It was maintaining a steady pace at over four hundred kilometers an hour, while its size and mass suggested a Zoid far larger then its escorts. The Mammoth's targeting computer went through its database, searching for a possible match. Then it found one, painting it up on the screen

DPZ-25 Descat; Panther Type. Frost had heard of the design, but had never expected to ever meet one. An ancient Zoid, it had been developed by the Drakken Emprie as a 'last resort' weapon that had never been used. The whole Zoid was designed around a single powerful weapon; an esoteric cannon that fired bullets which created artificial singularities inside a target, causing them to collapse and tear themselves apart from within.

His throat went dry as he realised the power of this Zoid. Its cannon could fell anything in his force with a single blow, and its speed would allow it to duck in and out of his forces, hunting down and picking off the targets that it wanted. By dispersing his forces, while he'd made them harder targets for the Gungyarados, he'd also made them prime targets for this Zoid.

_Where did they get that machine? _He asked himself. _First the Gungyarados, then this... what other terrors do they have hidden away there?_

"All units, engage enemy forces!" He called out over the command channel. "Take out the lead Zoid first!"

There was a roar as the pair of Bigasaurs behind him opened fire with their Supercannons, the shots sailing past his own Zoid. The enemy forces scattered as the shots came in, fanning out as they closed in. A quartet of explosions ripped into the ground, gouging out huge craters while sending chunks of stone flying. For their part, the enemy formation broke up, the Zoids fanning out and leading to either side of the formation, the Descat amongst them.

Bypassing his lead group, the four Zoids opened fire on the flanks of the formation, shooting in at seemingly random targets while keeping up their speed. His own men trued to return fire, shots criss-crossing back and forth between the two forces. The Red Claw troops were hampered by their lack of numbers and need to keep moving, which meant that they could rarely, if ever, land a killing blow. on the other hand, his own men were having trouble hitting them due to their sheer speed.

The Descat seemed to be not engaging for now, instead running around, firing the odd impact cannon shot at his men as it passed. It was yet to open fire with its main cannon, something that he found more worrying then comforting; he was concerned that its pilot had something else in mind,. something that was potentially more devastating.

"Concentrate your fire on the Descat!" He ordered as he wheeled his Mammoth around, trying to get a look at the enemy Zoid. "We need to bring it down!" He opened fire on the Zoid with the trunk cannon, several shots narrowly missing the Descat. One did strike its armour but, to his dismay, it seemingly reflected straight off the shiny silver plating. He fired a few more shots at the Zoid as it sped away, trying to line it up for a clear shot with either his impact cannon or missiles. Unfortunately, the area around him was two crowded with other machines to risk it.

The enemy Zoid sprinted away, opening fire again before taking off. Turning to face it again, he was distracted by a pair of shots narrowly missing his cockpit. Glancing around, he could see a Serpent speeding off, firing its rear beam cannons pretty much blindly. He fired back at it, snapping off a shot at the machine as it went past to no avail. Watching it speed off, he could tell that the enemy pilot wasn't aiming at anyone in particular. Instead, he was just firing blindly into the crowd.

Before he could consider why, his radar beeped another warning of new incoming contacts. Checking the screen, he could see that they were airborne, small and fast moving. Not the Gungyarados, certainly, but something else instead. A pair of shapes dropped down form the sky, opening fire on the group. Again they fired indiscriminately, not aiming at specific targets bur rather simply shooting off at whatever came to hand.

Shots streaked skywards, trying to intercept the enemy attackers. Most of them went wide, achieving little more then lighting up the skies with the beams. One did make an impression, striking a Redler behind the wing as it pulled away. Before anyone could follow up, the first wave of attackers struck again, running past his troops and spraying them with fire.

Checking over his status board, he could see that his own Zoid was still undamaged. Furthermore, his force had emerged more or less unscathed thus far; there were a few units reporting some damage, but they were the minority. The enemy Zoids were trying more to harass him, or break up his force then they were aiming to take him out. It was an odd situation, one that he couldn't quite figure. If they were aiming to take his force out before they reached Gayos, then they should have attacked with a larger force themselves.

Unless... they were trying to separate his force, spread them out and make them a lot weaker and easier to pick off. Watching the enemy Zoids, he could see that; they were cutting between groups, trying to force them apart and thin them out.

"All units, regroup!" He called out over the command channel. "Form up on me and keep it close."

Around him, the group began to close ranks, narrowing and eliminating the gaps between their formations. The Red Claw Zoids continued to circle then, but they became a lot more cautious, a lot more apprehensive of the suddenly more focused force. Even the Descat began to break off, its pilot apparently no longer confident in their ability to pick off random targets.

For a moment, Frost was confident that he had the Claw beaten, that he had showed them what they were facing. They had seen that he and his men were a force to be reckoned with, and that they could reclaim the Empire.

A beep from his radar suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Checking the scope, he could see a single target approaching; a fast-moving, high-altitude one. It was then that he realised what this attack had been about. It wasn't an attempt to destroy his force or break them up. Rather, it was an attempt to corral them, to force them to cluster together in a large group, one that could be taken out in a single fell swoop.

"Scatter!" He called out over the channel. "All units, break immediately!"

The group degenerated into chaos as Zoids suddenly tried to break away, each man seemingly running for himself, looking for any cover on the otherwise open, featureless plain. However, there wasn't enough time. A massive black and red shape descended through the cloud layer, a cannon on its back primed and ready to fire. The beam swept through the force, instantly obliterating Frost's Mammoth before scything a path through the other machines around it. Terrified, the others broke and ran, desperate to escape the terrifying weapon that had been used against them.

From the cockpit of her Descat, Jenice watched the destruction, and smiled to herself. "Perfect." She finished. "The end of the empire is truly upon us now. Those who stand in our way will be destroyed."

oOoOo

The Energy Liger had flown across the countryside for hours, staying relatively low to the ground, its throttle apparently open all the way. Zygra hadn't spoken to the pilot, instead focusing on preparing his case for when they reached their destination. It was vital that he make this appeal work. After all, he was now a leader without a nation, which gave him very little bargaining room. Furthermore, he was dealing with people who had plenty of reasons not to agree to aid him.

Despite the gravity of the situation, he couldn't help but spending some time marveling at the Zoid that he was traveling inside. Compared to its sophistication and capabilities, the Zoids used by the Zygra Empire seemed like simple toys. He could imagine this Zoid being able to easily tear apart the horrifically powerful Zoids used by the Red Claw; the Gungyarados and its ilk. As near as he could tell, nothing the Red Claw possessed would be able to match it - which made what he was doing even more important.

The Zoid had spent most of its time traveling over empty, rolling countrysides, passing over either empty grasslands or fields. After a while however, it had navigated onto what he assumed was a pre-planned path, a long stretch of wide, flat road that was seemingly deserted. The Liger followed it in the air, using its course as a guide as well as an obstacle-free path. However, it was clear that thy were not the only users of this roadway; several times they passed by other Zoids, headed in the other direction.

On examination, it was apparent that his path had been built specifically for the military, and more to the point, for Zoids to use. It was an interesting concept to him; in the Empire, the military and its machines were viewed as either relics of a bygone era, or as a necessary evil needed to maintain order and protect the nation. The Drakken Empire, however, didn't seem to have the same hang-ups about their might; their military was clearly a part of their life.

His thoughts were confirmed when they hit a major road, the Zoid briefly returning to the ground to change its path. They had reached a huge expressway, a massive black asphalt river stretching from horizon to horizon, packed with small, dirty-looking cars and massive transport truck. However, one section of it was completely free from traffic, as well as other obstacles; clearly this path again excised for the military's benefit.

The liger ran onto the main road, passing a sensor tower before turning onto the highway. It rant for a moment before again taking to the air, spreading its wings and flying down the road as fast as it could go. Zygra knew where they were headed all along, but this road seemed to only confirm his thoughts; it headed straight across the countryside, traveling non-stop without ever turning or deviating.

Black clouds formed overhead, darkening as they approached the horizon. As the Zoid advanced, he could make out something else at the point that the road met; a massive, sprawling city that, even at a distance, seemed to dwarf anything he had ever seen inside his homeland. Massive towers rose into the darkened, cloudy sky, as of to symbolise the strength and power within.

This was Draconis, the Drakken capitol.

Around the city, the green fields gave way to suddenly stark, barren lands; the grass become patchy and scrubby, sometimes vanishing. Zygra noticed this, reaching forwards to the pilot. "What's all this... the barren lands and the like?"

"That's a result of the war." O'Bannon stated. "The area around Draconis was the sites of numerous battles. In many ways, it never recovered."

"I see."

"Look over there, to your left." He continued. He glanced at the viewscreen, peering off into the distance. He could see a small grove of trees, and, behind it, a field of white dots that extended off, almost to the horizon.

"What's that?" Zygra asked.

"War graves." O'Bannon continued. "The dead of the Empire, buried in unmarked graves where they fell."

"I see..." He paused. "Was there no attempt to identify them?"

"The scale was far, far to immense to make individual identification possible." Was the explanation offered. "And the radiation made any attempts too hazardous anyway."

"I see." He nodded, quietly contemplating matters as they approached the massive, fortress walls of the city itself. Around it, he could see the crumbing ruins of buildings, still jutting up from the ground.

"This is old Draconis, the city that was." O'Bannon continued. "Much of it was destroyed during the war. But we survived and rebuilt; pledging to ensure that something like that never happened again."

"I see."

"Your empire did the same, trying to make sure that there would never be another war." O'Bannon continued. "Our philosophy was different. We would make sure that, if there was another war, then we would be ready for it."

The Liger reached a bridge, continuing over it, heading towards the city itself. Looking up, he could see massive, ornate dragon-shaped statue perched on the top of the bridge, as well as at each end of it. below was a large river, still partially blocked with debris and wreckage.

_And this is what I must prepare for now, _he thought as the Zoid continued on, into the city itself. Above him, thunder rumbled in the dull grey sky.


	36. Supreme Power

The Energy Liger decelerated, dropping down from its flight to enter instead into a high speed run, powering through the gates of the city itself. Once inside, however, it remained on a central, broad avenue apparently reserved specifically for military traffic. As it traveled, Zygra looked around at the city he was entering. Compared to the board, open spaces afforded by Gayos with its pyramid-like ecologies, the buildings of Draconis were densely clustered.

Those who had rebuilt Draconis had clearly designed it to impress; the buildings seemed to all be tall and looming, monstrous art-deco structures that thrust into the dark sky overhead. Similarly, open spaces were decorated with massive monuments, built on a grand scale designed to intimidate and awe the viewer. Many of them were war monuments, ones dedicated to the glorious dead of the Empire's many conflicts.

The Zoid ducked off the main road, heading down another board avenue, one that was lined on both sides by such massive edifices. Clearly, this one had been designed as some sort of parade ground, created to emphasise the strength and power of the Empire. He was particularly impressed by one such monument; a Berserk Fury and Energy Liger stood on either side of an upright Iron Kong, holding a flag in one hand while pointing an accusing finger westwards - seemingly at the UZN on the other side of the continent.

The whole effect was rather intimidating and impressive, or at least, it was initially. However on closer inspection, a number of the buildings and monuments looked surprisingly worn and grimy, as if their owners had, after going to all the effort of building them, decided to leave them to decay. Compared to the often stark cleanliness of Gayos, the level of wear here was quite astounding.

He chose not to quiz his pilot about it, however. He felt that it would be best to stay on the good side of his potential allies, not pointing out their own shortcomings. Instead, he remained silent, examining the city around him.

"We're here." The pilot spoke up as the Zoid slowed considerably. Ahead of the Zoid, Zygra could see a massive brick wall with a large iron gate in the middle. Unlike the rest of the city, these fortifications were kept impeccably clean, but still maintained that same air of intimidation. The image was further enhanced by the pair of light-red Iron Kongs standing on the sides of the gates, towering over all around them.

The gates swung open as the liger approached, revealing the massive structure within. One of the largest buildings Zygra had ever seen, this massive gothic edifice dominated the parklands around it, forming a heavy-handed statement of power and authority. It dwarfed the two Iron Kongs standing before its front gate, only adding to the image of power. And while he knew that the structure couldn't be too much more then fifty years old, at the same time it gave an impression of ancient and terrible power.

"Welcome to the Draconis Imperial Palace." O'Bannon stated. "We're here."

oOoOo

**Supreme Power**

oOoOo

A night in the Red Claw-held city of Gayos hadn't done much to ease Jason's nerves. The three of them had been assigned to a four-man bunkroom- the fact that they were of mixed genders hadn't even entered into it, which suggested to him that they either were short of space or simply didn't care. It was pure luck that they had ended up in a room that, for now, lacked a fourth occupant.

His sleep had been fitful; he had almost expected someone to burst in during the night and drag the three of them away. That he had been able to hear soldiers and Zoids moving around outside hadn't helped things at all. He only hoped that none of them were coming for him.

The three of them had risen early for morning mess, then been given their duties for the day. However, as Zoid pilots who owned their own machines (By whatever method they'd used to acquire them) and already knew how to use them, it appeared that their duties consisted almost entirely of sitting around and wasting time.

Some subtle prodding had revealed that the Claw's pilots were generally expected to be ready for action at any time; as a result, they were kept entirely within the confines of their enclave so they could access their Zoids at a moment's notice. He'd also begun to get the picture that their control of the city was far from complete; while there was no real organised resistance as such, the Claw could only wield direct authority over a few isolated patches of the city proper. As a result, they didn't want to risk one of their biggest assets.

Wandering around the compound had taught Jason a lot more about the situation. The Claw's ranks had indeed drastically expanded; they had several times as many pilots and Zoids as when he had been a member. More interestingly, there were a lot more pilots who directly owned their Zoids, rather then being assigned to scavenged machines that Jenice had acquired through various methods.

The other thing that struck him was that their attitude had changed considerably. When he had been there before, there had been a mixture of caution and greed, the members of the Claw driven less by any ideals or goals and more by the dreams of quick and dirty power and wealth. This had been tempered by the fact that they were still an illegal organisation, and as a result always had the risk of being caught or destroyed.

Now they were bold, confident and triumphant. They had taken on the best that the empire had to offer and vanquished them, driving them out form their own capital. But the change was beyond that; the more he watched, the more it became clear that they actually believed in the Red Claw as a cause, not just as a way to gain wealth and power. To them, Jenice's rhetoric of creating a new, better empire wasn't just giving a veneer of legitimacy to their own greed, but their actual reason for being.

In short, they were suddenly a lot more dangerous.

"So, in short." Jason commented as he sat down with the other two. "They're larger, better organised, more driven and more determined then they've ever been."

"Great." Leanne muttered. "Y'all got any good news?"

"They don't seem to suspect us that much." He replied. "In fact, they don't seem to have noticed us."

"So we got ourselves a little leeway there." Leanne commented. "Good."

"And how about you?" Jason asked, turning to Rayvenne. "Found anything yet?"

"Not as such, no." She replied with a smile. "However, I'm working on things. While I must admit that I'm not getting that much information, Instead I'm doing well on our other goal - getting too the Gungy."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're going to use Bart?"

"And why not?" She batted her eyelids. "I see no problem with that. He's big, dumb, a sucker for a pretty face and absolutely vital to their operations. I think I should use him for all he's worth."

He wanted to say that he was worried about her, that he was concerned for her safety and worried that Bart would see through her deception. A part of it was simply because of the fact that what she was doing was rather risky. But the truth was, as much as he would have denied it, he actually found her attractive, and not just in an obviously physical sense.

But he couldn't admit that now. He had a job to do.

"Well, yer a braver woman then I am then." Leanne commented. "'cause sure as heck I couldn't go near that guy... at least, not without wanting to hit him."

"its an art, my dear." She replied, a tone of mock etiquette in her voice. "One must simply learn to ignore the base vulgarities and instead concentrate on the opportunities presented by them. That poor Mister Krark is a sad and lonely man who's right hand is his closest companion only serves as a launching board for my operation."

"Geezs, thanks fer that." She replied, then spat on the ground nearby. "I coulda lived ferever without known' that."

Ravenne merely grinned. "As you can see, I have read him like a book. And now I'm going to use him the way I see fit."

A clanking noise in the background announced the arrival of Bart's Gustav, again rolling into the yard where the Zoids were serviced. She glanced around, then looked back to her colleagues. "Speaking of which, there's my sugar daddy now. Gotta run." She blew mock kisses at the pair of them before heading off.

Jason sighed. "I know what she's doing is vital but... I guess I don't have to like it."

"Well, its what she's good at." Leanne muttered. "Sticking her chest out an' stuff."

"True... she'd be better at it then you." He absentmindedly commented.

"Hey! What's that sposed to mean?" Leanne snapped.

"Uhh..." He tried to finds a reply that didn't amount to an insult at her somewhat boyish figure. "Its just that she's better at playing the part." He hastily blurted out. "As opposed to you who, um, well, you said that you probably would have hit him."

"I guess..." She accepted, glaring at him.

"Right well..." He tried to change the subject. "Let's head off, take another look around this place. I'm Sure we could find some way out of here."

"You really want to be doing that?" She asked. "I mean, the rest of the city is trying to kill us and all that."

"Yeah, but we're going to get more information by doing that then we will just sitting here."

Leanne shugged. "Fair enough, I guess. Lead on then."

The pair of them headed over to a far corner of the enclave, one where the fence, for a point, disappeared behind a row of dilapidated buildings that were serving as storage sheds. Jason figured that if there was a breach or, at the very least, a blind spot, then it would be behind there. He and Leanne ducked behind the sheds, checking the fence itself.

Several minutes of inspection had dashed his hopes, however, the fence there being just as intact and solid as it was elsewhere around the enclosure. Muttering to himself, he turned to his companion. "Any luck?"

"This stuff is good." She commented. "Heck, its better then the stuff we used back home; and that's meant to control stampeding cattle."

"Damn it." He snarled. "What now?"

"I reckon we just move on, try an' find another spot."

He nodded. "Good plan." He finished. "Let's go." Turning around, however, he noticed a pair of men standing at the end of the alley. Both were dressed in battered clothes with jackets, Red Claw insignias stitched onto the sleeves.

"Well..." One began. "What have we got here?"

"Looks like a pair of newbies." Another voice dame from behind them. Turning around, Jason could see a large, muscular and scarred woman standing at the other end, a masked Red Claw soldier next to her.

"Looks like it." The first speaker continued.

"Look guys..." Jason spoke up. "We don't want any trouble, right?"

"Yeah, well..." The masked trooper spoke up. "Thing is, there's an initiation for newcomers like you guys. So you can learn your proper place, y'see?"

"And we're here to put you through it." The large woman finished. "So hows about youse guys just be good an' take it proper." She sneered.

Jason glanced at Leanne, who just nodded. "Right then..." He began, then charged forwards, crashing into the two goons at his end of the alley. Caught off-guard, the pair of them were shoved aside, slamming into the back wall of a shed and the fence.

At the same time, Leanne lunged backwards with her elbow, smashing it into the soldier's face. There was a sickening crunch as the man staggered backwards, blood staining his bandanna. She swung around, her booted foot smashing into the large woman's stomach, doubling her over with a sudden whoosh of expelled breath.

The pair of them darted out either end of the shed, meeting up as they ran. "Y'think they're onto us?" She asked.

"I dunno..." Jason replied. "I think this is just a few guys deciding to rough up the newbies for fun and - hell!"

The pair of them skidded to a halt as a half-dozen assorted pilots and soldiers advanced. Those who's faces weren't hidden were, for the most part, grinning and sneering at the pair of them as they approached.

"Y'all got a plan?" Leanne asked as she backed up.

"Sure. We beat the tar out of them."

"Sounds good to me." She finished, then lunged forwards, crashing bodily into one thug. Before he could respond, she slammed her fists into his face, sending him reeling back. Recovering, he swung at her, his fist narrowly passing by her face as she stepped back, then ducked low to avoid a second swing.

She swung around at him, her foot catching him just below his ankle, kicking his leg out form under him, sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud. As she turned however, another thug swung at her, catching her in the side. She stumbled, and then was hit by another blow to the back.

Jason turned to her, only to be caught in the side by a boot form another fighter, knocking the wind out of him. He staggered back, taking several blows to the face before he recovered, swinging back at his attacker. There was a loud crunch as his fist slammed into the man's cheek, sending him reeling back. Another blow slammed into his lip, Jason's hand coming away bloodied.

A fighter grabbed Leanne from behind, wrapping his arms around hers and holding her back. A second thing rushed at her, only to receive a sudden knee in the guts from her. Before her captor could respond, Leanne jerked her head back, slamming it into his face with a loud crack. She wormed her way free, again striking her attacker.

Jason collected another couple of blows before he was able to evade one then strike back, sending his opponent back and out of his way. A follow up elbow struck his opponent in the chest, further staggering him. He skipped back, bumping into Leanne as she was also retreating. "Well?" He asked. "Any ideas?"

"None." She admitted. "And you?"

"Sorry about this." He stated as he glanced over the rather angry mob. A large crowd had gathered, egging on the various combatants. It was clear that nobody cared who won or lost, just as long as there was a good fight.

"Is okay." Leanne dismissed. "But it looks like we're gonna-"

"What is going on here?" An angry female voice commanded. The jeering and catcalls abruptly died, the crowd suddenly parting to allow a single woman through. "Can somebody please explain what this is?"

Jason turned slowly to look at her, swallowing loudly as he realised who it was. Levisha Towne, the one person in the Red Claw who could easily identify and expose him. _Crap. This is it... I'm caught for sure..._

Towne looked over him, not giving any visible reaction. Instead, she looked over the group, catching sight of the muscular woman. Battered and bruised, she was bleeding from a split lip while one eye was swollen shut. "Launer, I should have figured it was you." She stated, a hissing anger in her voice, her red eyes narrowing as she spoke.

The woman, despite being taller then Levisha, looked suddenly cowed. "Yes. commander." She admitted.

"You were trying to brutalise the recruits, exercise what little power you have." Levisha continued, matter of factly. "Do not deny it."

"Yes, commander." She repeated.

"Very well." Towne nodded. "Report to barracks twelve. You're reassigned."

"But..." The woman called out, a desperate tone in her voice. "That's infantry!"

"Very astute." Levisha continued, a smug tone coloring her words. "And I am sure that your talents will be better suited to their roles. Who knows; you may even find a suitable use for your destructive tendencies."

"But my Zoid-"

"Is the property of the Red Claw." She stated. "You never owned it. You merely filled an available position. And, as we now have a far greater supply of Zoid pilots, you are far, far less indispensable then you were. Maybe you can consider that as well."

"Yes, commander." She muttered.

"Dismissed." Towne stated. "As for the rest of you, there will be a briefing at 1700 hours this evening. I expect you all to be there." She finished as she walked off.

Jason watched her as she went, ignoring the crowds of other soldiers passing him. _She must have recognised me, _he thought. _She has to have. And yet, she didn't even mention me... _He continued to watch her until she left the enclave. _What the hell is going on here?_

oOoOo

The trio of Zoids slowly plodded through the desert, moving at a pace that suggested that their pilots had nothing better to do with their time. This would seem odd to the casual observer, given that one of them was a massive Iron Kong, and another was a Blackstar Darkhorn. That the third was a Gustav would seem relatively normal by comparison.

After Jason, Leanne and Ravenne had departed for Gayos in their "borrowed" Zoids, Floyd had hidden their regular machines, as well as the captured Tank, in a supply cache. His argument was simple; if the worst came to the worst, Jason and company would have an emergency fallback. To ease any fears that they may be looted, Floyd commented that he had added a bevy of surveillance and communications devices to the cache, so he would know if anyone tried to interfere with the Zoids.

After securing the cache, he had announced their next move. The three of them would head back to his hideout, the old Hydra bunker that he had bought Althiea to after her first collapse. From there, he had argued, they could plan a broader campaign against the red Claw. To Althiea's surprise, Thoirne hadn't argued with the idea. In fact, she seemed to prefer it over returning to the Blackstar city.

(Floyd had suggested that her motivation was a simple one. Out here she could rampage as she wished, while back in the city, she would have to take account for her actions. Althiea had agreed.)

They had been traveling in silence for a few hours before Thorne suddenly spoke up, opening a channel directly to Althiea's Zoid. "Tell me," She began. "Do you have any family?"

This struck Althiea as being surprisingly forward. Up until then, the Blackstar woman had shown no interest whatsoever in Althiea's background or personal life. But then, at the same time, she wasn't sure what to expect from her. "Well... no." Althiea replied. "My parents both died when I was young, and they had no other children. I was raised by a woman called Sarah who was somewhere between a big sister and a mother to me."

"So there is nobody apart from yourself."

"No."

"I see." The Blackstar trailed off.

"Doing a bit of investigating?" Floyd asked, opening a private channel to her. "Or is it something else?"

"I was merely trying to find out more about her-"

"-in case she might have any relatives with the same genetic quirk." Floyd finished. Thorne chose not to respond to that.

Ignorant of this discussion, Althiea spoke up. "How about you Thorne? Do you have any family?"

"Both my parents have positions in the Blackstar command." She stated. "I have a half-brother by my father's side. I have had three children, with a fourth expected in a month or so."

Althiea seemed rather surprised at this. Thorne's narrow hips didn't suggest that she'd ever given birth, and her flat, toned abdomen suggested that she was anything but very pregnant. "You... don't look like you've had children."

"Before you make a but if a faux pass, Althiea." Floyd butted in. "Unlike us mere mortals, Blackstars do not have children via our messy biological processes. Rather, the child is artificially conceived via genetic material from the two parents, and then incubated in an artificial womb."

"I see." She blushed, rather surprised at this information. All of a sudden, the Blackstars - Thorne especially - seemed a lot more strange and, more to the point, somewhat frightening. The woman looked human but, well, somehow seemed like she was something different, something almost alien. Yet, at the same time, she was just as 'real' as anyone else. "So your husband-"

"I have no 'husband' as such." She cut Althiea off. "The parings of parents are chosen by geneticists to give optimal traits while avoiding any inbreeding or possible defects. I only vaguely know the father of my second child, and I don't even know the father of the third."

"And your children?"

"I have never met them." She replied, a hint of anger in her voice. "And nor do I have any interest in doing such."

"I, uh..." Althiea wasn't sure how to take it. While she could imagine that removing the biological process of birth might create a certain detachment, she was still surprised that Thorne would have no itnerest at all in her own offspring.

"Or is it that you're worried that they've inherited your little defect, right?" Floyd needled her on a private channel. "Even thought they're only, what, one sixteenth human-"

"Glass!" She snarled.

"Just asking." He replied, causally. "No need to rip my throat out."

The Darkhorn simply glared at his Zoid, then turned back to looking ahead.

oOoOo

A trio of cold, inhuman eyes watched the three Zoids as they traveled, monitoring their progress. Unblinking, they continued to survey them, beaming data off as it watched.

oOoOo

"Hold on." Thorne suddenly spoke up as her Zoid stopped in its tracks. "I'm getting something."

"What is it?" Althiea asked, still somewhat off put by the woman's earlier comments.

"I'm not sure." She replied. "I'm getting small bursts, like we're being watched by some sort of radar system..."

The Gustav pulled up next to her Zoid, its radar antenna turning and elevating. "No, I'm getting it too. I don't recongise the type, but its a short-ranged 3D radar system, definitely. Furthermore..." The Gustav's antenna's twitched some more. "I'm getting narrowband high-speed data signals going out form it. I'd say that someone's watching us."

"Hmm..." The Darkhorn glanced around, its radar antennas on its crown twitching as they scanned the area. "I can't see anything immediately. It could be stealthy or, at the very least, well hidden..." The Darkhorn slowly turned.

"Althiea, are you getting anything?" Floyd asked.

The Iron Kong's composite sensor lit up as the massive Zoid swung its head around, scanning the area. "Nothing here. Whatever it is, I can't see it either."

"Hmm..." Thorne muttered as her Zoid turned, now facing in the opposite direction to where it had been heading. "I have a rough idea of where it is, but..."

"Can't get a solid lock on it?" Floyd asked.

"No." She admitted. "So I'm going to try something else."

"What-" Althiea asked, but was cut off as the Darkhorn's Linear Cannon roared to fire, sending a trio of shots arcing up to a nearby ridge. The shells rained down, slamming into the ground with a trio of blasts that sent dust and rock shards flying.

"Thorne!" She called out. "What was that for?"

"The singal has stopped." She simply stated.

"You didn't need to destroy it!"

"It was a potential threat." She continued. "Whatever it was had been covertly monitoring us and transmitting data on our location." The Darkhorn glared at her Zoid and the Gustav. "Given that the Red Claw is hunting for both of you, it seemed a reasonable assessment that, whatever it was, had been targeting us. By eliminating it, I eliminated a potential threat to us."

"I'm afraid that, for once, Thorne makes sense." Floyd commented. "And as much as I dislike her methodology, she acted in accordance with what she felt was a reasonable response to the situation."

"It doesn't mean I have to like it." Altheia commented as her Zoid began a slow walk, heading back towards the ridge where the signal had apparently been coming from. Clambering up the slope, it looked around as it stood on top of the ridge. To her surprise, there was nothing there at all. There was no sign of any sort of attacker, save for a few stray pieces of scrap metal, twisted and mangled beyond all recognition. It was like it had never been there.

"Well?" Floyd asked.

"Nothing." She started. "Just some debris. Its too mangled to be identifiable, and there isn't enough to have made a Zoid... so either it self destructed or it wasn't even a Zoid to begin with."

"It could have been some sort of old remote monitor." Floyd suggested. "We may have accidentally tripped it."

"I guess..." She looked down at the wreckage, concentrating on it. She couldn't feel anything from it, something that she normally would have gotten from even the most mangled of Zoid wreckage. "I suppose so."

"Then my position was justified." Thorne finished. "Regardless, I suggest we keep moving. If it was reporting to someone, it would be good not to let them know our location."

"Right." Althiea muttered, still less then pleased with the Blackstar woman's actions.

oOoOo

"Damn it." Jaeger muttered as the screen dissolved into static. He'd spent hours using their new units to scour the landscape for any sign of Glass and that woman. Finally he'd managed to locate them, only to have his surveillance unit destroyed within a minute of beginning operations.

To make matters worse, he'd found something unexpected; instead of five Zoids, he'd found only three, one of which he hadn't expected. The new machine was a Darkhorn, which meant only one thing. For some unfathomable reason, there was a Blackstar working with them. This complicated matters to an incredible degree. Not only would it mean that, when the time came, they would have another obstacle to deal with, it also meant that there was some alliance that he was not yet aware of.

He sat back to consider matters, looking over the footage that the recon Zoid had sent before its sudden destruction. The Darkhorn was partially hidden behind the Gustav, but something about it didn't seem right to him. He paused the playback, zooming in on the Zoid itself. There was something obscuring the Hibilt Balkan cannon, which seemed odd to him. He zoomed in on it again, looking over the image. It was a second weapon, one that Darkhorns did not normally feature.

"Computer." He began. "Bring up file Zoid reface file NAR-831-06F/NZ."

The screen bought up a series of diagrams of a modified Darkhorn, along with technical data, photographs and a service history. He noted the modifications present on the Zoid - the second horn, the missile launcher on the back and, most importantly, the Hyperbeam Cannon mounted on the left side in place of the standard observation cockpit. Checking it against the surveillance pictures from the recon unit, it appeared to indeed be the same Zoid.

"Most interesting." He commented to himself. _A chance to acquire an altered Zoid core for study. Certainly this drawback could be turned to an opportunity. _He checked over the details on the file, trying to find out more about the Zoid and its history. These days, modified or altered Zoids were a rarity, the presence of one in amongst the Blackstars even more so. _Which means that I should have a good lead on the pilot's identity._

A technician interrupted him as she approached his desk. "Excuse me, sir, but we've just received a report on Zygra's whereabouts."

This caught his attention. "Go on."

"One of our agents confirms that he is indeed in the Drakken Empire." She continued. "Specifically, inside the capital."

He nodded then smiled. _This confirms what Fourty-Two reported. Excellent. _"Thank you for that." he added, looking up at her. "This is most invaluable."

As she left, he bought up some more information on his display screen. A diagram focused on the Drakken-Zygra border, showing relative troop dispositions and strengths. Smiling to himself, he began to run through the possibilities of a conflict. "Yes, this is most interesting indeed." He commented. He'd have to speak to Fourty-Two again regarding this. Things were moving to an advanced stage now, and, if he figured it correctly, the Red Claw's usefulness was about to come to an end.

He reached for his own personal communicator, figuring that it would be a good time to put wheels in motion.

oOoOo

Following the takeover, Jenice had taken up full time residence in the palace itself. She had converted the bedroom of one of the Paladins to her own use, moving a lot of her personal possessions in there. Most of them, however, had remained unpacked; instead, she had been focusing her time on the artifacts she had recovered form the ancient city.

The three humanoid figures stood inert and unmoving, their blank eyes staring out across the room. Their bodies retained their brilliant shine, seemingly untouched and unmarked by the wear of the ages. They had also been unyielding, resisting any efforts to open them.

Jenice glared at the gold statue, as if she could simply will it to respond. "I know that you can hear me." She stated, angrily. "Show me that. Yield your secrets to me!" However, it didn't respond.

She turned around, angry and frustrated at what was rapidly becoming her greatest failure. The once ornate, pristine room was scattered with various different tools and pieces of equipment that she had used at some point or another to try and pry secrets out of the ancient machines, cluttering up much of the living space. She had spent so many hours in here, yet it had been for no reward.

At least, so far.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Who is it?" She hissed, turning towards the doorway.

"It's Towne." The voice from the other side replied, nonplussed. "I need to see you regarding something."

She walked over to the door, opening it a crack, just enough so she could see her second's face. "What do you want?"

"I need to expand our facilities for the troops." She stated. "We're running short on space, which is causing a considerable amount of tension amongst our soldiers. We're suffering form random fights and beatings, which will be detrimental to our overall morale and performance."

"Very well then." Jenice replied, clearly distracted. "Do whatever it is you need."

"Of course, commander." Levisha nodded. "And thank you."

She turned to leave, but then Jenice called out. "They're still defying me, aren't they?"

"Commander?"

Jenice glared at Levisha. "The rest of the empire. We have attacked the capital, overthrown the government and crushed any attempts at resistance. And yet they still remain loyal to Zygra. They are not coming over to my side."

"Yes commander. What shall I do?" She paused. "Maybe a show of power-"

"Indeed. We need an object lesson, Levisha." She stated. "We need to show these people the errors of their ways while demonstrating our true power. I will leave it up to you and Paladin Trogdor to arrange the details; I have absolute trust in your decisions."

"Thank you commander." Levisha bowed. "If I may?"

"Very well. Go and do your duty; not just for me, but for the future of the empire." She finished as she closed the door, turning back to the mechanical figures that had impassively watched the proceedings.

_You are very intelligent and skilled, Levisha, but you just don't understand true power._ She thought as she glared at the statues. _But I do. And soon, very soon, I will possess power greater then anyone else on this world._

oOoOo

Levisha smiled smugly to herself as she walked away from Jencie's quarters. _Sometimes manipulation is too easy, _she thought as she headed downstairs. _I easily push Jenice's buttons and she does exactly what I want her too. Perfect. _She had been aiming to make Jenice want to up the ante. Her orders to turn Trogdor loose were perfect, the next step in the escalation of conflict that she had been aiming to create.

_She does a good act of preaching the desire for reform and change, _she continued as she headed out of the palace. _However, at heart she is just another tyrant, one who wants nothing more then power. She is a useful tool... but it's more then just that. She has certain skills, ones that I - we will need when the time is right. _She gave this a moment's thought. _Of course, there are other options..._

The intelligence she'd received from Jaeger had given her some things to work with. Zygra's heading into the Drakken Empire meant that this small conflict could rapidly grow well out of control, something that would be to their advantage. The fact that the girl she had been trailing had also resurfaced was an added bonus. All she needed was to have a chance to exploit that development.

_I should have suspected as such when I saw Simons earlier, _she mentally added. That had been a surprise, but again not an unpleasant one; in fact, it had been one that she could definitely use to her advantage.

She stepped into a commandeered staff car, heading across town to the massive industialplex that was the Empire - and now the Red Claw's - source of new Zoids. Entering the factory, she simply barged past the guards without going through any sort of security check. Those in command of the plant knew who she was and, more to the point, knew not to get in her way.

Walking through the factory, she eventually arrived at the office of its chief of operations, Elise Rouget-Simons. Towne had dealt with the woman before, and found her to be a very canny, very shrewd woman. Not bothering to announce herself, she simply stepped inside.

"Towne." She began, glancing up. "Can I ask what this is about? I have a lot of work to get on with."

_Very brisk, _Levisha thought. "I will be to the point, then." She stated. "I followed up on the request oyu made of us."

She looked Levisha straight in the eye, now ignoring her work. "And?"

Levisha nodded at her. "I have some information as to his whereabouts. Nothing concrete but... good enough to go on. However, there would be some... complications in bringing him to you."

"How do I know I can trust you?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Ms Rouget-Simons." The Red Claw pilot began. "I understand your apprehension, but believe me, we have only your best interests in mind. You are vital to the construction of our new order; the last thing we want to do is upset you."

"Very well then." She continued. "And I suppose you'll want something from me in order to guarantee his safety."

"I would view it as an acceptable trade, yes." Levisha stated.

"Very well than."

Levisha walked closer, putting her hands on Elise's desk. "I want the master factory override codes for all the Zoids you have produced since we took over." She stated.

Elisa nodded. "This is a big request." She stared. The overrides could be used to deactivate a Zoid, should it need a complete overhaul or to be rebuilt. They were usually kept at the factory, who were the only people who would need them. "But I suppose that you have left me with no option."

"I am not going to force you or hold your son hostage." Levisha stated. "Think of it as a goodwill gesture, a sign we can trust each other."

"Do you men 'we' as in the Red Claw, or 'we' as in you specifically?" She asked, eyeing Levisha.

She smiled. "Very astute. Suffice to say, for now I would prefer it if I were the only individual with access to those codes."

"Of course." Elise finished. "I will have them sent to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you for that." Levisha nodded. "I'm glad that you decided to help."

"Ms Towne, I would like to think that we can all just get along." She added. "And that there are certain ways to make everything go smoothly."

oOoOo

Zygra had been very impressed with the treatment he'd gotten since he entered the palace. He had been given a private room and presented with a change of clothes for a fresh Paladin's uniform, bought straight from the Embassy himself. And while he had been expecting that he would be staying at the Embassy, he had been told in no uncertain terms that "only" the palace would be good enough for him.

Having been given a few hours to freshen up and prepare, he was met and escorted through the palace. He wasn't sure if they were taking the most direct route possible, or if he was being lead via a path designed to impress and awe him with the Empire's history and power. Along their way, he passed walls of paintings, tapestries, sculptures and murals; some said to have been recreated from or salvaged from the original palace, while others were rumored to come form Old Earth.

They paused outside one room, Zygra taking time to examine the ornate mural on the floor. It depicted a flock of Cosmozoids fleeing from a Krark, a Zoid that could almost be used a symbol of the empire itself. He had to wonder if this was a new one, or even some subtle stab at the relationship between his nation and theirs.

A moment later, the two ornately carved wooden doors opened, a servant bowing to him. "You may enter, your majesty." he began, then stepped back to allow Zygra past.

The room itself was not quite what he had expected. It was a surprisingly crowded study, its shelves lined with bookcases containing thick, hard-bound volumes. The furnishings in the room were very old-fashioned, designed to give the place an old-world grace and elegance. The sole window was a large, glass one, the Drakken empire's insignia picked out in red strained glass panels at the top.

More important then that, however, were the three people in the room. His eyes immediately fell on one of them, a woman standing over the table. In her mid thirties, she had long, fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes. Tall and muscular, she would be more aptly described as handsome or rugged then beautiful. She was dressed in an ornate, rich red and black uniform, topped with a long cape.

He immediately recongised her, Empress Marissa Fyre, ruler of the Drakken Empire and possibly the most powerful single person on the Shelflands.

"Your majesty." He began, bowing before her. "I thank you for this audience."

Fyre merely nodded, as if to give him the most minimal acknowledgement of his presence. "It is an honour to meet you, the new ruler of the Zygra Empire. Even if it is under such trying circumstances."

"Thank you. I only hope that these circumstances can change." he finished.

"Of course." She smiled. "Please, take a seat."

Finding a large chair around the room's central table, he sat down, eyeing the other two occupants of the room. He immediately recongised O'Bannon, who was now dressed in a dress uniform similar to Fyre's. The third man was larger then either of them and far more muscular, with short-cropped black hair and several scars on his heavyset features. His uniform was an inverse of hers, largely red with a silver trim. "You already know Captain O'Bannon." She spoke up, "This is Colonel Jeroen Nacht, leader of the Imperial Guard."

"It is an honour." He began. Nacht merely nodded.

"It seems that we are destined to meet in these trying circumstances." She continued. "You were too young to recall your Grandfather's funeral, but I was there." She explained. "I also was present at the funeral for your mother, where we were formally introduced."

"He was a good man." He offered, knowing that the Drakken Empire regarded Zygra with a mixture of respect and suspicion. They appreciated what he had done in defeating Hydra and changing the course of the wart, but at the same time, they hated him for his post-war polices and territorial claims.

He and Marissa had talked afterwards, forming something of a relationship. The pair of them had communicated irregularly since then, Zygra seeing it as an opportunity to build up a power base outside of the Empire. It now appeared that his work had paid off.

"If you will permit me, to state my case, your majesty?" He continued, turning to face Fyre again.

"By all means, please go ahead." She replied, sitting back in her chair.

"Thank you." He nodded. "My plea is this. I have lost control of my empire to a terrorist force known as the Red Claw. With the aid of an ancient, powerful Zoid, they have been able to attack my capital, destroying the government and driving me from my home. In the process, thy also killed my father, the former rightful ruler of the empire."

"This much we know." Fyre commented, pressing a few buttons on a hidden control console on the desk. A concealed holoprojector started up, displaying an image of the Gungyarados as it passed over the city. While blurry and grainy, it was still clearly identifiable as the terrifying Zoid that had destroyed his empire. "So the question is, why have you come here." She crossed her hands under her chin, looking directly at him.

"As you can see, the Red Claw possess this terrible weapon the Gungyarados - a machine which, I believe, was one of your Empire's earlier creations." He indicated to the screen. "I will now freely admit that our situation is worse then it may seem. Our forces are scattered and disorganised, and we have no central hub of command any more. The remnants of our forces are at the mercy of this terrible weapon; the truth is, we do not have any Zoids that would be able to defeat this particular menace."

"And that is why you have come to me, isn't it?" She asked. "You want the Drakken Empire to aid you in the elimination of this particular menace. Presumably, your idea was that our soldiers would retake your empire, fighting and dying to help put you back on your throne."

"That is correct, yes." He replied. "I know that it is a considerable request, but I urge you to consider what is at stake. The Red Claw represent a dangerous new force, one that is unstable and unpredictable. They could distabilise my whole nation, which would have severe repercussions, not only for my Empire but for yours or the UZN."

"No, I do understand what you are saying." She stated. "And it is something that I would need to consider. Asking my citizens to die for another country would not be easy, especially considering the state of relationships between our two nations."

"I understand, but I am asking you to think of the bigger picture." He offered.

"I do understand that, but I first have to ask a question of you." She cut him off. "One that, I think, will be a test of your maturity and your commitment to your cause."

"Go on then." He stated.

"You must know how we feel about the Zygra empire here in Draconis." She stated. "How we see your empire as nothing but a pretentious upstart with no real claim to the lands it possesses, that we regard the portions of your nation that used to be a part of ours as occupied territories, and how we see the post war terms imposed on us as a directed effort to disempower us."

"I understand that." Zygra stated.

"So then, I must ask you this." Her eyes narrowed. "Why did you come to me? Why turn to the Drakken Empire, the people that hate you and all you stand for? Why not turn to the UZN, who have always been much more friendly towards your government. After all, they supported Zygra all the way, while we fought every move he made." She glared directly at him.

"Well, we have spoken in past."

"It's not just that, is it?" She continued. "No, there is something else."

Zygra could see that now both Nacht and O'Bannon were looking at him; all three of them were waiting patiently for a response. _And why not? _he asked himself. _Give them the truth. Its what she wanted._

"Because the UZN is an alliance of nations under the aegis of a democratically elected council, while the Drakken empire is, in effect, a totalitarian state ruled through the supreme power of a single individual." He paused. "My nation was a balance of the two, a hereditary ruler who was balanced by an elected senate."

"So then why us?" She asked again.

"Simple." He stated. "Because I know the way that power works. If I were to appeal to the UZN, they would have to consider and debate the matter, decide on force strengths, consider the Claw's position as a possible legitimate alternative government, plan, prepare, budget and so forth. However, you have the power to order your military into action, no questions asked. There is no authority that can stop or deter you. The empire moves to your whim and desire."

She smiled. "It seems that you understand the true nature of power."

"I understand how your nation works." He replied, returning her smile. "And I understand the value of such power. And I would do anything to regain that power."

"Very good." Fyre finished, then stood. "Zygra, there is one thing that I must show you before I make a decision."

Zygra also stood. "Lead on, then. I will regain my empire, whatever it takes."

oOoOo

Despite the beatings they had both received, Jason and Leanne had escaped relatively unscathed. While both were sore and stiff, and sported a number of bruises, neither had suffered anything more severe. Comparatively, several of the things who had attacked them looked like they had gone through far, far worse.

"What happened to you two?" Rayvenne asked as she approached the pair of them. "You look like train wrecks."

"A few of the locals decided to welcome us in." Jason offered as he stretched his arm.

"They sound friendly." Rayvenne quipped.

"Incredibly such." Leanne added. "An' some of them hit pretty damned hard."

"Ouchies." Rayvenne continued, looking over the mess that was the pair of them. "Not to sound mean but... I am glad I wasn't there. Really."

"So how did things go with El Disiugusto?" Jason asked, flapping his arm to get some feeling into it.

"Not bad." She admitted. "In so far as he's completely smitten with me. And while he hasn't let me near the Gungy yet, it seems to be just a matter of time."

"Things going well?"

"Lee, it's an effort not to just kick him in the balls and be done with it." She stated. "But it is going well, yes. I've got him rapped around my finger."

"Mighty thick finger then." Leanne scoffed.

"Har har." She replied. "But its going well. Really."

Jason nodded. "That's good. I don't think-"

"Hey you lot!" Somebody called out as he ran past. "Meeting, now!"

"What?" Jason yelled back.

"One of the bigwigs is down here for some reason, and has got something to say." He continued. "Come on!"

The three of them set off, joining a rapidly growing crowd around a platform. Standing on it was Levisha, seemingly ignoring the assembled mob for the moment. Jason's heart skipped a beat as he tried to figure out what she was up to.

"Hey Jase." Rayvenne hissed. "I've seen that girl before."

"Yeah... ain't she one of their big shots?" Leanne added. "She broke up that fight but good."

"Urk." Was the best that Jason could manage.

Levisha waited a moment before beginning. "I have but a few announcements, ones that I hope will not take up too much of your time." She commenced. "Firstly, I have noticed that there has been a certain degree of hazing and brutality towards new recruits from supposedly more senior members of the organisation. This is to stop immediately. Any caught will be dealt harshly with; already one Zoid pilot has been demoted to infantry duties."

_That should put the fear of god into them, _Jason thought. The Red Claw's pilots thrived on the power they gained from being able to pilot a Zoid. The thought of loosing that power would be a suitable enough deterrent. Looking over the crowd, he could see that several Red Claw soldiers were already exchanging worried glances.

"Secondly, and somewhat related to the first matter, it has become clear that the rapid expansion of our forces is stretching the limits of our current ability to house them. As a result, we have acquired additional land to use as a second base of operations. A roster of personnel to be reassigned will be posted shortly; I suggest you all study it closely."

This immediately worried Jason. To his mind, anything Levisha did or said had an ulterior motive; he couldn't imagine that she was doing this without some good reason. He'd have to study the lists to see who was and wasn't moving, and try to figure what she was getting out of all this. _What are you up to? _He wondered as he looked up at her. _There's no way she could have failed to identify me earlier. Is this related, or are you planning something else?_

"Finally, and most importantly, we are changing our approach to the war with the empire." She stated. "In past, we have taken the stance that the remnants of the Empire will realise their mistakes and turn to us. However, they have proved to be far more obstinate, far more stubborn and unwilling to accept reality then we had expected. As a result, we must take on a new approach."

There was a loud roar, the Gungyarados again swooping down low over the barracks before climbing away, heading up beyond the cloud layer. "From today, we will use force to achieve our goals where diplomacy has failed. We shall hold the Empire to hostage, forcing its leaders to support our goals or risk complete destruction. If they will not understand our cause, then they will certainly know fear."

Jason's heart sank as he realised what she was saying. They would use the Gungyarados to attack the Empire's people, forcing their leaders to capitulate or risk total destruction. _And we are the only ones who can stop that, _he thought, glaring at both Rayvenne and Leanne. The pair of them nodded back, as if to confirm his thoughts.

"Victory for the Red Claw!" She shouted out, raising a fist into the air. "Victory!"

"Victory!" Came the cry back form the assembled crowd, following her salute. "Victory!"

_And I will do everything I can to prevent this from coming to pass. _He thought as he went along with the crowd. _Everything._

oOoOo

Zygra had expected that Empress Fyre wanted to show him something within the palace or its grounds; a memorial or a particular work of art, maybe. However, instead, they'd been driven out to a Whale King waiting just outside the Palace grounds. The ancient machine, dressed in a distinct red and silver livery that suggested that it was meant to be Fyre's personal transport, had in turn taken to the air, traveling north-east of the city for over an hour before setting down.

The place where they had set down was one of the most desolate and barren that Zygra had ever seen. A wide, flat plain composed of a mixture of bare rock and dry soil, it appeared to be completely lifeless. It made Zygra think he was on another planet or something. The dry, cold wind that whipped across the plane only added to they feeling of stark desolation as it chilled him to the bone, despite the layers of thick clothing he had been provided with.

The two of them alone had ascended a metal platform that divided this plain in half, walking out to its middle. He was initially surprised that Fyre had come out here completely alone; then he realised that this place was probably being monitored, and there were probably a fair deal of security staff nearby, conveniently just out of his sight.

"This is what I wanted to show you." She began. "Look at this, and tell me what you see."

He peered out over the plane, trying to figure what it was that Fyre was speaking of. Initially, it seemed like there was nothing there, which made him pause. _Is this some trick? Another test? Some metaphorical thing that I am meant to be searching for? _And then he noticed something; small plates scattered across the landscape, seemingly as if at random. The more he looked, the more of them he could see, as if they were stretching off into eternity.

"It's a lifeless, featureless plain." He spoke up. "But that's not all. There is something else here, isn't there? Something more." He could feel it now, something about this place. Something terrible that was lurking just below the surface.

"Correct." She stated. "This is the site of our single largest mass war grave."

"A war grave..."

"Yes." Fyre continued. "Following their initial nuclear assualt on our cities, our forces faced a sudden onslaught of Hydra forces. The men here fought bravely to defend the badly wounded empire, doing their all to ensure that the Empress of the time could escape. Their sacrifice meant that this Empire, the oldest government on this world, could survive." She continued. "They were defeated, and all slaughtered. This battlefield was latter consecrated as a memorial, the plates commemorating the soldiers where they fell."

"I see."

"These men are nameless. We know their units, but not the individuals. Their bodies were never recovered; they were too heavily irradiated to make it possible. We had to leave them here, and make this whole place their memorial." She turned to look at him. "You understand that this is what may happen if we go to war, not just to my people, but to yours as well. Are you prepared to accept that possibility?"

"I am." He nodded.

"Good." She turned to look over the other side, Zygra following her. Unlike the battlefield, this side consisted of a seemingly endless row of flat metal discs, imbedded into the ground in neat, orderly rows. Off to one side, a stark, metal tower provided the only break from the desolate field.

"What is this?" He asked.

"This is the legacy that your empire has left us." She explained. "Under each of these portals lies a sleeping Zoid, one that your post-war treaties forced us to leave disabled and in a situation that would render them difficult to reactivate while, at the same time, easy to monitor so that anyone would know if we tried." She swept her hand over the field. "Over there are the Berserk Furies. On the far side there, the Genosaurers. There's a smattering of others in there, stray obscure antiques like Gungyarados, Gul Tigers and Descats."

"And this field?"

"Deathsaurers." She explained. "Every last one of them, condemned to rest in an eternal, dreamless sleep."

She spoke with a passion that suggested that, to her, they were more then just machines, and that what had been done to them was more then just deactivating them. "So then what do you want from me?"

"We have many reasons to hate your empire." She explained. "You have taken so much form us; our land, our history, the Zoids that were the pride of our armies. If I am to order my people to die for you, I will need something in return. Not just a trade agreement or some pithy piece of paper or the like; something tangible, something solid that I can give to my people. I cannot return these Zoids to life. Now would I imagine that you would ask me to give you your empire back only to then turn around and hand a chunk of it over to us."

"Well..." he sighed. "I had expected that there would be a price, and I think that I have something that would match your demands."

"Go on."

"The Zygra empire has certain treaties of mutual defense and protection as well as diplomatic recognition, ones that could be, say, confidently ignored." He continued. "And, after the Empire's territories have been secured, then I would have no objections to the Drakken empire using our land as a staging ground to help deal with its own internal problems."

Marissa considered matters, and then grinned. "So, in return for my returning you to your throne, you would give us the Auroran republic?"

"I think it is a fair trade, don't you?"

"Most definitely." She finished. "Emperor Zygra, you have my word that I will not rest until you are back on your throne."


	37. Distant Thunder

Nobody living on the Shelflands had known exactly what happened on that night when the huge Acronian ships had soared into space. The night sky had been filled with sudden bursts of light, presumably massive explosions coming some titanic combat. Who they were fighting was unclear, who won even more so.

In the aftermath, the space around Zi was left cluttered with all manner of debris, large and small. While the pre-war UZN had a sizable space presence, that had all been dependant on the Acronians and had seemingly been destroyed. Post-war, no nation had the resources or economy to support a space program beyond deploying unmanned satellites. As a result, the debris in space had never been adequately catalogued or even surveyed. It was just assumed that it was all junk, and left at that.

On occasion, a chunk of it would fall out of orbit, drawn back to the planet. Most of the time, it would simply burn up in the atmosphere. Rarely would anything get any further, and the risk to the planet itself was minimal.

In the last few weeks, however, matters had changed. Objects had begun moving within the orbital belt of their own accord; rather then the natural pull of gravity on objects, this was a deliberate act. A large chunk of debris, one of the largest around the planet, had begun to move under its own power, traveling in a controlled decaying orbit. As it traveled, other objects moved with it. Composed of seemingly random chunks of debris, they served to camouflage and shield the main object as it traveled.

Appearing no different form any other lump of debris, save for its size, the massive object left chaos in its wake. The flares from its engines, as well as the objects it traveled with, pushed aside other debris chunks and satellites, causing chain reactions across the orbital plane. On the planet below, communications and navigations systems were disrupted as chains of satellites were destroyed or interfered with by the object as it passed.

Leaving a trail of chaos in its wake, the object slowly approached the upper atmosphere. Despite all it had done, however, it had managed to remain almost completely undetected on the surface below. Only one group were aware of its passage; to them, it was the most important thing in their world.

oOoOo

**Distant Thunder**

oOoOo

A distant rumble filled the empty, dry desert air, a sound like thunder, rolling across the plains. However, the skies overhead remained clear from any clouds. Rather, it was on the eastern horizon that huge clouds of dust appeared, accompanying the growing sound.

The Drakken Army was on the move.

The first forces crossed over the border into the Zygra Empire's territories, with squadrons of smaller Zoids leading them. Behind them were progressively heavier and larger machines, while faster units spread out across the flanks of the formation. Behind them trailed the support units, heavily laden Gustavs and other transports. There was no subtlety, no attempt to disguise the force; rather the Empire made sure that any around them would know where they were. The idea was not to throw the enemy off with concealment or subterfuge, but rather shock and awe them with sheer strength.

Above the formation traveled a lone Whale King, decked out in an impressive deep crimson livery. its bays were packed with Zoids to supplement those below, while its decks were a veritable hive of activity. At its heart, however, was its war room, a massive facility unique amongst ships of its class. The heart of the Drakken military's operations, it served as a mobile command center form which the entire war could be directed.

"Impressive." Nikolas Zygra commented as he looked at a display of the Drakken force in motion. "Most impressive."

It was an understatement, to say the least. He hadn't seen that many Zoids in motion in his entire life. Even though he was looking down on them, getting a Gods-eye view of the force, he still felt in awe of the power they represented. Looking over them, he felt that the force was far more then would be needed to deal with that group of criminals that had taken his capital. Even allowing for that monstrous dragon Zoid of theirs, he couldn't see anything that would be able to easily defeat the Drakken army. For dealing with the Red Claw, near as he could tell, the force would be overkill.

Of course, he knew that wasn't all that they were here for. He had done a deal with the Drakken Empress, selling out his neighbor in exchange for her aid in restoring his government. It was a deal he had no regrets over; he had sworn that he would do anything to regain the power that he had lost. The fate of a former ally was nothing to him, as long as it got him closer to his goal.

He had found that Marissa Fyre had been something of a kindred spirit in this last week. Nobody understood power more then she did, being the single most powerful person on the planet. She had understood his need to reclaim his capital, and had taken a personal interest in the outcome of the campaign. However, she had decided not to sideline, but to let him take a part in the reclamation of his homeland. He was glad for the opportunity; he wanted not only to see his power restored, but to see the full might of his newfound ally in action.

"I'm glad you like it." Fyre commented as she walked over next to him. "I find that such displays of sheer brute power are invigorating; the chance to flex one's muscles, so to speak. For too long, the dragon has rested on his past glories; it is time I think that he awoke and reminded the world of his true power."

"Indeed." He nodded. "I, for one, cannot wait to see them unleashed on the Red Claw."

"The Red Claw will be nothing." She stated. "What will be more interesting is the effect we will have on the Aurorans when we engage them. The Claw will be but a distraction to us; their forces limited. It probably won't amount to more then a single battle; we will crush them where they stand."

"And the Gungyarados?" Despite the size of the force and its seeming invulnerability, he had some concerns about the Zoid. In the last week, it had been used in seemingly random 'terror attacks' on military targets still loyal the Empire. He had his worries that it could just as easily be turned on the Drakken forces.

She smiled. "I have my own options for dealing with it. Suffice to say, it is not a problem for us."

"Most interesting." He continued. "I assume you have some weapon capable of countering it, or some way to defend your troops against it, maybe?"

"I am going to take the approach that the best way to deal with it is to prevent it from reaching its target." She simply stated. "And I will make sure that happens."

He nodded. If the Gugyarados was eliminated, then nothing would stop them. His only hope was that the machine died a rather spectacular death, preferably in some way that could be recorded. Its demise would be a great way to bolster the remaining Zygra Forces, while at the same time, shattering the morale of the claw's forces. Anything that shortened the campaign would be better.

"A question." She spoke up, glancing at him. "Do you know how to pilot a Zoid yourself?"

"Me?" he asked, surprised at this sudden change of topic. "I do, yes." He'd taken a basic course as a part of his training for the role of course, he'd managed to avoid most of the hard work, and had skipped out on a lot of classes. He knew he was in danger of flunking the course but, at the time, didn't care. He'd never thought it'd be a skill he would need. Of course, that was a long time ago now.

"Very good." She continued. "It will be several hours at least before the first contact between our forces and the Claw. Maybe we could arrange for you to get some simulator time in for, ah, a more advanced machine. One befitting your regal status."

"I would be honored, your majesty." He replied with a slight bow.

"The honour is mine, Emporer Zygra." She continued. "Ensuring your safety is the least I can do for you. And who knows; you may yet benefit from this direful situation."

The Whale King continued on its journey, a pair of Zoids pulling up alongside it as it traveled. These two were draconic in shape, their spikey armour light red, and their skeletal wings bone-white. The machines continued in formation with the massive transport, guarding it and its valuable cargo.

oOoOo

The Whale King and its crew were not the only ones who observed the Drakken invasion force. Nearby, well concealed, a small Zoid patiently observed them, recording their numbers and types, while at the same time transmitting the information back to its home base.

oOoOo

"This is interesting, don't you think?" The Commander began as he watched the Drakken force on the move. "Such a display of raw military power... I haven't seen anything so straightforward since the end of the war."

"It is, yes." Jaeger commented. "And its certainly more then I had expected from the Empire. They've assembled quite a force. I can only wonder what it is that Zygra has offered Fyre in exchange for her cooperation."

"Whatever it is, it will probably suit our plans nicely." The commander continued. "I doubt that he would have done anything too unpredictable. In all likelihood, he has offered to use his nation as a staging ground for further operations."

Jaeger glanced at a larger map. "Of course. She gives him his Empire back, he gives her the Aurorans."

"A certainty, then." He continued. "This force assembled here is more then enough to take care of the Red Claw. This war will be a swift, one-sided one."

"Not to our advantage, then." Jaeger commented. "What we need is a long, protracted engagement. One that will keep them all occupied for a lot longer."

The commander smiled, the ruined half of his face twisting it into a strange grin. "An excellent idea. I think that it is time that we provoked a response from both sides of this war. With a bit of skill, we can convert this from a single swift engagement into a drawn-out, protracted battle that will tie up both sides."

"Yes commander." Jaeger continued. "I shall see that it is done."

"Good." He nodded his head. "Out of interest, how are the other powers reacting to this turn of events?"

Jaeger pressed a few buttons, bringing up a large map on the main screen. The map washed with symbols representing troop movements and positions from all factions. "There's no noticeable response as yet from the UZN, but that is almost to be expected. They are likely too wrapped up with their own bureaucracy to mount any sort of response. I doubt that they will be in a position to act against us until it is too late."

"Very good. Timing is of the essence now."

"I understand." He glanced up at the map again. "The Aurorans have begun to mobilise their forces and reinforce their borders. Their military standing itself is rather weak, however. Once the Draken army punches through their border defenses - and I have no doubt that they will - it will be all over for them." he pointed to one edge of the border. "Notice that they have begun to reinforce their border with the Zygra Empire. I'm personally convinced that this is a reaction to the Red Claw; I doubt that they are prepared for a Draken invasion from that front."

"And what of the Red Claw?"

"The Claw itself has reached the limit of its usefulness." He commented. "However, I think that it would be in our best interest to extract the useful elements from it, then throw the rest to the lions."

"I agree there. You have my permission to do with it what you want, as long as Jenice is bought to us."

"Thank you, commander." He nodded.

"You do not need to thank me." The commander offered. "Without your work, the Red Claw could not have developed to the extent that it has. We could not have come this far. It is only fitting that you should oversee its demise."

"Agent Fourty Two will handle the situation herself." He stated. "I am sure that she will know what to do."

"She is very capable for an outsider. I am sure that she will execute the plan to the best of her abilities." The Commander commented. "And while the loss of such a tool as the Red Claw is regrettable, the benefits that Jencie will deliver to us will be immeasurable."

"There is one other matter, commander." He spoke up. "One related to our plans for Jencie."

"Do tell."

"The woman I have described."

"Ah yes." He nodded. "Her value would be far greater then Jenice's. However, she is nowhere near as accessible. Especially now that she is traveling with a Blackstar."

"Yes, but at the same time, I feel that it would be useful to have an alternative, should something happen to Jenice. And if we could control both her and Jencie..."

The commander again smiled. "Then the future would be ours to shape as we desire. We would possess power not seen in decades." He nodded. "Very well. What is it you want then?"

"I want to break cover and dispatch a strike force of the new units to intercept and apprehend her and her companions." He offered. "While I know that it is a risk, especially at this juncture, to operate so openly, I know that the rewards will be worth it. The girl has her obvious abilities and Glass is, well..." He trailed off. "The opportunity to capture an Altered Zoid is merely a bonus."

"And with the situation we are about to engineer, there will be... opportunities." He rubbed his chin. "Very well then. You have your task force. And, at the very least, it should serve as an interesting test of the new units in far from controlled conditions."

"Thank you commander." Jaeger nodded. "I do this, not for me or for our organisation, but for the future we will create."

"For the future, yes."

oOoOo

Over the last week, Rayvenne had done her best to acclimatise herself to hanging around Bart. It wasn't an easy thing to do. To say that he was disgusting would be an understatement; he was overweight, unattractive, unkempt and smelled awful. His manners were repulsive, his personality vulgar and his behavior unspeakable. That he took every opportunity to paw her was the icing on the cake. Still, she had managed, simply willing her way through it and thinking of what she was accomplishing by doing such.

There was only one thing that she couldn't stand; and that was watching the man eat.

He had no manners, no grace, no thinly veiled attempts at making himself look better. He just simply shoveled food into his mouth as fast as he could, pausing only to take the occasional drink. He didn't care how much ended up on his face, down his front or on the floor. He just simply kept eating.

He'd taken her to a diner outside the Red Claw's camp. When she asked if they were allowed to leave, he'd just simply stated that he thought the food in camp was crap, and that he preferred to eat better. He'd explained that rules were for 'other people'. He had 'special status' which meant that he could pretty much do whatever he wanted to, apparently because he was the Claw's chief technician. His position made him indispensable, so he abused it as much as he could.

"I once copped a feel of that bitch Towne." He blurted out between mouthfuls. "She is damned cold, you know? But her arse is mighty fine and firm, yeah." He shoveled more burger into his gaping maw before continuing. "I never did it again, mind you. Special our not, she'd probably kill me."

"Really?" Rayvenne asked, trying not to look at him while pretending to stay interested. "I'd have thought you'd be protected."

"Yeah, well... Levisha's not like that. She don't play by our rules. If she wanted to kill me, I'd be dead, and my head on a plate." He continued. "Thing is, she's real close to the boss, so she can get away with that kinda crap."

"Really?" She repeated.

"Oh yeah." He nodded, his jowls flapping. "Even though she came late to the team, she was kinda responsible for making us what we are today. Well, her and Trogdor. That man's a monster." He shook his head. "They both terrify me, y'know? Like they don't give a crap about what happens to anyone."

"Well, you should do what I do." She offered. "And that is not think about it. I just try to always have a good time, breeze through life and take it easy."

"Yeah, but you don't have to spend yer time fixing up an arseload of crapped-out Zoids." He shook his head. "And I keep getting more and more crap shoveled on me."

"I know how that can be." Rayvenne continued. "My dad used to be a Zoid tech for the Auroran Army. All I ever remember is him coming home looking like he was about to die or something." It was a sob story she'd been working on for some time now, one that she felt would have Bart eating out of her hands. Truth was, she had no idea who her father was. But it made a better story then 'my mother was an exotic dancer who got knocked up after a one-night stand'.

"Damn right he would." Bart replied, sucking sauce off his fingers. "Those Aurorans worked me almost as hard as Jenice does."

Rayvenne nodded. "Yeah... you see, I always was fascinated by what dad did, despite the fact that he always seemed so tired and angry." She continued. "It just sounded so fascinating... you know, getting inside a Zoid's guts and making it work properly and all that."

"Well its a pretty good job when they're not driving ya up the wall." He explained. "I mean, a Zoid tech is always in demand, always needed for whatever purpose. And that's why I'm the most important man in the Claw, babe."

"Well its good that they recongise your talents." She stated. "Especially when you have to look after things like that huge dragon."

"Yeah, well..." He smirked. "You gotta see that thing., It is a beauty to watch in action, but a nightmare to deal with. I'm just glad we managed to scrounge some spares for it; it burns through parts like you wouldn't believe, and most of that crap is irreplaceable." He shook his head. "If it got badly banged up, then I don't think we could do a thing about it."

"Well then..." She smiled. "It's a good thing that they've got somebody as skilled as you to look after it."

"Damn right." He continued. "I'm the best there is."

_Yeah, and Floyd is only like a zillion times better then you, _she mentally added. "Still... I do want to see it." She smiled. "I mean, its just such a cool design." She leaned forwards, bringing her arms together to generate as much cleavage as she could. _And nobody, but nobody can do this like I can._

"Well hell." He finished, not bothering to disguise the fact that he was staring at her chest. "Let's go take a look at it now."

"Really?" She began. "Oh, that would be fantastic!" She bounced in her seat, trying to add as much 'jiggle' as possible. It was the best way to keep Bart focused on her.

"Well sure. Things are quiet now, so I'm sure I can get you into the Palace easy." he continued. "From there, you can take a look at that bastard... and hell, I'll even let ya cop an eyefull of that freaky critter Levisha pilots."

"Thanks Bart!" She beamed.

"Well what are we waiting for?" He added as he stood, wiping his hands on his stined shirt. "Lets get going."

Rather then using his Gustav to haul across town, Bart had requisitioned a car from the supply of vehicles the Claw had acquired in the takeover of the city. As a result, it was a mercifully short ride across the city to the palace proper. That was a small mercy in and of itself; Rayvenne couldn't honestly think of anything more awful then a lengthy car trip with Bart. Their car went around the back of the palace, the front end of it still being a wreck form the fighting during the Red Claw's coup.

Surprisingly enough, the security guards didn't give her a second glance. She had to wonder if it was because they were used to Bart bringing girls back to the palace, or if it was just that his authority was such that he could do whatever he wanted. Either way, she was glad that she'd gotten in without any problems - even if it was obvious that she wasn't concealing anything. (After all, where would she conceal it?)

Entering the palace, they'd taken a lift to one of the upper levels, Bart explaining that this was where the Claw ran the city from. It was obvious to Rayvenne that this had been the center of the palace even before the takeover; the rich furnishings and elaborate decorations spoke of a class and elegance that suggested the nation's rulers. She wasn't sure who was more out of place here; her being only half-dressed, or Bart with his slovenly appearance.

"Well here we-" he began, but was cut off by a beep from his communicator. "Hold up."

He pulled his (strangely clean) communicator out from his pocket and opened it up. "Bart here." He began. "What's up?" he paused, nodding his head as he listened. "What, right now?" There was another long pause. "You sure?" Ravenne shuffled a little closer, trying to hear what the voice on the other end was saying to him. "I suppose so... Gimme a minute and I'll be there." He closed the communicator, shoving it back in his pocket.

"Bad news, babe." he began. "The boss wants to see me about... something. And it probably wouldn't be good if anyone saw you here." He continued.

"So what-"

"In here." He opened a door, pushing her inside. The room was a bedroom, elaborately furnished but clearly currently unused. "Just stay here until I get back, okay babe?"

"Uh sure-"

"Great." He finished, then slammed the door shut.

Rayvenne paused for a moment, then gasped loudly. "Ugh... that stink..." She muttered, then looked around the room. It was pretty nice, actually. Large bed, big dressing table, huge wardrobe. Quite classy, actually. _I could about stand living here,_ she thought. _Beats the pants off camping out in the rough, or that stupid damned barracks we're shoved in._

She was about to relax and make herself comfortable, when she heard the door opening behind her. Trying not to panic, she glanced around, her eyes falling on the wardrobe. Running over to it, she ducked inside, bringing it mostly shut as the room's door opened. Peering out through the crack between door and frame, she saw Levisha Towne walk into the room and shut the door behind her. _What's she up to? _Rayvenne wondered, listening intently to the woman.

"So it's that time, is it?" Levisha asked, speaking into a small communicator on her wrist. "Excellent. I must say I've been looking forwards to this."

_What? _She wondered. _What's going on?_

"Paladin Trogdor is about to be dispatched on another little terror raid, which should set the scene nicely." She continued. "I can go at any time, however. I won't need him for what I have to do."

Rayvenne's eyes narrowed as she tried to follow the woman. Infuriately, Levisha wandered beyond her line of sight, vanishing just past the field of vision offered to her. "In truth, I've been wanting to get rid of them for some time. Oh, they think that they're vital but, in truth, there's nothing to them. I've only been letting them live for appearances, that's all."

_Is she talking about us? _Rayvenne asked, her heart skipping a beat as she listened as intently as she could. "They seem to think that Bart's on their side; I know one of them has been kissing up to him of late. I'll keep him around, obviously, but the rest... It'll be fun, actually."

_Crap! That is us! _She tried to remain quiet as she figured what was going on. _She's going to kill us, that's it. _She realised. _She's found us out and is going to get rid of us. _"Very well. When it's done, I'll have her bought to you. The rest is largely irrelevant. _Her? _Rayvenne wondered. _They've found Ali too!_

She waited nervously, hoping that Levisha would move or leave or anything. There was a long, long silence, the room itself seeming to be empty, Rayvenne barely daring to breathe. She knew that if she was found now, everything would be over - it was then vital that she escaped so she could warn the others about what was going on.

Eventually, Levisha again walked past the cupboard, leaving the room. Despite this, Rayvenne couldn't relax, worried that she might come back, or somebody else would enter. it was only after a few minutes that she dared to open the door and step out of the wardrobe. Almost as soon as she did, there was a loud knock on the door. She jumped, then span around, desperately searching for something she could use as a weapon.

Bart stepped into the room, his massive bulk blocking the door. Despite that, however, he seemed to be almost apologetic looking. "Bart?" She began. You... you scared me!"

"Bad news, babe." He offered. "Something's come up, and I have to get the Gungy ready to go. We'll have to do this another day."

_He doesn't know what she's up to? _She wondered. _Or maybe she's playing him as well... _"I understand... I mean, you know, work and all."

"Sure." He nodded. "Can you see yourself out? Only, well, I got to get going."

"Its, um... it's fine, really Bart." She nodded hastily. "I'll, um, go. Yeah."

"Sure thing." He stepped aside. "Later then, babe."

"Later, yeah." She nervously finished, stepping out into the hallway. She tried to walk away, seeming clam and casual. But then, as soon as she was sure there was nobody around, she ran.

oOoOo

The last week had been a bad one for the Zygra military. Their attempt to retake Gayos been an abject failure, resulting in the shattering of their military command and the decimation of the single largest extant force they could muster. To make matters worse, the random terror attacks the Red Claw had launched had further weakened their forces, devastating units and causing their army to father decentralize and splinter. Morale was plummeting as many felt that, not only there was nothing they could do about the Claw, but any attempt to oppose them would result in their slaughter.

As a result, there had been many defections as the once elite Zygra Knights had begun to fray, figuring that they were up against a force that they could not hope to defeat. With no sign of the Emperor, there was a growing feeling that they were fighting for a nation that no longer existed. There were rumours that suggested that he was dead or a prisoner of the Red Claw, which only served to further complicate matters.

Until recently, the idea of a soldier deserting the Zygra army was unthinkable. The Zygra knights were an honoured and elite organisation, men and women who had worked hard to earn the right to operate a Zoid. But now, faced with what many saw as an unwinnable situation against a vastly superior foe, they were quickly becoming an accepted reality. Individuals left their units, while in some cases ,whole units had begun to stop reporting regional commanders. It was becoming quickly apparent that the army was beginning to fall apart.

The situation was definitely not an advantageous to the Zygra Army. However, there were others who profited from it.

A small group of Knights had left their parent group, looking to escape a war that they felt could end in their near certain destruction. While they had succeeded in escaping the Red Claw, they had instead met a different fate. Assassinated in their sleep by Kuroryu-kai operatives, their Zoids still carried all the identifying marks of Zygra units, but served different masters.

"Contact." One agent began from the cockpit of his Gorgodos. "Looks like an advance scout group, mix of Rev Raprter and Molga types. IFFs return as Drakken imperial units."

"Roger that, one-oh-five." The group's commander replied from his Godos. "Looks like a prime target for our operation. Feed targeting information to one-three-one. All units, prep for engagement."

"Affirmative." One-oh-five replied. "Datalink is on. We're good to go."

"Very well. Begin."

One-three-one's Hydocker stood a few paces behind the Gorgodos, its long-range missile launcher raised and ready for action. With a gush of smoke and flames, a single missile leapt from the rail, soaring off into the distance. With a loud click, a second missile was rotated into firing position, then launched after the first. "Birds are airborne. Time to impact in three, two, one..."

"Two hits." One-oh-five stated. "Enemy Zoids have changed heading, directing towards us." He paused. "We're being scanned by search radar, looks to be the Molga's tail-mount unit."

"Confirmed. All units, move to engage. One-three-one Maintain missile bombardment of targets until that time."

A round of affirmative replies filled the channel as the small group advanced. Cresting the hill, they sighted the group off Drakken Zoids advancing. One of the Rapters lay burning nearby, a victim of the Hydocker's long range missile strikes, while the others all were battered from the assault. Neither of the two Molgas sported Shot Cannons, a relief to him. "Attack!" He simply commanded as he pushed his Zoid first.

An Elephantus opened fire first, its twin missile launchers spitting rounds at the second Raprter. The warheads slammed into the Zoid's side, blasting into its leg. The Zoid stumbled, but managed to remain upright as the two Molgas surged past it. The Zoids opened fire with their quad cannons, riddling the Elephantus with fire before it could evade. The Zoid stumbled, then crashed to the ground, falling face-first into the soil.

Ignoring the demise of his comrade, the Garius pilot surged forwards, running at one of the Molgas. Rounds gouged into the shield as the Zoid advanced, the pilot ignoring them and returning fire with his own cannons. The shots marred the armour on the Molga's dome, but did little to damage it. Pushing forwards, he swung at the Drakken Zoid with his spear, wedging it into the Molga's axle. The Zoid skidded and crashed, immobilised but not out of the fight as yet.

Several shots bounced off the second Molga's body as the Gorgodos opened up on it. Ignoring the Zoid for the moment, the Zoid dropped back, firing its cannons defensively. "The enemy Zoid is trying to communicate the situation." One-oh-five began. "They're reporting they're under unprovoked attack by Zygra forces."

"Excellent work." The pilot finished. "Let's drive the message home."

oOoOo

Marissa Fyre studied the report, her brow furrowed with concern. "Interesting, this." She commented.

"What is it?" Zygra asked.

She handed him the report. "A squadron of Zygra Zoids launched an unprovoked assault on one of our forward recon units."

"Why would they do that?" He asked as he glanced over the report. It seemed to confirm what Fyre had said; four Zygra Zoids launched an attack on the recon unit. They apparently had current Zygra IFF signals and followed standard tactical operations doctrine for the attack. By the analysis of the recon force's leader, they appeared to be actual Zygra imperial army members.

"It is possible that they mistook our force for a Red Claw group." Fyre commented as she sat back in her command chair.

He rubbed his chin. "They may have also assumed that your force was hostile, or a forward element of an invasion or some form of territorial grab. Given the past history of our two nations, it's what I would think." He nodded at her. "Certainly, I would never expect Drakken forces to be our allies or liberators."

"Understandable." Fyre steeped her hands, resting her chin on her fingers. "Even then, this is a problem. We could encounter further unneeded hostility from your forces; in essence, we end up fighting the forces we came to protect and aid."

"So what would you suggest then?" He asked.

She stood, then smiled at him. "I think that it is time for you to return to your people." She stated. "If not in person, then in spirit. You need to tell them that you are alive and, more importantly, that they will soon be free from the terror that has oppressed them for so long."

He smiled. "In other words, make a broadcast to declare that I am still their leader and take charge of my nation." He concluded. "I can still be their leader, even if not from my capital."

"Exactly." Fyre agreed. "Tell them that you have returned for them, bringing your allies to liberate your nation."

"I will need help, however."

"All you will need is already on board this ship." She explained. "This vessel was specially outfitted to serve as the flagship of the Drakken fleet, as well as a flying fortress from which the Emperor could rule his nation. We have a full studio and media broadcast center that we could use for such an address to your people."

"Thank you, your majesty." He replied with a small bow. "Shall we get started then?"

oOoOo

"To the people of the Zygra Empire, I bring you a message of hope in these troubled times." Emperor Nikolas Zygra began, his face broadcast across media outlets across the empire. "For too long, our empire has been ravaged by a group of malicious terrorists, intent on destroying our nation and our very way of life. These cowards struck our capital, killed our beloved Emperor, and seized power. Now they rule by the virtue of sheer terror alone, forcing cooperation at the barrel of a gun."

"No longer will we stand for this. In order to restore our nation and defeat these criminals, I have enlisted the aid of our powerful, yet peaceful neighbor, the Drakken Empire. As I speak, Drakken forces are heading towards Gayos with the intention of liberating it from the Red Claw's control. They will excise this menace from our nation, and then destroy it utterly. Know that they will not rest until they have freed our nation, and exterminated every last remnant of the villains who tried to destroy it."

"To aid them I ask that you cooperate with the Drakken forces and aid them in any way that you can. They are willing to give their lives for us, and, as such, we should be willing to do everything we can to help them restore our nation. Every minute that they are delayed or hindered is a minute longer that the Red Claw will rule, a minute of terror that we all will have to endure."

"With your support, we shall be victorious. The Zygra Empire will survive and endure."

Knight Avery snorted at the screen. "Liberate us?" He asked. "These are Draks we're talking about. Like they want to help us." he shook his head inside the cockpit of his Elephantus. "This is some kind of a joke, right?"

"We have to assume that it is, for now, the truth." Paladin Ernie Tallstrider replied, his Guysack leading their recon unit. One of the few Paladins to have escaped the fall of Gayos, he had become a vital part of holding together the disparate forces along the Empire's eastern frontier. "Nikolas Zygra may be young, but he is still our ruler. We can trust his judgment."

"Yeah, right." Avery continued. "He's gone and sold us out to the Draks. They're gonna overrun us, then install him as a puppet dictator or something."

"Knight Avery." Tallstrider cut him off. "That is a purely hypothetical situation. For now, we must assume that the Drakken army are our allies."

"I don't have to like it." He muttered.

"Contact!" Knight Indra Labashee cut off any reply. "I have a small group of Zoids approaching. Looks to be standard Drakken Empire types too. Read one... no, two Molgas, a Gator and others." Her Pegasuros, one of the few airborne Zoids left to their force, had been sent ahead to observe and scout for any forces, be they Drakken or any other group. "They're headed towards us."

"Roger that." Tallstrider replied. "Okay everyone, lets just remain calm and do as the Emperor says. These are our allies now. They are-"

"Radar lock!" Labashee cut him off. "The Drakken Zoids have just locked me up!"

"What the-" Tallstrider began. "Damn it..." He hammered several buttons on his control console. "This is Paladin Ernie Tallstrider to Drakken units. We are legitimate Zygra forces and are not hostile!"

"I'm getting fire from their Zoids!" She continued. "They're not stopping!"

"Repeat, we are not hostile!" Tallstrider called out. "Stand down your attack! Repeat stand-" He was cut off by a loud explosion, a shell slamming into the ground near his force. "Damn it! That's their cannons!"

"Liberate us?" Avery snorted. "You sure of that?"

A second shell went off, a lot closer then he would have liked and definitely not a warning. "All forces, move forward and engage the enemy force!" He ordered. "And send a message back to headquarters, inform them of our situation!"

oOoOo

The last week had proven to be mercifully free from the issues that had dogged Jason and Leanne's first days inside the Red Claw. The pair of them (as well as Rayvenne) had been transferred to the new barracks complex across the city, a facility that was almost identical to the one they had left behind. To his annoyance, however, he found that he was sharing it with several of the senior Red Claw members, ones he distinctly recalled from his earlier stay in the organisation.

They were two sets of siblings, the McNeil brothers, Harry and Malcolm, and the Traches, Gwen and Drake. He'd never cared much for any of them; the McNeils were thugs, while the Traches were a pair of neurotic losers who's only claim was that they had a pair of moderately capable Zoids. That they had a fair chance of recognising both him and Leanne didn't help matters any; the pair of them had to severely curtail their activities in order to keep a low profile.

Rayvenne had been making good progress with Bart, however. This had done little to ease the tension, as Jason was still concerned about her safety; he was convinced that she was in danger or running the risk of Bart doing something to her. Everything about that man worried him, a fear that he was not reluctant to voice.

The afternoon, however, had been interrupted by a surprise development. Not too long after the Guyngyarados had left on what had become its daily terror attack, there had been some commotion in the barracks. Everyone had gathered around a television to watch a broadcast by a man claiming to be the Zygra Emperor. Jason had recongised him as the prince, which made him wonder what was going on. More interesting were his claims that he had enlisted the aid of the Drakken Empire to destroy the Red Claw.

"Well?" he asked as he met up with Leanne by the back of one of the sheds.

"I'm gettin' pretty mixed signals myself." She replied, glancing around. "Half of the people I've spoken to think that he's just bluffin' to try an' force a surrender. After all, the Draks hate us and have no reason to want to help us."

"And the rest?"

"They think that the Draks are going to come and kill us all, Zygra or not." She finished.

"I see..." He glanced around.

"How'd you go?" She asked.

"I managed to sneak into the officer's mess." He offered. "Sadly, I didn't get anything beyond listening to Gwen bitch about how much her authority's been superseded."

"Nice to know but... hardly useful." She commented.

"Yeah..." He glanced around. "Damn it, we're relying entirely on Rayvenne to get us through this."

"Sucks, don't it?" Leanne commented. Jason shot her a glare. "I jus' mean that she's gotta work with that bloated pig that's all."

"Hold on..." Jason began. "That's her now."

Rayvenne ran over to the pair of them, stopping and letting out a single loud gasp. "Jase... we... we gotta go." She panted out.

"What?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

"Levisha..." She continued. "Onto us. Is... is gonna kill us."

"Damn." Leanne glanced around. "So what do we do?"

"Its worse." She continued. "They know... where Ali and Floyd are."

"Floyd?" A woman's voice began behind them. The three turned to see Gwen stepping around the corner. "That's as in Floyd Glass, right?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Uh, yeah, uh..." Jason spluttered.

"Where is he?" She asked, glaring at the three of them. "And who knows?"

"I uhhh..."

"A, um, guy I know." Rayvenne quickly shot off. "Reckon's he's somewhere, um, north of here. yeah. He said he was going after Glass himself to turn in the reward for him." She sighed. "Wish I was out there eith a chance to find him."

"Yeah, whatever." Gwen shot, then dashed back inside.

"Nice work there, Rayvenne." Jason replied. "That ought to seed us some confusion and buy us some time. Now let's figure a way out of here."

oOoOo

Levisha stalked through the palace's upper floors, for the moment ignoring everyone around her. Instead, she was remaining focused, keeping her mind on one thing alone. All the work she had done for the Red Claw over the past years had been moving to this one point; it was vital that everything went exactly as she planned.

She was just reaching the access to the roof when her communicator beeped. Checking it, she could see that it was one of the ranking officers of the Claw's infantry, one of the ones who she knew was personally loyal to her. _This could be significant, _she thought as she reached for the communicator. _Best check it now. _"What is it?" She began.

"We have a situation at the front gate." He explained. "The McNeils, Gwen and Drake are trying to leave the city."

"What?" She snapped. This was not a part of her plan. "Did they say why?"

"They didn't, no. Nor did they offer any explanations when I asked. They claimed that they ouranked me and didn't need to answer to me." Which was true. The most he could do was hamper them.

Levisha snarled to herself. _Do they know what's going on? _She thought. _Or is this some other plan? Either way, I cannot allow them to escape. _"Detain them as long as possible. I'm going to launch the operation now."

"Yes, commander." He replied.

Not wasting any time, she sprinted up to the roof, finding her Lord Gale waiting there. She had hoped that this moment could wait until Sturm returned from his current mission, but events had forced her to act now. She opened a comms channel to selected groups across the city, ones that she knew would follow her orders. "All forces, there has been an uprising in the secondary barracks faculty. You are to contain the situation and detain all personnel in there. I will send reinforcements as soon as possible."

Closing the channel, she sat back in the Lord Gale's cockpit, closing her eyes while keying several buttons on the Zoid's control panels, ones that were not normally present in the Zoid. Several cables extended from the back of her pilot's seat, ramming themselves into concealed ports on the back of her neck. She could feel her mind merging with the Lord Gale's own systems, forming a new, collective consciousness. The Zoid's sensors become her eyes and ears, its body become her body.

Her mind reached out through the Zoid's special control system, finding the primitive AIs of the Chimera Zoids scattered across the city. Reaching into them, she slaved them to her will. Rather then issuing commands through the console, she instead _willed _the Zoids to act, issuing them a single mental command.

_Fusion._

The Chimeras responded in a bizarre way, roaring and bellowing as their bodies seemingly exploded into components. Clusters of the Zoids came together, their disembodied parts reforming into monstrous wholes. One from each of the four types would combine, resulting in a new, horrific, twisted form, a bestial quadruped Zoid with a gaping maw, almost demonic wings and an array of weapons and wickedly sharp lances, fangs and claws.

_Go!_

The Chimera Dragons each leaped into the air, taking to flight in a way that seemed to run contrary to their forms. The Zoids flew across the city, heading towards the barracks complex. When she had divided the Red Claw's troops between the two facilities, she had made sure to put anyone who would resist her lead in the second facility. That way, when the time came, it would be easier to eliminate everyone who opposed her in one go.

The Zoids descended on the buildings, simply crushing them underfoot as the descended, before opening fire on the personnel inside. As they went to work, squadrons of Zoids approached, their pilots under orders to contain anyone who tried to escape. Weapons were fired into buildings, incinerating both the structures and the personnel inside them.

Levisha's Zoid remained in its place on top of the palace, its pilot looking down on the destruction below and smiling to herself. _Excellent._

oOoOo

"Get moving! Now!" Jason called out as he broke into a run, sprinting across the open courtyard of the barracks complex. Behind them, the building where they had been staying suddenly disintegrated as a Zoid crashed down on it, simply crushing it underfoot. The monstrous machine was like nothing he had ever seen before; in its design he could reocngise parts of the Chimera Zoids the Red Claw had been using, but its form was far larger then any of them.

He had been expecting Levisha to make her move soon to eliminate the three of them. What he hadn't expected was that she would go to such extreme methods as exterminating a large number of Red Claw soldiers just to get at them.

Leanne and Rayvenne ran behind him, the pair of them doing their best to keep up with him. Behind them, the monstrous Zoid turned away, instead opening fire on a nearby building. "What in the heck is going on?" Leanne yelled as she ran. "I thought you said they were comin' for us!"

"That's what it sounded like, really!" Rayvenne called back. "But if they are, this is overkill! I've got no idea what those things are but... they're doing a pretty damned good job of flattening everything."

Around them, there were other people running, mostly in blind panic. As far as anyone could tell, the strange Zoids weren't discriminating in their targets, instead simply attacking whatever it was they could find. "Nom this isn't a targeted assassination." Jason called out. "This is something else, maybe a purge or something."

"Don't tell me, that Towne woman?"

"Yeah..." He commented. "This has to be her work. I just gotta figure out why."

"Lets figure a way out of here first!" Leanne shouted. "We can figure the rest later."

They ducked behind a wall for a minute to catch their breath and figure their next move. "We're unarmed, surrounded by hostile forces and everything is going to hell." Rayvenne commented.

"Pretty normal day for us then." Leanne added.

Jason glanced around. There were several Zoids standing nearby, their pilots clearly content to hang back and observe the Chimeras at work. "What we need is some sort of a distraction. I figure we can make a break for our Zoids and then use them to get away." He surveyed the area. "Any ideas?"

A loud explosion in the distance cut off any reply. The three of them glanced around, Jason spotting another column of smoke beginning to rise from the city's main gates. As he watched, a purple Redler took to the air, while several unseen attackers began to open fire on it. "The hell?" Rayvenne asked. "What's that?"

Looking up, Jason could see that several of the Zoids were also turning towards the gate, as if what had just happened wasn't expected. "I think," Jason began. "That was our distraction. Let's go."

They set off again, managing to crawl their way through the ruined fence and slip past the suddenly confused perimeter, dashing into the city itself. Despite the situation, the streets were crowded with onlookers trying to get a look at what was going on, as if they could find some explanation. Already Jason could hear mutterings about it being the return of Zygra, or possibly the Draken army. He knew that it was neither, which was what worried him. _Why is Levisha attacking other Red Claw members? _He wondered. _Is this some plan of Jenice's? And if so, what is she trying to achieve with it?_ Aside from the fires at the gate, there were no other signs of fighting going on in the city itself, which suggested that things were relatively contained.

_Maybe that's why the sudden reassignments, _he continued. _Levisha, or Jenice - either, really - were reassigning people to this barracks so all their targets would be together at the same time. That way they could contain the fighting and eliminate everyone in the one blow._

That he, Leanne and Rayvenne had been in that group suggested that she had recongised him, and had been planning this all along, a sobering thought.

They approached the first barracks, heading for the Zoid compound. All around them, other soldiers were arming themselves and heading out, apparently being deployed to head to the fighting across town. Making their way through the crowds, they reached the compound where their stolen Zoids were being kept. Trying their best to act casual, they approached the front gate to the compound, mindful of the guards there. However, as Jason moved to enter, he found his path blocked.

"Come on." he began. "I need to get to my Zoid."

"Orders from the Commander." One guard replied. Jason wasn't sure, but he could swear the man was sneering behind his bandanna. "Nobody gets to their machines without being cleared first."

"So lets see your ID then." The second added.

Jason glanced warily at Leanne and Rayvenne then produced the ID papers he'd been given when he joined the Claw. Art the same time, he nodded to Leanne. "Here ya go." He commented. "All good then?" _And Levisha will have flagged us and our papers, _he mentally thought. _So he'll try to report us._

"Hold on a mo-" The soldier began, but was cut off as Leanne bought up one of her booted feet, spinning around and kicking him in the face. Spinning, he collapsed, a splatter of blood decorating his mask. The other soldier went for his gun, only to be met with an elbow to the throat by Jason. Gasping, he collapsed backwards to the ground.

"Okay people, let's go!" he called out, sprinting into the compound. The three of them headed for their commandeered machines, quickly boarding and activating them.

"All good here." Rayvenne called out. "What's the plan now, Jase?"

"We get the hell outa here." He answered. "The main gate looks like the way to go."

"Ain't they fighting there?"

"Not sure." he replied. "But I figure something big blew up there, which has to help us a bit. Let's go!" The Godos broke into a run, simply stepping over the mesh fence around the compound. Behind it, Leanne's Rev Rapter and Rayvenne's Leoblaze followed him out, the latter bounding over the fence to join the others.

Jason pushed the throttle open, the Zoid maintaining a fair running pace as it made its way through the city. Onlookers scattered out of his path, giving him a clear run. Looking around, he could see that there was still fighting going on at the secondary barracks, which meant that, for now, attention would be diverted. He wasn't sure how long the forces in there could last, however, which meant that they had to hurry.

Turning towards the main gate, they could see that the actual gates themselves had been blasted open. There were Red Claw soldiers scattered around, as well as a pair of disabled Garius Zoids. Seeing a chance, the three of them powered out of the city, ignoring the shouts and small-arms fire from the remaining defenders. There was no sign of the Redler they'd seen earlier, suggesting that it had escaped.

_But why would Red Claw forces be fighting each other? _He wondered. He knew that the Redler was the personal machine of one of their top pilots, which made him wonder which side they were on. _Of course, it would benefit Levisha to get rid of anyone else who could have a claim to the Red Claw's leadership... Maybe that's what she's doing; she's taking the Claw for herself. She doesn't want to share power any more. _It fit with what he remembered of Jenice's second.

A beep from his sensors caught his attention. "Guys, we've got company." He called out over the channel. "Single, large airborne Zoid, directly behind us and closing in fast."

"Any idea what it is?" Leanne asked.

"No. But, hazarding a guess, I'd say its one of those monstrosities we saw in the city." He offered. "Which doesn't help at all." He glanced over the sensors. "It's still closing... I'd say it's definitely after us."

The Zoid appeared on the horizon behind them, a sinister mass of ill-fitting components formed into a twisted beast. Jaws open and lances outstretched, the machine left no questions as to its intentions as it closed in. The Cannon on its flank opened fire, spitting shots at their Zoids.

"What do we do?" Rayvenne asked. "Stand and fight?"

"No." Jason stated. "It's vital that we get back to Floyd and Ali. They need to know what's going on." He opened fire with the Godos' back-mounted cannons, trying to get off a shot as the machine approached. Several shots went past it, another one bouncing off the Zoid's side. "Damn, that thing isn't even slowing down."

The Chimera opened fire again, this time the shot clipping the side of the Godos, ripping through its right leg. The Zoid stumbled as red lights flashed on the warning panels, indicating to Jason that the limb was heavily damaged. Snarling, he opened fire again with the rear cannons, this time his shots struck home; however, if they damaged the enemy machine, it didn't seem to acknowledge it.

"Get out of here! Now!" He yelled as the Chimera crashed down on the Godos, bearing it down to the desert floor with a bone-jarring thud. Thrown around the cockpit, he only had a moment to register what had happened before a second shock hit him. With a feral scream, the Chimera slammed into his Zoid with its massive fists, smashing into its weakly-armoured back. More and more warning lights came on as the Zoid;'s systems failed under the force of the assault.

"Damn it!" He yelled as he pulled the canopy release leaver. Taking his chances, he released the safety harness, dropping out of the cockpit onto the grass below. Behind him, the Chimera fastened its scissor-like pincers around the Zoid, then reared back, ripping the Godos' upper body off from the lower. Jason scurried away as the Chimera discarded the ruined Zoid's body, the wreckage crashing to the ground near him.

Turning back, he saw Leanne and Rayvenne's Zoids tuning around, coming back towards the Dragon. "Go away!" he yelled out. "Get the hell out of here!"

"Forget that, Jase." Rayvenne called back. "I ain't gonna abandon you." The Leoblaze charged forwards, heading straight for the sinister Zoid. Sensing its approach, the Chimera turned towards it and opened fire with its cannons, spraying shots at the smaller Zoid. In response, the Leoblaze's shield flared to life, the shots bouncing off it as it charged.

The Chimera turned to face its smaller foe as the Leoblaze disengaged its shields and leaped at the Zoid, its strike laser claws tracing brilliant golden arcs through the air. However, the Chimera Dragon was ready for it, swinging at the Leolbaze and casually battering it aside with one of its huge fists. Swatted, the Leoblaze crashed to the ground, rolling over before regaining its footing.

With a loud hiss, Leanne's Rev Rapter charged forwards, managing to weave its way past several shots thrown at it by the larger machine. Surging ahead, the Rapter swing around with its sickle-like to claw, trying to dig it into the Dragon's side. Instead, the machine blocked with one of its shell-like armoured shoulders, blocking the attack. The Zoid swing around, proving to be surprisingly flexible for its size, and slammed Leanne's Raprer in the side with one of its lances.

As Leanne's machine regained its footing, the Zoid surged ahead, spearing the Raprter through one of its legs. The Zoid ripped the lance free, shredding through the Rapter's limb and sending it crashing to the ground. The damaged Zoid struggled to regain its flooring, only to be blasted at near-point blank range by the Zoid's cannon.

There was a sudden explosion, the Chimera Zoid rocking as flames and smoke erupted from behind its head. The Zoid turned, looking up at a nearby ridge before it burst into a run, seemingly forgetting Leanne's Zoid. As it charged forwards, however, there was a loud, high-pitched whistle. Shells rained down from the sky, slamming into the machine as it tried to run. Thrown around and battered, the Zoid continued its advance nonetheless.

_What the hell is that thing? _He wondered. _How could it keep going through that? _Any sane pilot would have tried to escape or break away under that sort of bombardment. Instead, that... thing had kept going, regardless. _Floyd had said they Chimeras were unmanned... maybe this is something like them._

His communicator beeped. "What in the heck is going on?" Leanne asked.

"I'm not sure." He replied. "But I think that it's Ali and Floyd." The rain of shells could be from the Darkhorn's artillery cannon, he figured. Right now, he figured, he'd be happy to even see Thorne; as hostile as the Blackstar pilot could be, she at least was on his side.

A loud screech interrupted his thoughts. A purple Redler swooped down, opening fire on the battered dragon with its wing-mounted cannons. Shots pounded into its back, ripping into the armour but not bringing the machine down. A second Zoid joined the fray, a Helrunner dashing past the machine's flank, pouring fire into its side and back from its gattling cannon. The Zoid bellowed out as it was pummeled by fire, but continued to advance. Only after another rain of shells did it finally stop, collapsing into a twisted pile of wreckage.

A Snipe Master advanced down the slope, while behind it Jason could see a pair of Cannon Tortoises. The Redler hovered in place above him, looking down on the battlefield. "You guys okay?" the sniper pilot called out, Jason instantly recongising his voice. "We didn't think anyone got away from those things." It was Drake Tach, up until recently, one of the Claw's top pilots.

They had been saved from one group of their enemies by another.

oOoOo

The first Jenice knew of what was going on was the sound of explosions from outside. Glancing out her window, she saw the clouds of smoke rising from the barracks facility, and immediately assumed it was an attack. _So they have come for me, _she grimly thought as she stood, marching out of her office. _I had not expected it to be so soon._

She'd seen Zygra's televised statement, and realised what it meant. She didn't underestimate the ability of the Drakken Army or its capabilities; nod did she have any illusions about the Red Claw's capabilities and how long they would last against a larger, better armed and better trained army. Her triumph against Zygra had been largely due to a combination of two things, Sturm's knowledge of the inner workings of their armed forces, and the shock value of the Gungyarados. She felt safe to assume that the Drakken army were ready for both.

_This may be an early attack, possibly a surgical strike to weaken our forces before the main offensive push. I should have expected as such. That they came while Sturm was away from the city indicates they may have an agent here; something I should have anticipated. _Leaving the office, she activated her communicator. "Towne, this is Jenice. What's the situation?" She demanded.

There was no reply, the line instead hissing with static. _They couldn't have gotten her, could they? _It was a worrying thought, but she dismissed it instantly, instead trying a different line. "Gwen, come in." She began, but again got no reply. "Drake, are you there?" Still no answer. "Bart?"

"Commander!" Bart called out, a panicked tone in his voice. "You're alive, thank god!"

"What is going, Bart?" She demanded, remaining clam as she continued to stalk through the palace. She signaled to a pair of guards who followed after her.

"Those... things!" He called out. "Those Chimera things that Levisha controls, they all went nuts!" He babbled.

She furrowed her brow, more angry at Bart's inability to put together a coherent sentence then anyhtign else. "What do you mean they 'went nuts'?" She asked. "Tell me what is going on."

"Those... things suddenly activated and they sortja combined to form bigger Zoids and then they attacked the barracks and now there are other Zoids of ours following them up and somebody started shooting at Gwen and-"

"Bart!" She snapped. "Control yourself. Stay calm and keep hidden. I will deal with this myself."

As she reached the lift down to the ground level, she considered the options. _Levisha is the only one who can control those Zoids. What Bart described indicates that they are acting in a coordinated fashion... and that she has turned them on us. _She clenched her fist. _But why? Levisha has been my most loyal and dedicated agent. There has to be something more at play here._

She stepped out of the elevator, marching towards the Zoid compound they had set up at the back of the palace where her Descat would be waiting. _And, if it is her, then she will have expected me to come here. But I have no choice. _She stepped out into the compound, the two soldiers behind her. _Yet I do have one weapon left._

The sight before her confirmed her suspicions. Her Descat was there, untouched as of yet. However, between it and her were a pair of Zoids; Levisha's Lord Gale and a machine she recognised as a Chimera Dragon, the combined form of the Chimera Zoids they had been using to such devastating effect. The Chimera Dragon was said to be an unstoppable killing machine that destroyed all around it; however, the one here looked to be completely under Levisha's control.

"Commander." Levisha began, calmly, speaking over her Zoid's PA system. "I regret that it has come to this. I would ask that you surrender to me now, and we can end this peacefully."

"Why should I do that, Towne?" She demanded. "Why should I just step aside and let you destroy all I have created?"

"Because it is in your interest to do such." Towne stated. "Because you have far more value then a simple revolutionary or would be Empress. Your value is to the entire world."

"Stop talking in riddles, Towne." Jenice demanded. "Explain to me what is going on."

"It is simple." She stated. "The Red Claw is no longer of any use to me. You, however, are. Therefore, I will protect you from what would otherwise be inevitable, while leaving the Red Claw to its final ends."

A black shadow passed overhead, Jenice glancing up at it as it went. _The Gungyarados. Sturm has returned. _She smiled to herself as she looked back at the Lord Gale, then pressed her communicator. "Sturm, this is Jenice."

"What is going on, commander?" He asked. "I lost all contact with the Claw, and then I return to fight the city ablaze."

"Levisha has launched her own coup." She explained. "She has tried to use the Chimera Zoids to take control of the claw and eliminate those not loyal to her personally. I am being held hostage by her outside the place."

"Did she say why?"

"She claims that she no longer needs the Red Claw, but does need me." Jenice finished.

"I see." He concluded. "I will be there shortly."

Jencie closed the link, then turned back to the Lord Gale. "Levisha, I demand that you surrender now and withdraw your troops. You have been a great asset to me, and I would hate to see you killed because of this mistake. However, if you do not comply, I will be forced to act. Do you understand me?"

"I do." She replied, the Lord Gale nodding towards her. "I regret that it has come to this, Jenice. However, you will see that this was necessary."

"Selling me out to the Drakken Empire to save yourself?" She asked. "It doesn't seem your style, Levisha. But then it appears that I have misjudged you, as it is the only reason I can see for you to have done this."

"Then you have misjudged me again." Levisha stated. "I do not care for the Drakken Empire any more then you do. And I would never, ever give you over to them. You are far more vital to my cause then that."

"Your cause?"

"Yes-" Levisha began, but was cut off by the roar of engines. The Gungyarados swooped down, coming to a rest behind the Lord Gale The Zoid bellowed, then reared up in its bipedal land battle mode.

"Levisha, I ask you that you surrender now." Jenice stated again. "Otherwise, I will order Paladin Trogdor to destroy you."

"I understand." She replied, the Lord Gale stepping aside, the Chimera Dragon accompanying it. Instead, the Gungyarados stepped forwards.

"Commander." Sturm began. "I understand what has happened here."

"Thank You, Paladin Trogdor." Jencie replied.

"And that is why I will also ask you to surrender now."

oOoOo

Well across the Empire, completely unwire of the events going on in Gayos, Floyd, Althiea and Thorne's Zoids made their way through a narrow canyon. They had been following a long, winding path for nearly a week now, Floyd leading them towards his base of operations. After their run in with the unseen (and still unidentified) surveillance unit, he had decided that caution was their best option; after all, the last thing he wanted was anyone discovering his base.

Thorne had complained, stating that she could simply destroy anything that got in their way. He'd pointed out in reply that all she would do was ensure there was a bigger reception for them when they reached their destination. The argument had gone back and forth until Althiea had stated that she would follow Floyd's lead. Oddly enough, Thorne had then stopped arguing and agreed with him.

The result had been a long and slow journey through rugged mountains and narrow canyons. While Althiea's Iron Kong was built for this sort of conditions, and Thorne's Darkhorn also seemed to handle them well, the Gustav had proven to be very poorly adept at them which had further slowed them down.

Pausing a moment, they looked down at the small valley where Floyd's hangar was hidden. "Not too long now." He commented. "So let's get moving." The Gustav turned and headed off, clanking as it went.

"Thorne, can I ask you a question?" Althiea began as they set off after his Zoid.

"What is it?" Shed began, warily.

"Why haven't the Blackstar's done anything about the Red Claw?" She spoke up. "We saw that broadcast by Zygra earlier, if he was willing to go to the Empire for help, why not to you?"

"Because officially we are a neutral independent power." Thorne stared. "But more specifically, we do not care what happens to the Empire."

"I don't follow you." She countered. "Why don't you?"

"it is simple." Thorne explained. "All we wish is to continue our existence without being involved in the affairs of the outside world. Zygra understood and respected that; his Empire never tried to meddle in our affairs. At the same time, we did the same for them. We left each other alone, respecting each other's privacy, so to speak."

"But you were involved with the Red Claw."

"Our leaders saw the Red Claw as a potential threat." She stated, flatly.

"Why was that?" Althiea asked. "They never attacked your people-"

"I cannot say." She stated. "But the policy appears to be reversed now. They probably just accept the Claw as the new leadership of the Empire. And, as long as the claw makes no hostile moves against them, they won't care for it. If the Claw is destroyed and Zygra restored, then we are similarly advantaged."

"And if the Drakken Empire takes over?" She asked. Thorne didn't reply. "Thorne?"

"The, uh, Blackstars have a 'special agreement' with the Draks." Floyd butted in. "Just so you know."

"I see..." She trailed off, glancing around. "Did you just hear something?"

"Nooo... should I have?" He asked.

"I thought I heard something." She offered. "It was... a voice distant, far away... but I thought I heard it."

The Gustav stopped, its radar antenna twitching. "I'm not getting anything here. Thorne?"

Her Darkhorn raised its head, the antennas twitching. "I'm getting some faint returns; It's too much to be clutter but still... I'm not sure what it is."

"How so?"

"its like nothing that matches to known sensor profiles." She offered. "My systems can't interpret the data."

"Althiea!" Floyd called back, knowing to trust her strange hunches. "Where's this coming from?"

"I don't know." She answered, trying not to panic. "All around me, I think...I can't say where exactly it is." She concentrated for a moment. "No, there's more of them."

"What are they like?" Floyd asked.

"What kind of a question is that?" Thorne snapped.

"Thorne, shut up." He replied. "Althiea?"

"Hold on..." She tried to focus, to pick out words from the gibberish running through her mind.

_...epz-02 iron kong gorilla type modified profile to pk standards... extreme hostile threat situation... query continue (y/n)... live confirmation of enemy object... asset acquisition protocol initiated... confirm systems configuration... terminate process until query confirmation..._

"I don't know." She stated. "They're cold, mechanical... almost alien. It's not a Zoid, at least, not like any I've encountered before."

"Careful." Floyd stated. "Something's going on-" He was cut off as a ball of flame struck the ground in front of his Zoid, erupting into an explosion that rained dirt and pebbles down on his machine's shell. "Flaming hell!"

"I order you to stand down now." A voice called out from further down the canyon. "Deactivate your machines and step out of them or else we will open fire."

"Who are you?" Thorne began. "By what authority do you presume order us?"

There was a roar, similar to those produced by larger Zoids; at the same time, however, it had an eerie, hollow tone to it. A form emerged through the smoke at the end of the valley, stalking towards them. Its size and shape was similar to that of a Genosaurer, but its form was completely different. It was far narrower, with a body that could only be described as skeletal; its body appeared to be made up of the bones of an animal, somehow animated into life. A brilliant red orb was imbedded in its chest, while its red eyes had a flame-like tone. The body was silver, with a dull red structure that seemed to support it. While it had no obvious weapons, its claws and fangs were wickedly sharp, while its narrow head was clearly too small to accommodate a pilot.

"Surrender now." The voice continued, not coming form the strange Zoid that was approaching them. "And you will not be harmed."

"Never!" Thorne shouted.

"Um, I think it may be a good idea to discuss this." Floyd spoke up. "We have no idea of the capabilities of this machine, nor do we know about their numbers or situation."

"They are clearly hostile." She stared. "And such hostility must be met in force."

The Darkhorn bellowed as the Hibilt Balkan cannon roared to life, spitting a stream of green energy pulses at the approaching Zoid. However, to Thorne's disbelief, the shots simply deflected away form the Zoid with no apparent ill-effect. "What in the name of-" She began, then brought the Hyperbeam cannon to bear. The massive weapon discharged, the beam striking the enemy Zoid square in the chest. The machine remained unphased, however, the beam dissipating with no other effect.

"All units!" The voice called out. "Attack!"

The landscape around them erupted into life as more Zoids appeared around them. Similar into design to the first one, they took other forms; some resembled smaller Raptor types, while others appeared to be Triceratops types. Like the first attacker, they did not seem to posess ranged weapons.

Two of the Triceratops Zoids bellowed as they charged forwards, heading straight to Floyd's Zoid. Their horns smashed into the Gustav's flank, shaking the Zoid on its base. The pair of them bellowed, then roared as they raised their head,s flipping the Gustav over onto its side. The Zoid rilled over, its wheels and antennas flailing ineffectually.

"Floyd!" Altheia called out, then was cut off as a volley of shots slammed into her Zoid's body. Several of the Raptors unleasehed foreballs form their maw, the shots blasting into the Iron Kong's body. She swung around, opening fire on one of them with the Pulse Cannons. The shots seemed to have little effect, washing off the Zoid's armour like water.

The large red Zoid opened fire on the Darkhorn with its own flame weapon, the shot hitting Thorne's Zoid in its face The Blackstar pilot let out a surprised scream as her machine staggered back, the area over its canopy blackened and scorched by the flames. Her Zoid bellowed, firing blindly with the beam weapons at its attacker; however the shots continued to bounce off ineffectually.

"Floyd!" she called out. "What are these... things?"

"I have no idea, actually." He replied, a surprisingly casual tone in his voice. "But its making for a fascinating study from where I'm sitting."

One of the smaller Zoids surged forwards, its claws slicing into the amour over the Kong's forearm, leaving surprisingly deep gashes. A second one lunged at her, Althiea only just jerking backwards as it sliced at her. In response, her Zoid swung around with one of its massive fists, slamming into the enemy machine's side. The result was somewhat unexpected. The Zoid's body crumpled and cracked, the red frame dissolving as if it was melting. In the end, only a few scraps of the skeletal armour remained, clattering to the ground.

"What... what was that?" She asked herself.

"Fascinating." Floyd replied. "The Zoid dissolved upon destruction of its- Behind you!"

Althiea's Kong spun around as one of the Triceratops-like machines lunged at her. Again she swung at it, smashing the fist into its face. The enemy machine staggered back, its head a twisted mess, but remained standing. The second barged past it, ramming its long horns into the Iron Kong's flank, ripping through the thick armour. Angry red lights flashed up on the systems status board as she tried to pull her Zoid free of its attacker.

The Iron Kong smashed both its fists down on the machine's back, crushing its body underneath it. Again, as the bones snapped and shattered the Zoid's actual body dissolved, melting away as if it had never existed. She only had a moment to observe, however, as several of the smaller Raptors leaped at her, hissing and snarling.

"They've vulnerable to melee weapons!" She called out as the enemy Zoids trued to crab onto her.

Thorne turned for a second, only to have her Zoid caught in the side by the damaged Triceratops. The Darkhorn staggered, then was again blasted by a hail of fire from the larger attacker. The flames singed its amour and systems, but the Darkhorn remained standing despite the assault.

A Raptor grabbed onto the Iron Kong's back, sinking its claws into the flight pack. Altheia reached for it, but was unable to pry it off. Another one grabbed onto her Zoid's hip, trying to shred the damaged armour. The Kong seized it, grabbing it in its massive hand before throwing it away. To her surprise, the Zoid managed to roll through its landing and come out upright, then charge back in. "So they're very agile as well." Floyd commented. "This will be useful in future."

"Damn you, Glass!" Thorne yelled, rage colouring her voice. "Will you stop talking and do something?"

"As much as I would love to, my dear, my situation prevents it." He calmly replied. "Unless someone is kind enough to flip my Zoid back, I have little I can do aside from gather data."

"Damn it..." She snarled as her Darkhorn lashed out with its tail, narrowly missing the wounded Triceratops type. Another burst of flame seared her damaged flank, again drawing her attention. "Fine. I'll deal with you first." The Darkhorn charged forwards, bellowing as it lunged at its bizarre attacker. The Zoid thrust upwards, its twin horns impaling into its belly, ripping through its structure. "There..." She snarled. "How do you... the hell?"

For a moment she got a glimpse of something inside the Zoid's ruined structure. Standing in a spherical cavity in its chest was a figure that, while humanoid, was clearly not human. it had a spherical torso amounted atop stubby legs, while its arms were little more then tubes ending with three primitive claws. Its head was a ball on the end of a thick neck, featureless save for a trio of red eyes.

"It's a robot..." She gasped before the Zoid, complete with its pilot, dissolved around her. "They're piloted by robots."

A brilliant yellow beam seared into the ground between her and Floyd's Zoids, carving through the rock. While it didn't hit either of them, it made it abundantly clear that, had it dun so, it could have destroyed them straight out. Turning, the three of them saw their attacker; a black and purple, skeletal Tyrannosaur Zoid, bigger then any of the others they had encountered.

"Now." He stated. "I suggest that you surrender or else I will destroy you all."

Althiea anxiously glanced at Thorne's Zoid, not because she was concerned over her health, but because she was worried that the Blackstar would do something that would get them all killed. However, to her surprise, she opened her Zoid's cockpit and stood, her hands in the air. "Very well." Thorne stated. "We surrender."

oOoOo

The commander sat back as he surveyed a trio of monitors, analyzing the situation. "So, Jenice is in our custody. Glass and Althiea are also in our custody. And fighting has broken out between the Drakken and Zygra forces." He nodded to Jaeger, who stood next to him. "All has gone according to plan."

He bought up another display, showing the planet's orbit, tracking various objects as they moved through space. "And there is one final piece to put into place." He finished. "And when it arrives, then we will reshape this world in our image."


	38. Chain of Memories

Following her arrest, Jenice had been bundled into a two-seat trainer Pegasuros. Piloted by an anonymous Red Claw pilot she didn't recongise, the machine had headed south along with Levisha, Sturm and a couple of the Chimera Dragons. Levisha hadn't said where they were headed, just instructed for all parties involved - Trogdor included - to follow her lead. She hadn't offered any resistance; partially because she was cuffed, and partially because she wished to know exactly what it was that her former second and most trusted aide had in mind.

They'd flown for several hours, traveling on an elusive path that avoided contact with any population centers, troop movements or anything else. Clearly, Levisha was going out of her way to make sure that nobody saw them or could report their location. She didn't seem overly concerned about how long it was taking, as long as there were no complications. Levisha found this particularly interesting; with the Gungyarados, they could hypothetically destroy any opposition they encountered.

Eventually they broke course and swooped down, heading towards a bent canyon. Initially, Jenice could see no reason for them to be here of all places, but then she saw something. There was a derelict Whale King lying at the end of the canyon, a wrecked machine that looked to have been there for at least a century. The group of Zoids landed in front of it, marching and rolling inside its gaping maw.

Initially, its interior matched to its outside; a decrepit, half-rusted mess of junk components that had long ago ceased functioning. However, their Zoids moved onto a loading elevator that seemed to be just as inoperable as all else around it. To her surprise, the lift then began to _descend, _heading through what should have been the floor of the Whale King and into the ground.

She gasped at what she saw. Concealed below the ship was a subterranean complex, the likes of which she had never seen before. Massive hangers dominated her initial view of it; while largely empty, she could see rows of equipment that seemed to be far more advanced then any she had encountered so far.

The Zoids stepped off the elevator and into the hanger, where a group of people were waiting. Sturm and Levisha stepped out of their machines, the pilot of the Pegasuros indicating for Jenice to do the same. With a mixture of apprehension and curiosity, she complied, stepping forward to the group.

Four of their five were anonymous figures, a mixture of male and female. They were dressed in form-fitting, sleek high-tech uniforms that she didn't recongise, the lower halves of their faces covered in masks while their heads were shaved. All four carried rifles of a design she couldn't identify. Between them was a tall man who looked to be in his seventies; he was unremarkable, save for his face. The right half of it was a twisted mass of scars, while the eye and part of the surrounding area had been replaced with cybernetic components.

He turned to Levisha. "Thank you for all you have done, Fourty-Two." He stated. "And this must be Paladin Trogdor. I have heard a lot about you; your dedication to our cause is admirable, even if you have only met one of our followers."

Sturm nodded to the man. "I thank you, sir. I believe that you and I have the same aims. From what Levisha described, your... orgnaisation represents the best way to achieve those."

"Naturally." He nodded, then turned back to Jenice. "And you are Jencie, the creator of the Red Claw." He bowed to her. "Please forgive the methods we used to bring you here but they were necessary."

"Why?" She demanded. "Why have you destroyed my organisation and abducted me? Who are you, and what is it you want with me?"

"We want to create a better future, Jenice." He explained. "Not only for you, but for all mankind. And you are a key part of that."

oOoOo

**Chain of Memories**

oOoOo

In its shift form being a slave colony to a base of operations for the Zygra resistance movement, Gayos had grown and changed dramatically during the war. The year since the end of that conflict had seen it further altered as the city had begun to change for its new role, that of a national; government.

Much of it at the moment was a mess of half-constructed buildings interspersed with temporary buildings, ones that had to serve all manner of differnt roles. One of them (Actually a collection of several quickform buildings that had been stuck together) was the temporary parliament form which the fledgling Zygra government was being run. Drawn from representatives from across the nation, the senate was the key part of the democratic state that Zygra himself was hoping to build.

A hope that was quickly fading.

Zygra walked into his makeshift office, Dezalg behind him. "I don't believe this." He began as he took off his jacket, then sat down behind his desk. It was a barely-contained mess of papers, covered with all manner of vital documents. "I just don't believe it."

"Well, it's happened." Dezalg offered. "I wish I could change it but..." he shook his head.

"After all that has happened... I have to wonder how they could do this." He continued. "I know some of those people, Dezalg. Not just as fellow members of government, but as friends and allies. I worked ad fought alongside some of them during the war."

"As did I." Dezalg added. "And I even I couldn't expect this."

"Its just unbelievable." He shook his head. "Why would they do this, Hermann? Why would they take a chance at democracy and then abandon it?"

"Because they think that you are the best leader that they could have." He offered. "And, more to the point, they think that the best way to ensure stability and prosperity for your new nation would be to have a supreme monarch."

"And they saw what happened when you have dictatorships running things." He countered. "And yet, they chose this path."

"The Senate represents the will of the people, Zygra." Dezalg offered. "And your people want you to be their leader. Maybe it's only temporary. Maybe they think we're not yet strong enough to go through the mess of having a full election. Maybe they'll get sick of it and decide to have a glorious people's uprising." He opened a small cabinet, pulling out a bottle. "Drink?"

"Thanks." Zygra replied. "I suppose so. It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Government seems to be like that." Dezalg continued as he paused a glass for each of them. "But what are you going to do? Maybe you can use this as a way to push through all that you wanted to do anyway. Then, after, I dunno, five years or whenever things are stable or when you feel you've managed to shape this nation into what you want, you can hold a referendum on getting rid of the Emperor. And you'll find that, now that the people are happy with the way things are going, they'll be glad to see the end of you."

He took a sip from his drink. "I suppose so... I guess there are some advantages to the situation."

"Of course. And if all else fails, you could retire by royal degree."

"I suppose so." He added with a laugh. "Still... there is one thing that I will do now that I am apparently going to be an emperor."

"Which is?"

"Appoint a leader for my new armed forces." He continued. "And I know a man who would be perfect for the role." He glanced up at Dezalg.

Hermann nodded. "I would be honoured."

"Thank you." Zygra replied with a rare smile. "I have some rather... radical ideas for our army, Hermann. And I'd appreciate your hand to guide them."

"Do tell."

He nodded. "A part of what I am planning relates to my ideal of downsizing our military. I have this... plan to basically institute a form of nabilty in the army. Make our Zoid pilots into knights and such. I want to present the idea that piloting a Zoid is more of an honor, a place of prestige and responsibility rather then just a job."

"It's a tall order." Dezalg replied. "And it is not going to be easy."

"I understand that." He agreed. "But that's why I want you to do this. You're my oldest ally, Hermann, and my best friend. You've been by my side since the start, and I know that you could do this. While there are others who I think that would be good for such a role, none of them have quite your experience, nor the entirety of my confidence."

"It thank you for that but... I'm still rather young. There's people about that have been piloting Zoids almost as long as I've been alive, of not more. And I know that many of them support you."

"I know who you're talking about, Dezalg. You don't need to mess about."

"Oh?" He asked. "You offered the position to her?"

"Not the position, but..." he shook his head. "I offered her one of the top spots. Basically, she would have been your second had she accepted."

"And she didn't?"

"No." He shook his head. "She said that she was tired of fighting, or words to that effect. I can't say I blame her."

"Or words to that effect?" He raised a brow. "Sandra Blackmore would never say something so succinct or to the point."

"True. I'll let you figure the rest of it, though." he took a large swing from his drink. "Well, here I am, Emperor of a nation that I don't want to have an emperor."

"Could be worse." Dezalg offered. "The senate could have voted to dissolve themselves."

"I suppose." He shrugged. "I notice that Myrinda has made no effort to reinstitute the Drakken senate thus far."

"So there you go. We're at least one level of responsibility ahead of our opponents." Dezalg added, and laughed.

Zygra nodded. "This is a strange new world we're entering into, Hermann. A very strange one indeed."

oOoOo

Despite the bustle of all the construction work, and the flow of people into the rapidly growing city, the areas around Zygra were relatively calm and quiet still. An area of wide, rolling grasslands, the Gayos environs had been earmarked for agricultural use after the completion of the city, converted to feed a rapidly growing populace. But that was for the future. Right now, they were a quirt, peaceful place where one could, even if monetarily, escape the bustle of the growing city below.

A pair of figures walked through the field, casually strolling but not talking. Both were tall, but rather different in appended. The first, a man, was slim, with a weathered face crowned with long grey-black hair. His attire was simple; a grey jumpsuit that covered most of his pale skin. The woman next to him was attractive, her features lightly lined with age. Her eyes were green, while her long, thick black hair had only a few silver streaks that seemed less to make her look older, but more to make her seem more distinguished.

"Well?" She asked. "What is it you wanted to show me, Pants?"

"This, Reven." he replied. "Look around you and tell me what you see."

"Um... grass." She replied, flatly. "Lots and lots of grass, yes."

"So oyu understand what this means, don't you?"

"That... there is lots of grass here." She stated. "And you bought me all the way out here to show me it. Whoopee."

Pants shook his head. "Before the war, this was all desert. There was nothing here but rocks and sand with the odd patch of scrub. Now look at it."

Reven looked around. "Yes, Pants. There is a lot of grass. Your point being?"

"Aren't you curious as to how this happened?" He asked. "Don't you wonder how it is that barren desert could be transformed into fertile grasslands in the space of a couple of decades?"

"Not really, no." She Casually stated, a dismissive tone in her voice. "I mean, its all climate change and stuff caused by all the nuclear bombs anyway."

"It's not just that, Reven." He continued. "This land has been _altered. _Somebody has deliberately changed it, trying to transform it from desert into usable land. This is more then mere climate change; this is an attempt to restructure the world."

"Okay, so it is. Fine." She shrugged, admitting defeat. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Can you feel it?" He asked. "Can you feel what has been done to this land?"

"Here we go again, Pants." She sighed. "I keep telling you I don't have any stupid mumbo-jumbo powers."

"But you do. We all know that." He stated. "Now... I want to prove this to you." he pulled off his boots, revealing his bare feet. Standing next to her, he dug his toes into the ground, wiggling them in amongst the soil. "There. Like this, you can actually _feel _the land. It's alive, Reven. It's actually alive." He turned to her, smiling. "Try it. Please."

She sighed. "I can't argue with you when you do puppy-dog eyes." She shook her head, admitting defeat. "All right." Leaning on him, she removed her boots and socks. "I just can't believe I'm doing this."

Digging her feet in, Reven sighed again to herself. Pants was always asking her to do silly things like this; poke Zoid cores, talk to machines, intimately fondle some Hydra artifact... If he had a hard-on for her, he should just out and say it. Usually she just came away from these sessions with a headache and a declaration never to speak to him again. Of course, she always did; it was impossible to stay mad at him.

She dug her toes into the soil like he had and concentrated. Breathing deeply, she did begin to feel something; a vague, tingling sensation in her feet. Not the amazing revelation that Pants had promised, certainly. "Yes, I feel it. And I have dirty feet to boot. Now can you please explain the point of all this?"

He turned to her and nodded. "It is simple, Reven. I need your help."

"My help?" She asked, somewhat incredulously. "What can I do for you?" She had no idea about all the technical crap that Panrts did. if asked, she would have gladly admitted that she had no idea about anything technical or scientific. Sure she was beautiful, charming, witty, gracefully aged and a skilled pilot but... she couldn't do all this science stuff.

"Yes, Reven." He explained. "We know that the population has fallen." An understatement to say the least. Figures were still being collated, but it had been estimated that as much as half the pre-war population may be dead. "But amongst... my people the decline is more severe. I've heard that ninety-eight percent of them may be dead... and those that remain do not practice their arts for fear of persecution."

"And?"

"Reven, you are one of them." He continued. "You may be the last of them aside from me. Certainly, you're one of the few who are happy to remain open about what you are." Which was mainly because she had no idea at all. "I need your help. I want to preserve all that I can; our knowledge, our lore, our skills, our technology... all this will be lost if we do not work together. If you become my student, then we can continue our traditions. I teach you, you teach someone else, thy teach someone else again..." He smiled. "We can make a future for our people, Reven."

"I..." She sighed. "I can't, Pants." She was constantly brushing people off, usually with a blunt, straight-out putdown. This was different. "I... I just can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I have no technical skills at all." She stated. "And these... powers you say I have... I don't have them or if they do, they're too weak to be of any use. And I'm... middle aged. I'm too old to learn something new. I'm fourty-nine, Pants." (Not quite true. She'd celebrated her fourty-ninth birthday several times now) "I've got a daughter. She's about to give me a granddaughter. I..." She shrugged. "I just can't. Really."

"But..."

"I'm sorry, Pants." She finished. "This... it's not me. It's not something I can do." She picked up her boots and walked off. "I'm sorry. I hope you find someone... else."

"I see. It's okay." Pants nodded slowly as he watched his future walk away.

oOoOo

In spite of all that had happened, the town of Bed Springs had managed to come out of twenty years of conflict relatively unscathed. The town had been the site of minor fighting during the initial Hydra takeover, but since then had managed to avoid any conflict. Hydra's forces had simply up and abandoned it during their withdrawal, seeing it as having no value and not being worth fighting over.

More damaged had been done through wear and neglect the anything else. The town's infrastructure, never a strong point, was on the verge of collapse. Buildings were decrepit and falling apart, water was rare and power failed regularly. It had been earmarked for improvement and reconstruction, however, there were a lot of other communities in similar shape. As a result, Sandra didn't hold out much hope of things getting better anytime soon.

Of course, the town's falling apart was far from the only thing she had to deal with. There was so much else that needed to be done, both here and elsewhere in the Empire. She had been constantly badgered by Zygra to take a position in his army. Each time, she had turned him down, saying that she'd had enough of fighting. But, in the last month, that had been the least of her concerns.

A month ago, Victoria Hagen had gone missing.

She'd simply vanished one evening while out walking. Her Zoid was still there, and nobody had ever found any signs of an attack or other struggle. It was like she had simply vanished off the face of the planet. Of course, Sandra was not one to accept such a conclusion, especially not where Victoria was concerned. She, and her friends and associates, had spent the last month scouring for anything that could suggest to her whereabouts. Instead, they had come up with nothing.

Sandra rubbed her good eye as she looked over the information she had gathered for the zillionth time. _Nothing at all, _she thought to herself. _Frell it, this isn't getting me anywhere. _She had to get up, clear hear head and maybe just take a break for a bit. She stood, and was about to leave their house when there was a knock at the door.

She warily walked over to it, keeping a gun at the ready just in case. Some might have called her paranoid for doing such; she just called it "common sense." Pausing a moment, she slowly opened the door, ready to leap if needs be.

Instead, she was surprised by who she saw there. A pair of figures who couldn't have looked too much different. Victoria Hagen was one of them; she looked a little tired, but otherwise appeared to be fine, as if she had only stepped out for a minute. Sandra was so shocked to see her friend there, that she could have overlooked the second; or rather would have, if it had been anyone else.

Rose O'Bannon had worn the last two decades well. Whereas Sandra's face was lined, her hair grey and her scars deeper, Rose looked to be only a few years older then when Sandra had first met her. At the same time, she also looked a lot older; her long red hair had been clipped back to shoulder length, and she seemed to have a tired, almost weary step to her formal stance. Sandra hadn't expected to see her; principally because she hadn't expected to ever seer a Zemalyan instead. All contact with them had been lost over five years ago, whereas some satellite photos showed heavy cratering in the area of the Dark Continent where their city was.

"Victoria?" Sandra began, momentarily avoiding looking at the other woman. "Are you..."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Victoria replied, almost dismissively. "Yeah, I'm just a bit tired, really."

Sandra nodded. "Of course. Look, um..." She stepped out of the doorway, allowing her past. "You go inside, okay? And sit down, get yourself something."

Victoria nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Sandra." She spoke up. "Just be a minute." She casually stepped past the older woman, slipping into the living room.

The instant Victoria was gone, Sandra turned to rose, a look of unrestrained anger on her face. "Okay, Toolbox. You have a minute to tell me what the frel you did to her and then I will kill you. Do you understand me?"

"Of course." Rose replied, no trace of her usual confident tone in her voice. Instead, she sounded almost defeated. "But at least let me say my piece."

"Go on." Sandra growled.

Rose sighed, looking away from Sandra. "We found her with a Hydra splinter group. They... they were trying to get into our city, and use her to reactivate that thing. It was some sort of death-or-glory last stand. We managed to rescue her, though." Rose offered. "She's fine, really. Just a bit shook up."

"Right." Sandra muttered. 'Hydra Splinter Group' was becoming the newest excuse for everything; they seemed to be cropping up all over the place. At the same time, however, she couldn't completely doubt Rose's words; one such group had recently attacked them, severely wounding Anna. As much as she wanted to brush Rose aside, there was every chance she was telling the truth. _So why not send Sel to do this? _She wondered. _They know I'd believe her far more readily. _

"'course, it wouldn't have done them any good." Rose continued. "That thing's dead, Sandra. It and everything else."

"I..." Sandra's fierce expression faded. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine." Rose shook her head. "I, well... I wanted to do everything I could to bring her back to you, Sandra. I know she means al to to you, being her best friend and all that and, well... yeah."

"Rose?" Sandra asked, genuine concern in her voice. "Are you..."

She sighed. "One of my daughters is thrilled that she's going to be able to join the last ever generation of Zemalyans. The other utterly loathes and despises me because she can't be one of the last generation of Zemalyans. Either way, it doesn't matter." She shook her head. "Sel... Sel and Matt are good. They send their regards and wish they could be here but... duties and all."

"No, I understand."

"I'm sorry, Sandra, really I am. I... I should go."

Sandra nodded sadly. "Sure. Please, tell them... tell them I miss them, okay?"

"I will." Rose finished then turned. "Sandra... can you do one thing for me?"

"What?"

"Please, please leave this town. You, your friends... anyone you value or care for. Get them out of here." She finished. "I'm sorry. Really I am." She walked off, not looking back.

_That's why you came instead of Sel, _Sandra thought. _Because Sel would have told the truth to me. Alt least... at least you said enough, which is more then I would have ever expected from you. _She watched the Zemalyan woman walk off.

"Sandra?" Victoria asked. "Is Rose still there?"

"No, she had to go." Sandra replied as she turned around.

"Oh, I wanted to thank her for bringing me back here."

Sandra nodded. "Don't worry. She knows."

oOoOo

Sandra had followed Rose's advice, leaving the town as soon as she could. She'd pulled a large number of people with her; almost everyone who she had worked with during the war had chosen to follow her in the end. They didn't need to have an explanation; if Sandra said 'go', they went. The people of Bed Springs noted this with some curiosity, but chose not to dwell on it. There was no reason for them to leave, and no explanations were forthcoming.

The first signs that anything was wrong occurred almost a week later. About midnight, an eerie green glow appeared on the northern horizon, growing in intensity and size. The silence of the desert night was shattered by a growing rumble, like approaching thunder. It was only then that the full impact of Rose's words were felt.

Scores of Dark Zoids descended on the town, marching straight into it and seizing control of its infrastructure in a lighting strike. There was no resistance; nobody was prepared for what had happened, and nobody had been expecting an attack. The few defenders who were alert quickly realised that there was nothing they could do against this vastly superior force, and simply opted to surrender without firing a shot. Within an hour, the town was under their control.

Then the second wave of the invasion arrived.

A fleet of Whale Kings flew into the town, landing in whatever clear spaces would have them. As soon as they were down, they discouraged their cargoes; waves of civilians, clearly refugees. Temporary camps quickly sprung up around the town as field engineers went to work on the massive transports, stripping away sections of their hulls. Transported to the edges of the town, these cannibalized components were used to build improvised fortifications.

The Zemaylans were preparing for war.

A day after their takeover, the reason became clear. A force of Zoids approached the city, headed up by Zygra's own black-and-red Genobreaker. The Zoids took up positions at what had once been the main entrance to Bed Springs, but was now a heavily armored fortress gate. While only a temporary fortification, the imposing structure was clearly capable of resisting all but the most determined of assaults. And that was before anyone figured in the Zoids behind it. From the cockpit of his Zoid, Zygra could see the various Dark Zoids hidden behind the wall, their weapons pointed towards his force.

Zygra halted his Zoid, his group stopping behind him. Looking around, he tried to see if he could get a better idea of what was going on. There was very little intelligence available on the situation; it appeared that the Zemalyans had come out of nowhere and simply annexed the town. There was no evidence of their strengths, no idea of their numbers, no suggestions to their motivations. That this was the first time that anyone had seen a Zemalyan in years didn't help matters.

"So what do we do from here?" Dezalg asked.

"We hope that they're willing to talk." Zygra replied. "Because otherwise, this will get very bloody." To say that he was apprehensive was an understatement. He'd read first-hand reports of the prowess sand ruthlessness that the Zemalyn forces had displayed in battle, and he knew fill well how powerful their Dark Zoids could be. Added to that was a town full of civilians who could potentially be used as hostages, which made for a very difficult situation.

"And if they don't?"

"Then we could be in a lot of trouble." This was the single biggest challenge that his new empire had faced so far. That it may come to military force almost seemed a betrayal of all he had tried to create so far. Of course, he hadn't expected to have to deal with a situation like this. To make matters worse, most of the people he knew who had first hand dealings with the Zemalyans (including a former Zemalyan pilot) had simply up and vanished a few days before the attack. "Wish me luck."

He activated the Zoid's PA system and began to speak. "I am Zygra, the leader of the Zygra Empire. Your forces have illegally seized control of a community that is a part of my nation. I demand that you surrender now and withdraw your forces. If you do not comply, we will be forced to take military action to remove you."

There was a long, tense silence from the fortress wall. Eventually, a single figure clambered up to the top of the gates, looking down at him. Zooming in on them, he could see that it was a female officer, apparently in her late fifties or early sixties, but he knew that she could be a lot older. Her grey hair was worn in a bun and, rather unusually for a Zemalyan, she had a pair of jagged scars across her cheek. Those scars were enough to tell him who she was; Rachel Cade, war hero and the last known leader of the Zemalyan people.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Zygra." She announced. "We have claimed this town as our new home. Our people have travelled here from the shattered ruins of our old one; they are weary, hungry and, save for this place, have nowhere left to go back to. This is not a military conquest or an invasion, Zygra. This is the only place we have left."

"I offer you a choice." She continued. "You can allow us to take this place as our own, and leave us in peace. Or, if you wish, you can take it from us. If you do, however, understand that we will fight for it. And while your army may eventually triumph, the cost both to you and to the people we are protecting would be great."

Zygra considered all she had said. What the Zemalyans had done did amount to a military incursion and occupation. At the same time, if all she had said was true, then her people had very few other options. Conversely, his military options were relatively limited; only a direct assault would work, and such a battle would be very costly to both sides, not to mention the civilians caught in the middle.

"If we were to negotiate, then, I would ask one thing from you." He started.

"Name it." She replied.

"Would you allow those civilians who wished to leave the town rather then live under your control a chance to do such?" He spoke up.

"As a prelude to negotiations?" She continued. "Certainly."

Zygra nodded. The situation was grim but, he felt, they may yet be able to salvage it.

oOoOo

Over the last two years, Bed Springs had been completely transformed by its new rulers. Having completely disassembled their ships, the Zemalyans had used them as raw materials for reconstructing the town into a city more suited to their needs. The mess of decaying free-standing buildings and industrial junk that had been the old town was being progressively cleared, replaced with high-rise towers and clusters of structures. Similarly, the ad-hoc fortress walls they had constructed on their initial arrival had been demolished, replaced with larger, thicker and more resilient, permanent fortifications.

Most impressive, however, were the twin towers of the city's new powerplant, a massive fusion reactor facility. The first tower had appeared seemingly overnight, a massive, featureless edifice that dominated the landscape around it. A second one was under construction, its skeleton looking over the town. The first one already provided more power then the town needed; but it was clear that the Zemalyans had grand plans for the future if they were building more.

While there had been no formal effort to rename the town to reflect its new status, some had begun to refer to it as simlply the "Zemalyan City" due to its new rulers. Others preferred the even simpler "Blackstar City", in reference to the five-pointed black star that was the Zemalyan insignia.

While much of the original population of Bed Springs had left, a fair few had chosen to remain behind out of a feeling of community. The Zemalyans had supported their decision, deciding to leave a section of the original town intact for them to dwell in. While the rest of the town had been rebuilt, it had retained much of its original character, albeit in the shadow of a far larger community. This section of the town had also become a way station of sorts, a place where those passing through the town could rest out of the scrutiny of the Zemalyans themselves.

Pants had come here for several reasons. He had wanted to study the Zemalyan technology, to see what they were using. His initial surveys of them in their old city had proven to be interesting, which meant that he was eager for a follow-up inspection. The old Zemlayn city had used a curious mix of technologies; part of it was based on Starrior Technology, and thus far above what others on the Shelflands had possessed. The other part seemed to be, if anything, more primitive then the Shelflands norm, possibly due to their somewhat confused origins.

The Zemalyans had long since lost most of their Starrior tech. At the same time, their "retro" technology had progressed up different paths, not necessarily reaching the same conclusions. So it would be an interesting study to see where they had gone as compared to the rest of the Shelflands.

His second reason was a lot less official. In the last few years since Reven's rejection of his offer, he'd been traveling the world on his own, scouring for bits of information or lore that would be otherwise lost. His actions seemed to have attracted some attention, however. He'd recently been contacted by a man wanting to share information and possibly help him. They'd arranged to meet in the Zemalyan city, seeing it as a neutral ground that would be better suited to both their aims.

He'd entered a run-down bar in one corner of what was now known as the 'old town' to meet this man. Like much of the rest of this quarter, the place had a neglected feeling; the paint was peeling, the windows grimy and the furnishings worn. In many ways, it reminded him of the town as he had first seen it, over twenty years ago.

He went over to one corner of the bar, taking a seat in a corner booth. A minute after his arrival, he was joined by another man. Tall and lean, he had short brown hair flecked with grey. His features would normally be unremarkable; instead, they were very striking. The right side of his face was a mess of scars, like he had been badly wounded or burnt. His right eye was covered by a patch, presumably damaged or missing.

"Pants?" The man began.

"That's me." He nodded.

"Excellent. My name is Gerald Storm. I've been looking forward to meeting you for some time." He smiled, the scars twisting it into a strange grin.

"Your communications indicated that you shared my interests." Pants continued. "I'd like to hear more."

"Certainly." He continued. "I will admit that I do not share your background, Pants. I lack those, ah, skills and abilities that you possess. None the less, I still have a keen interest in the continuation of your people's culture and works."

"Can I ask why the interest?"

"Part of it, I will admit, is the sake of preservation." Gerald explained. "Not to point out the obvious, but your cultural identity is fading; I want to do all I can to preserve it, lest everything be lost. There is, however, another part to it."

"Go on."

"It cannot have escaped your notice that overall technology levels suffered during the war." He explained. "As more and more manufacturing ability was lost, people opted for more primitive solutions. After the war, however, there has been no real effort to progress; people are satisfied with the status quo, despite the fact that it is actually a disadvantage compared to what we had."

"You find this situation to be as concerning as I do?" Pants asked.

"I do, yes." He nodded. "I am afraid that people will become accustomed to it, and that our society and technology will continue to regress. I feel that, through working with you, we may be able to preserve what would otherwise be lost. We may even be able to end this regression, or even turn it around."

Pants nodded. "I understand. So what do you think we should do then?"

"My first thought is that we should share our knowledge. If I could duplicate the information that you have, then there is less chance of it being lost. Also, I believe that we should work together to gather information. Each of us informs the other of what we have found or whatever leads we have, and we each continue to share in our discoveries."

"An excellent idea." Pants agreed. "If you wish, wee can get started immediately."

Storm smiled, his face again twisting. "Nothing would make me happier, Mister Pants."

oOoOo

"This is the Zygra Broadcasting Cooperation Home Service. We interrupt this broadcast for the following announcement."

"Former Emperor Zygra is dead, having died at his home of a suspected heart attack. While he had never given his exact age, he was believed to be seventy five."

"Zygra stepped down from his position as the leader of the empire a year ago, abdicating in favour of his son, Marius Zygra II. Since then, he had lived in peaceful retirement in a villa outside Gayos, no longer playing an active role in running the nation."

"First appearing during the Hydra war, Zygra was responsible for starting the rebellion that eventually lead to Hydra's downfall. After the war, he created this nation as an effort to ensure world peace. He ruled for nearly fourty years before stepping down. He is survived by his son, Emperor Marius Zygra, and his grandson Nikolas."

"Empower Zygra could not be reached for comment, but is expected to declare a national day of mourning and a state funeral."

oOoOo

The streets of the abandoned city rang with gunfire and the sounds of combat, the first that it had seen in decades. The rubble choked streets shook as a pair of Zoids hurried through them, trying their best to navigate the masses of rubble. Behind them came far heavier, thundering footfalls, the sounds of larger Zoids in pursuit.

"Jenice!" Knight Schneider called out form the cockpit of his Hydocker. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"This is imperial territory." She angrily replied as her Gargantula stepped over a mound of rubble. "They had no right to be here!"

"But surely-" He was cut off as a burst of fire ripped apart a wall behind his Zoid. "But surely there was other ways around the situation then opening up on them!" He yelled out.

"Those artifacts they were digging up were a part of our history." She snapped. "I am dammed if I will let them fall into their hands."

"Damn it, Jen-" Schneider called out, but was cut off as a building behind him exploded in a cloud of rubble and debris. A massive Darkhorn charged out from the ruins, its weapons spewing fire at the two smaller Zoids. "They're right on top of me!" He yelled. "Jenice!"

The black Zoid spat fire from its vulcan cannon, the brilliant green shots slamming into the Hydocker's body. The shots tore through its exposed frame, ripping the Zoid in half. Its body collapsed, the cockpit slamming into the ground. Glancing back, Jenice couldn't see what had happened to the pilot. Instead, all she could see was the huge machine charging after her.

"Schneider!" She called out over the communicator. "What's your status?"

"My Zoid's a wreck." he spluttered out. "I'm bruised but... I'll be okay."

"Good." She finished. "Just hang on. I'm going to try and loose this guy." The Gargantula suddenly veered to one side, skittering into a narrow side-street that the Darkhorn couldn't begin to access. Instead, the Blackstar Zoid stopped at the end and swing around its Vulcan cannon, filling the street with fire. She quickly swerved the Zoid, ducking around another street corner as the shots filled the alley behind her.

"So far, so good..." She muttered. Checking her sensors, she could see that the Darkhorn was being forced to take a longer way around, which gave her a chance. The Zoid ducked inside a ruined building, its small size and long legs enabling it to traverse the difficult terrain with ease. _And now to figure a way out of this._

She had to get rid of the Blackstar, which would not be an easy accomplishment at the best of times. The Blackstars had a reputation for being ruthless fighters, and for being seemingly invincible. The difference in Zoid quality was enough to ensure that she had no chance against him in a stand-up fight.

Of course, she had other advantages, ones that he hadn't even dreamed off.

"Sturm!" She called out over the comms channel. "What's your status?"

"Glass and I are standing by." Sturm replied, his voice calm despite what was going on. "We're ready to withdraw as soon as the pair of you are back."

"Not possible; Schneider's down and I'm not willing to abandon him." She replied. "Besides, I wouldn't run anyway."

"You can't defeat a Blackstar!" Sturm yelled. "Not even all of us together could-"

"Floyd!" She snapped, cutting him off.

"Y-yes, Commander?" He stammered out.

"That box I ordered you to bring with me. Get it ready to load up."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I mean, it's not authroised-"

"God damn it, just do it!" She snapped.

"Whoah, okay!" he replied, defensively.

The Gargantula sprinted back to their base camp where two other Zoids, a Garius and a trailer-equipped Tank, were waiting. The Tank was equipped with a crane on its back, a large box resting on the trailer. As she approached, the Garius turned to face her Zoid. "I just hope you know what you are doing, Jenice." Sturm Trogdor spoke up. "Anyone would think this an act of insanity."

"What I am doing is standing up for my people." She snapped. "For too long, this empire has been bullied and pushed around by the likes of them. I am about to show them that we can and will fight back." The Gargantula stopped next to the Tank. "Load me up, Floyd."

Floyd quickly complied, removing the top launcher form the Gargantula before unloading the packing crate. Inside it was a large, tube-shaped weapon, bulging with electrical systems. It looked to be scratch built, made out of a mixture of modified components and scrap. It was Jenice's pride and joy, a weapon she had built herself in her spare time. She'd always had apprehensions about the shortcomings of the Zoids that Zygra's forces used. This little per project was her equaliser.

There was a reassuring thud as the weapon locked into place; a green light on her control panel told her that it was loaded and ready to use, and not a moment too soon. "Incoming!" Floyd called out. "Jenice, you had better know what you are doing!"

"Don't worry." She finished. "Sturm, stay back and protect Floyd. I'll deal with this myself." The Garganula stalked forwards, slowed somewhat by the weight and bulk of the new weapons system, Jenice had expected this; she figured that she could work out the bugs later. This, however, would be an excellent field test of its capabilities.

The Darkhorn charged around the corner, running straight at the trio of Zoids. Despite the size and ferocity of the oncoming machine, however, Jenice stood her ground, waiting for a chance. The Darkhorn's pilot didn't even open fire, clearly intending to simply crush her machine - which was just what she wanted.

She opened fire. A brilliant blue-white beam shot out form the cannon, slamming into the incoming Zoid. Its body crackled with energy as the Tight-Stream Electromagnetic Pulse overwhelmed and shut down its systems. With a loud bellow, the Zoid staggered then collapsed, skidding along on its side before coming to a halt.

Jenice's elation was cut short by a hail of alarms from her systems. On her Zoid's back, the cannon overloaded then blew, panels popping open while smoke billowed out form the weapon. She didn't care, however.

"You did it." Glass commented. "You beat a Blackstar."

"Damn right I did." Jenice smirked. "I'm going to be a bloody hero for this."

oOoOo

Sonya Brie stepped into the run-down bar in the International sector, taking in every detail of the place. It was worn, musty and run-down, seemingly on the verge of collapse like everything else in this district. Of course, that was one of the reasons she found places like this so appealing; they were so _different _from the norm, so full of life and personality. It made a refreshing change from the bleak grey concrete hell that was her home.

Her entrance warranted some attention; if a Blackstar stepped into a place like this, it usually meant that they were after someone and that there would be trouble. It often also meant that there would be a squadron of heavily-armed troopers not too far behind them. The majority of the patrons began to glance around, as if they were wondering who it was who had attracted the attention of this woman, while quietly dreading the consequences.

Instead, she did something very unusual. She simply walked past the patrons, heading over to a corner booth. Ignoring the furtive glances she was getting from the various patrons, she simply sat to look at the man opposite her. Unlike everyone else, he didn't want her to miss him. In fact, he smiled when he saw her.

"Sonya Brie." He nodded. "I'm glad you came."

"Well," She began, nodding to him. "You made a very interesting case to me. I'd have few reasons not to. Now can I ask what this is about?"

"Being blunt, Ms Brie-"

"Sonya, please."

"Being blunt, Sonya, you are one of, if not the most interesting Blackstars that I have ever met." He explained, not missing a beat.

"Oh, really?" She asked. "How so?"

"You are, in essence, an individual, something that is very rare inside their ranks. You stick out in a society that prides itself on conformity. In short, you are an individual in a society where the individual is subsumed to the whole."

"And what makes you say that?" She asked, her bright green eyes narrowing as she examined him.

"Well..." He nodded. "Lets start with your hair." She casually fingered a redish-brown strand as he talked. "Blackstars never color their hair or use cosmetics or adorn themselves with body art or the like. As a whole, they are too vain, believing themselves to be too _perfect _and not in need of any form of artificial enhancement, no matter how minor. That you would even, say, colour your hair indicates that you think otherwise."

"Definitely." She stated. "I find that there's a basic sameness about them that is incredibly dull, very... repetitive. You understand?"

"I do. And if you'll permit me to elaborate, there are other things that I have noticed."

"Go on."

"You come into places like this to relax." He explained. "That is something no Blackstar would do. You choose the dingy, run down drinking holes of this district over the clean, safe ones of the city. You also like to talk to people, even outsiders such as myself. You try to interact with them, rather then simply demanding respect from them because of your status. And you're willing to push past the boundaries of what would be considered 'normal' for your type, breaking certain social taboos-"

"Let's not beat around the bush, Mr Jaeger." She cut him off. "The sex was great."

"Well, you could put it like that." He finished. "In short, you are a very atypical Blackstar. And I'd like to know why."

"Simply put?" She offered. "They're dull. Boring. Conformist. Almost drones, you could say. And that's what gets me. They've spent fifty years trying to make themselves the best warriors on the Shelflands without actually going anywhere. The result? A society that is stagnant and dull, lorded over by hordes of ravishingly beautiful, single-minded dullards. They revel in their grey concrete hell, not bothering to see what else there is in the world. Of course, since that world is also happily going nowhere, that's par for the course"

"You see, I want to at least live a little." She offered. "I like change. I like difference. I like to see what else there is. I want to live a little before I end up being pensioned off to make way for my clone brat. You understand what I mean?"

"Indeed I do, Sonya." He replied. "It may surprise you, but there are others who feel the same way. Not other Blackstars, true, but..." he glanced around. "I see what is happening to our world. I see how we are allowing ourselves to regress and decay, fearing change lest it destroy us all. We don't want to take the risks, and are happy to accept stagnation as the consequence. I - we want to change that."

"Interesting." She smiled a predatory smile. "And... what would you then want of me?"

"Are you prepared to take a risk?" He asked. "Are you ready to abandon this life? Would you give up all that comes with your current position? Would you sacrifice your own identity to help remake this world?"

"It sounds exciting." She finished. "I'm in."

oOoOo

Muttering to herself, Jenice again looked over the battered hulk of the Zoid. She'd found the machine half-buried in a pile of rubble, not too far from the abandoned shelter it was now resting in. The two of them together, Zoid and bunker, represented her only assets - beside her mind.

For Jenice, the fall form grace had been sudden and swift. She had not returned to Gayos a hero as she had expected. Instead, she had been arrested and court-martialed, along with the rest of her squad. The trials had been swift and summarily. Glass and Trogdor had fared the best of them; both were in essence acquitted, having been proven to be little more then innocent bystanders to what was quickly being called an act of utter madness. In fact, Sturm had been commented for standing his ground and not further aggravating the situation.

For his role in the affair, Schneider had been dishonorably discharged from the Zygra army. He had aided her in attacking the Blackstar forces that they had encountered in the ruins without protest. The pair of them were being collectively blamed for an incident that had become a major diplomatic upset, the Blackstars demanding the heads of those responsible.

The worst had been reserved for Jenice herself, however. While the accusations of provoking the Blackstars had been enough, there was far, far worse in store for her. All od the members of the squadron had testified that she had built her TSEMP weapon on her own, even over their protests (Glass especially). Furthermore, they had gladly informed the judiciary of her numerous other unothorised experiments in weapons design. A raid had netted several years' worth of work, enough evidence to damn her.

She had been sentenced to twenty years for simply trying to improve the lot of Zygra's pilots. Oh, they'd made their excuses; apparently, her weapon had caused enough feedback to fry the Blackstar pilot's neural interface, crippling him for life. However, to Jenice it was obvious what her crime was. She had dared to suggest change to a government that was afraid of it, demonstrating their shortcomings to people who preferred to remain ignorant of such matters.

That wasn't the end, however. In fact, it was just the beginning.

She was far more intelligent and imaginative then they'd given her credit for. She'd managed to effect her own escape, and slip away unnoticed. By the time anyone had reaslised she was gone, she was far away, enacting the first steps on her plans for revenge against the empire that had betrayed and used her.

And what she was doing here would be the first step in that revenge. She would craft a weapon that would not only be used to strike at the empire, but to demonstrate her genius and ability; the same skills that they had spurned when they imprisoned her.

She stepped back to look over the Zoid again. The Liger Zero's frame was battered and worn, the scarring on its sides deep. However, it was still fully functional, and that was all she needed. It would be an excellent base to work from to realise her dreams.

_And when it is finished, then I will be unstoppable. _She finished. _I shall demonstrate their failings, and then I will remake this empire in my image. My red claw will scythe through them, and nothing will stand in my way._

oOoOo

"We're pinned down!" Drake called out over the communicator as another shell went off nearby. "They've got at least three cannons up on that ridge!"

"Damn it!" Jencie snarled. "They've got us completely surrounded now." She glanced over her tactical display, looking at the positions of the Zygra units. They'd managed to completely surround the section of the ruined city they were in, cutting off any avenue of escape. It was a well-designed trap, but not one that would be completely inescapable... at least, not normally.

She slammed her fist into her Liger's control panel as it repeated the same message over and over again - _Combat System Freeze. _Her Zoid's weapons systems had gone offline, simply crashing out and staying inoperable despite all her efforts to restart them. It meant that her Zoid - her creation - was now little more then a big red target.

"What are we gonna do?" Bob called out over the channel. "They've got us surrounded, boss!"

"Stay calm." She snapped as she opened up a comms channel. "Bart! Where are you?"

"On my way, boss." He replied. ""I have the McNeils; I figure we'll be five minutes tops."

"We don't have five minutes, Bart." She growled. "Get here now!"

What had been a simple retrieval operation had instead gone horribly wrong. A small group of her forces had headed back to the same ruined city that she had fought the Blackstars in, looking for the documents she had found there the first time. Instead, she had found that they were missing, and the Zygra army was there in their place. Somebody had tipped them off to the supposedly secret information she had come here for, and she had a fair idea of who it was.

"Surrender now!" A voice called out. "You are surrounded. There is no escape!" Another shell went off nearby, the shrapnel digging into the Liger's shoulder as if to underscore the point.

"So what do we do, boss?" Bob asked again.

"We make a break for it, and try to get lucky." She replied. "That's the best I have."

"Head to the south-west. Their forces are weakest there." A woman's voice cut into the channel. Calm and professional, Jencie didn't recognise it at all. "I shall clear you a path."

"Wait-" Jenice began.

"I suggest you hurry. There are more Zygra troops on the way." The woman continued. Moments later, a black Pteras swooped down over Jenice's force, heading to the southwest. The Zoid was unusual in that it carried a large radar dish on its back in place of one of the launchers. As Jenice watched it, the machine opened fire with its twin AGM pods, the missiles slamming into the Zygra forces.

"Get going, now!" Jenice called out as her liger burst into a run. Bob and Drake needed no further prompting, the Zoids chasing after hers as fast as they could. More shells went off, but it was clear that the Zygra troops had been caught off-guard by what was going on. After several hectic minutes, they were clear both from the city and from any pursuit.

Looking up, Jencie could see the Pteras nearby. The Zoid swooped down, matching speed and heading with her machine. She nodded to the Zoid, then opened a channel up to the pilot. "Whoever you are, I owe you my freedom, if not my life. Thank you."

"Of course." The woman replied. "I only did what was needed. After all, I would not want the Empire's future to end there and then."

Jenice narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Levisha Towne." She offered. "And I have the same goals as you. I had come seeking an alliance, however, Instead I found that you were in trouble. I simply did what I could."

"Of course." Jencie replied as she cionsidred the options. "We'll redevous with the rest of my force, then we can discuss matters."

"Agreed. Just lead the way."

_So I have another ally, _Jencie thought as her Zoid charged through the wastes, the Pteras above it. _Definitely an advantage. I'll have to discover more about this woman._ It had been a mixed day for Jenice. Her army had been very close to destruction, only to be rescued at the last moment but what appeared to be a new ally. It was mixed with the disappointment, however, of not finding what she had come for. As her Zoid ran, she read over the note she had found again. It had been hidden in where the documents she had come for should have been, clearly left by someone who knew exactly what she was after.

_Jenice,_

_The contents of these documents are far too dangerous to be in your hands. I know that you feel you have the best of intentions, but your path is one I cannot agree with. As a result, I have removed what you sought here, placing them into my care._

_I urge you to turn back. Do not deostry the empire in the name of saving it._

The note was unsigned, but she knew exactly who had left it. _So I have gained an ally and an enemy in the same day. This is a most interesting course of events._

oOoOo

"That is why I have bought you here, Jencie." The commander finished. "We need you. We need your skills and abilities to be a part of the better world we wish to build for the entire planet. The Red Claw was but a small part of that, one that is far below one of your standing."

"What is it?" She began. "What is it that you want of me? What could I do here that I couldn't accomplish with the Red Claw?"

"The Claw was but a step in the right direction." Levisha explained. "That is why I was sent to join you. My task was to guide you along the correct path, the one that would allow your abilities to grow and mature. However, now the Claw are no longer needed - and their position has become somewhat perilous. As a result, I needed to salvage its single greatest asset. You."

"I can understand that you have our questions as why we did things the way we did." The Commander continued. "However, I have prepared a gift for you, one that I feel will best demonstrate our need for your abilities. I give it to you, to do with as you wish." he indicated towards a single, sealed-off hanger. At his gesture. Several technicians opened the doors to the bay, revealing the Zoid inside.

It was a Liger Zero, one stripped of all its armour, but still clearly in good condition. Around it was an array of equipment, far more advanced then any she'd ever used before and far more capable. "All this, we would give to oyu to do with as you wish, Jenice." The Commander continued. "Though these devices, you will be able to unleash your full power."

"Why?" She turned back to him. "Why would you do this?"

Then, to her surprise, he and Levisha kneeled before her. A moment later, while somewhat surprised, Sturm joined them. "Because we understand what you are." Levisha said, not looking up. "We recongise the true strength within you. We want you to use that, not only for our benefit, not for the Empire, but for the whole world. Join us, and transform this planet. Together, we will rescue to from the stagnation that has taken hold of it."

"I..." She nodded. "I shall."

The commander looked up at her, then nodded. "Very well then." he said, slowly standing. A pair of soldiers walked up behind Jenice, draping a black cloak over her shoulders. It was a traditional design, yet one that had not been seen in decades. "I welcome you, Darth Selaj."


	39. Brave New World

Whoever it was who had captured Floyd, Althiea and Thorne had gone out of their way to make sure that they wouldn't be identified. As soon as they had surrendered and left their Zoids, they were marched to a Tank by a squadron of masked soldiers. None of them had recognized the uniform or their equipment, and they had no identifying insignias either.

They'd been blindfolded and held in place, driving for what Floyd estimated to be six hours. Initially, nobody had said anything to them but, when they had tried to talk, they had been ordered to stay quiet. Their ride had been a rough one, indicating to Floyd that they weren't traveling on a road, and probably were tying to avoid contact. This suggested to him that their captors weren't a part of a legitimate government organisation.

Save for a single short meal break (The three of them had been force-fed packaged food, and then treated to a squirt of bottled water) the trip had been non-stop. Clearly their captors didn't really care for their comfort of their prisoners, and instead simply wanted to get them to their destination.

Near the end of their journey they'd descended via some sort of elevator before their transport rumbled a short distance to its final destination. Things hadn't ended there, however. They'd been frog marched a fair distance through what sounded like metal-plated corridors before being pushed into cells. There was a clanking of a door being shut, and then silence.

Althiea waited a moment before carefully removing her blindfold and looking around. She was in a small cell, equipped with a single bed and minimal sanitary facilities. Clearly she was supposed to look after herself, rather then being taken out for cleaning or the like. There were no windows, and just a single door that, save for an obscured vision slit, also offered no view outside. The cell was spotlessly clean, and completely devoid of any markings or insignias that might give her a clue was to her location.

There was also no sign of Floyd or Thorne. Clearly the pair of them had been moved into their own cells. Or, at least she hoped they had; she dreaded to think of what else may have happened to them.

It was after a few minutes that she heard a loud "Psssst". She glanced around for the source of the voice, but could see nobody, and doubted that any sound could get through the wall. A moment later, it came again.

"Hello?" She spoke up. "Who is this?"

"Althiea?" Thorne's voice suddenly spoke up. "Where are you?" She demanded.

"I'm in a cell, all on my own." Althiea explained. "Where are you? I can't see you or where you'd be."

"I was about to ask you the same question, as I'm also alone in a cell."

"Aha!" Floyd's voice suddenly interjected. "So it works."

"What works?" Althiea asked.

"A few days ago, anticipating potential problems I took the liberty of slipping a micro transmitter onto each of you. They likely missed it as its concealed under a fake skin patch by your ear. I figured that this way, should something happen to us while we're relatively isolated and alone and on the run from a hostile occupying power, we would have a backup means of communicating."

"Why didn't you tell us this?" Thorne hissed.

"Because I felt that would be best if you were unawares. That way, its a lot harder for you to accidentally tell anyone." He finished. "Perfect, no?"

Thorne clearly wanted to say something, but she opted to remain silent. Instead, Althiea spoke up. "Floyd, who are these people? And what do they want with us?"

"That I cannot say, Althiea." he replied, an usually serious tone in his voice. "And I feel that it is vital that we find out."

oOoOo

**Strange New World**

oOoOo

Watanabe watched the Darkhorn's massive horn slam into the Zoid's body, piercing through its armor. As the blow struck home, the armor shattered under the force of the blow, the raptor-like machine's body impaled on the horn before it began to disintegrate. Furrowing his brow, he rewound it and watched it again, this time in slow motion.

"Is there a problem?" Jaeger asked as he entered the room.

"You could say that." He commented. "I've been reviewing the footage from the field tests of the new units. They're mostly positive, but I've found a few shortcomings."

"Do tell." Jaeger nodded. "Any information on their operations will be vital to us."

"The first interesting point is the armor." He commented as he skipped to a different point in the battle. The Darkhorn opened fire on the same Zoid, spraying it with fire from its Hibilt Vulcan Cannon. The shots, normally enough to stagger all but the largest Zoids, simply washed over its target with no apparent effect. "As you can see, Type 001 here is all but immune to most energy weapon attacks. The Darkhorn's beam weaponry proved to be of no use at all against it."

He skipped ahead again to the destruction of the Zoid on the Darkhorn's horn. "However, it seems that, under the influence of physical attacks, the armor splinters and shatters with disturbing ease. It provides far less protection then its thickness and degree of energy resistance would normally suggest."

"That could be a drawback." He commented. "If not against the Zygra forces, but certainly if we need to engage the Drakken army. The majority of the Zygra machines have no melee capability at all, and our Zoids outperform them anyway. However, with good tactical planning, I think we can overcome this limitation."

"Therein lies the second problem." Watanabe commented as he bought up several more screens depicting the new machines in action. "The performance of the Bio-Droids has been... disappointing, shall we say."

"How so?" Jaeger asked. "They seem to be competent at handling their machines."

"Only just." Watanbe shook his head. "Their piloting skills are mediocre at best. Most of what they have achieved so far has been through a combination of the shock of the appearance of their Zoids, and the special anti-laser armor. Otherwise, they have very little tactical ability, poor situational awareness and almost no coordination. They tend to get themselves into situations that a human pilot wouldn't."

"Such as running straight at a Darkhorn, even though they know what it could do with its horn, right?" Jaeger commented.

"Indeed." Watanabe surmised. "So if they are to fulfill our intended role for them, they need to be a lot smarter and more capable."

"A problem." He rubbed his chin. "What can we do about this?"

"Artificial intelligence is always a touchy issue." Watanabe replied. "I thought that their original programming was sufficient, but clearly it wasn't."

Jaeger nodded. The Bio-Droids were the only way they would succeed in their plans. The _Kuroryu-kai's _numbers were just too limited to allow them to field the forces they needed. However, armies of drone pilots more then made up for that shortcoming. However, if those drones weren't capable enough, then it would be a severe problem. "So what's the plan?"

"I'm not sure what we can do and - oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Your _activator _is coming." He noted, tapping a monitor. Looking down, Jaeger could see Jenice - no _Selaj _he reminded himself - heading down the outside hallway.

"I had better make myself scarce then." He replied. He'd been doing his best not to let Jenice see or identify him. For now, he felt it was best for his purposes that she didn't learn just how far she had been manipulated into her current place. That could result in some rather difficult questions. "Let me know how things go." He added as he slipped out a side door.

"I shall." Watanabe finished, then turned back to his work. A moment later, Selaj entered, taking in the room. Standing, he turned to her, and bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, Darth Selaj. To know that the last of your kind walks amongst us is a great boost to our cause."

"Thank you, Dr Watanabe." She replied, casually. "But do not underestimate the value of your own work." She turned to the prototype bio-droid standing on the middle of the room. "The work you have done here is magnificent. I only wish that I could have achieved so much."

"We had the advantage of superior equipment and an upbringing not hindered by certain... phobias or taboos." He deflected her comment. "Yet I feel that the combination of equipment and your skills will bring about creations far in excess of ours."

She turned past him, looking over the android. "You are too kind..." She began, examining the machine. Compared to the three figures she had recovered, it was laughably primitive, resembling nothing as much as a children's toy. Certainly the technology within it would be nothing to the technology that had built those creatures. "You have achieved a lot. To create an artificial Zoid and an artificial pilot is no mean achievement."

"Ah yes..." Taro nodded. "We call them Bio-Zoids."

She continued to look at the robot, running a hand down one side of it. "I see. Can I ask how you achieved their creation?"

He nodded. "They are forged form a unique mineral found only in remote areas of the continent. It has strange properties; we can mould it and shape it as we need. it also has an interesting ability to deflect away energy weapons; something that is a considerable asset."

"It would be... and core is completely synthetic, correct?" She asked. "I surveyed them myself but found that there was no life, no feeling... nothing there at all, like it was dead. A Chimera has more life then those machines do, yet they are clearly fully functional Zoids."

"That's the secret to their synthetic cores." Watanabe explained. "They use a form of artificial core that is, in essence, bonded to the pilot. he powers the core, which amplifies their biological stimulus and then, in turn, powers the Zoid. As a result, they take on the same overall capabilities as a true Zoid, but with a far different profile."

"I see." She observed. "Very inventive. And are these machines capable of providing the same stimulus?"

"To a limited degree. They're certainly less effective then a true, human pilot would be." He offered. "We're trying to improve them but, well, it isn't easy. We're running up against the limitations of our technology."

"Then what you need is a more advanced technology." She simply explained.

He nodded. "Certainly, but I cannot think where we would locate such."

"I have an answer." She replied. "We recovered a trio of midriders from a ruin in the Southern Territories. While inoperable, I am sure that they will be of some use to you. If you could study their technologies, then you could use them to improve the performance of these machines."

Watanabe seemed genuinely surprised at her statement. "Mindriders, you say?" He asked. "Where are they?"

"They were in my quarters in the Gayos palace." She explained. "I had been trying to decipher them, to reactivate them for some time now. Perhaps I was taking the wrong approach."

"Maybe you just lacked the proper tools." Watanabe offered. "Either way, this will be a boon to us. Thank you, Darth." he stood and bowed to her.

"It is my honour, Doctor. I only wish to serve this most noble of causes."

"Is there anything I can do for you in return?" He asked.

She glanced around. "I have some... ideas." She continued. "Improvements over my earlier designs for weapons and the like. I was hoping to use the equipment you have in order to implement them."

"Of course. Anything we can do to aid you."

"Thank you, Watanbe." She nodded. "I shall return presently with some of my ideas. Together, we will be able to rebuild this world." She turned, her black cape billowing out behind her as she left.

"She has no idea how right she is." Jaeger commented as he stepped back into the room. "Even if she is only my backup activator, she is still a vital part of our plans."

"But did you hear what she said?" Watanabe spoke up. "She has access to _Mindriders. _The possibilities are unimaginable. If we could acquire those-"

Jaeger nodded. "I understand. With the Activator, we are powerful enough. With Mindrider tech, we would be unbeatable. Our new world is approaching."

"But your activator..." He glanced at the door. "How is that going?"

"I am still working on that." He admitted. "But I feel that we can sway her to our cause."

"And Jenice?"

"Is an acceptable substitute." He finished. "Certainly she would function well as a backup activator in the advent of something happening. And it always helps to have a spare."

Watanabe smiled. "A very astute choice."

"I shall make immediate arrangements to claim these mindriders." He finished. "This is a boon that I cannot allow to pass."

oOoOo

The silence of Althiea's cell had been interrupted by a pair of guards. They had grabbed her and blindfolded herm, dragging her across what seemed like miles of passages before depositing her roughly in a chair. Once there, he hands and feet had been bound, before her blindfold had been removed. To say that she was terrified would be an understatement. She had no idea what was going on, and was afraid of what they wanted her for.

_They seem to know about my abilities, _she thought. _Whatever is going on, it depends on them. But what is it? _She glanced around, trying to figure out where exactly she was. The place seemed like a plain, featureless room, not too much bigger then her cell. The dim lights reveled very few features, but it appeared that she was indeed alone.

A blindingly bright light came on right in front of her. She screwed up her eyes and glanced away, trying not to look at it. She wanted to shield her eyes, but the bonds around her wrists prevented it. Instead, she kept her eyes as firmly shut as she could; the light was so bright as to be blinding.

"Your name is Althiea." A voice stated. "This is correct." It had been electronically modulated and altered to the point where she couldn't even tell its gender.

"Yes..." She began. "Who is this? Who are you?"

"Your parents are both dead."

"Yes. They died when I was young." She gasped out. it was so long ago that she barely remembered them.

"Did you have any siblings?" It continued.

"No." She stated. "I was an only child."

"Were either of them married before?" They continued. "Did either of them have children with other partners?"

"No... I don't know." She shook her head. "I don't think so. They were both relatively young. After... after they died, all I knew was that I had no family. Why do you need to know?"

"Where did you get your abilities from?" It demanded. "Who taught you to use them?"

"I..." Althiea paused. "Nobody did. They just... just happened." Floyd had mentioned the strange technology that had been implanted in her. She also remembered that he had told her to never reveal it to anyone else. He'd never explained why, but she had begun to realise his point.

It was to protect her from people like these. That technology must not fall into their hands.

"I was born with them." She continued. "They just... they just occurred naturally to me. I don't know why I have them, and I know I can't control them at all."

"But you communicate with Zoids?"

"Yes... no... some of them." She shook her head, still trying to keep her eyes away from the light. "Only those that have been altered or changed. And then its less communication then I just get these feelings about them... I can't say what it is though. You have to believe me."

There was another long pause before they spoke again. "Do you want to save the world?" They asked.

The question threw her off balance. "What?" She began, not expecting this sort of question at all.

"Do you want to save the world?" They simply repeated.

"Save it?" She couldn't understand what they meant. It made no sense at all. "I don't understand. Save it from what?"

"Save it from itself." The voice continued.

"Why do we need to? What is going to happen? Why does it have to be saved from itself?"

"Join us." The voice continued. "Be all that you can be. Unlock what is inside you. Save the world from itself."

She shook her head. "I..." There was a pause as she considered matters. _I don't want to. Why not? What is it that is holding me back? Why is it that I don't want to use these abilities? Why do I shut them out?_

_Because I am afraid of them. _She realised. _Because I am afraid of what I could do with them. Because I am afraid of what I will become with them. Because I am afraid of what others would use them for._

_I will not let that happen. Not now, not ever._

"No." She answered defiantly. "I will not join you. I will not let you use my abilities. This is my choice. This world... it is not yours to control."

The light switched off, leaving the room in darkness. Spots swam before Althiea's eyes as she cautiously opened them, blinking for a moment. Then the door opened, a pair of men entering. They blindfolded her before releasing her, holding her tightly as they stood her up.

"You have made the wrong decision." The voice stated. "You will have the chance to correct your mistake."

oOoOo

In his time that he had been traveling with Floyd and Althiea, Jason Simons had encountered a number of situations that he never thought that he would find himself in. Exploring a lost city in the middle of a jungle that shouldn't exist and fighting Zombie zoids in the wastes of Krupp were two that always stuck out in his mind. Traveling alongside a Blackstar was another thing he'd never expected to happen. Of course, that was nothing compared to what was going on now. Even in his wildest imagination, he couldn't have dreamed that he'd be in a situation like this.

He, Rayvenne and Leanne were traveling in the company of members of the Red Claw. Not only that, but they had reason to treat them as allies.

The situation was hard enough to believe, but the circumstances behind it were even more so. They had fled from an apparent coup in Gayos, some sort of internal bloodletting that had been apparently designed to weed out anyone in the Red Claw that wasn't loyal to Levisha herself. Their flight had been cut short by a Chimera that Levisha had sent after them. It had borne down on them, nearly killing Jason before it had been destroyed itself.

The only problem was that it had been destroyed by the Red Claw members that Levisha had been targeting. And since the three of them had been impersonating Red Claw members, they had been mistaken for fellow victims of the purge. It had left them in a strange situation - their only allies were their former enemies.

Fortunately, none of the Claw members had managed to identify him or Rayvenne. Leanne had just stayed inside her Zoid's cockpit, Jason and Rayvenne offering the rather weak cover story of her being 'shy' as a reason. The Claw's members, however, seemed to have accepted it at face value; he put it down to the fact that they were also all a bunch of social rejects with very few, if any, redeeming features.

There were six of them all up; Jenice's former top agents Drake and Gwen Tach, as well as her enforcers, Harry and Malcolm McNeil. Added to that were another pair he didn't recongise, pilots of Serpent and a Hellrunner. He knew the four of them rather well; Drake was a would-be sniper with many inadequacies who thought that he was a lot better then he was. Gwen, on the other hand, was a hissing puddle of rage who lashed out at the world around her and was powered by a severe inferiority complex.

Harry and Malcolm were easy to figure out as well; a pair of simple thugs who just happened to have Zoids, thy were far from the most complex of people. Harry was the brain while Malcolm was the brawn; Harry told his older brother what to break, and Malcolm obligingly did it. All four of them had been happy to occupy places at the top of the Claw's structure, lording over lesser agents while staying on the good side of those in charge. It was easy.

Or it had been, until everything had changed for them. Now they were fugitives as they had been before, only this time without a small army to back them up. The result were six dangerous people with very little left to loose, people that the three of them knew that it was best not to antagonise.

So they'd come up with a plan, one that would exploit their only remaining asset. They'd steered the remaining Red Claw members on a particular course, and were hoping things would turn out as planned.

After loosing his Godos, Jason had been forced to ride in the gunner's compartment inside Drake's Snipe Master, the only position available to him. Drake insisted on doing everything himself, which meant that All Jason had to do was simply lie back and idle the hours away. Of course, since the compartment was isolated, it meant that he was free to talk to his teammates unobserved.

"How's it going, guys?" Jason asked, talking via a small personal communicator he'd stashed. He figured the risk was low; he doubted that any of the Claw's pilots would be listening in on internal communications. None of them seemed to have the smarts for it.

"It ain't lookin' too good." Leanne commented. "I've been tryin' to reach Floyd and Ali, and neither of 'em are responding'."

"You don't think we're just out of range, do you?" He asked, hopefully.

"I'll give it another shot when I get my proper Zoid back. Comm's better on it, so maybe I can get it. But it's still worryin' me."

"You don't think something could have happened do you?" Rayvenne asked, clearly worried.

"I'm sure that if the Claw had gotten them we'd know by now." Jason offered. It wasn't that much of a reassurance.

"Yeah, I suppose." Rayvenne finished. "So question is, what do we do next?"

"Being honest?" Jason replied. "I have no idea, really. I guess our best bet is to see how the Claw guys react and take it from there."

"That's yer plan?" Leanne commented. "Well, I guess its better then anything I had.

"Damn, I can't wait to get back to my regular Zoid." Rayvenne continued. "Just to fly again after so long being stuck on the ground."

"I hear ya." Leanne affirmed. "This Rapter's a piece of crap. Who's dumbarse idea was it to make it without guns anyway?"

"Well-" Jason began, but was cut off as the Snipe Master jolted to a halt.

"We're at your place." Drake called out over the communcator.

"Whatever that is." Gwen dryly added. "This had better be worth it."

"I'm sure it will be." Jason replied as he opened the compartment's canopy. After clambering down the side of the Zoid, he joined the Leoblaze and Rev Rapter. Ahead of them was a cave, its entrance largely obscured by rock and camouflage netting. "Okay, we're here; its rather small, so the three of us will go in. You guys wait; we won't be too long."

"Go ahead." Drake continued.

"But this is some sort of set up or the like, you're all be for it." Gwen hissed. Her Redler was hovering overhead, its jets kicking up a fair amount of sand. The other Zoids were simply waiting there, save for the two Cannon Tortoise which were both crammed onto the trailer of a single Tank.

"Don't worry." Jason commented. "I'm sure you'll like the result." The three of them stepped into the cave where their regular Zoids were waiting. Because of its size, both the Iguan and Gunsniper were crouched, while the Sinker simply rested on the cave floor next to them. A quick look over them suggested that they hadn't been touched since they'd hidden them there over a week ago.

"Gods, after a week of being slobbered on and riding around in that crappy Leoblaze, its great to get you back." Rayvenne commented as she walked over to her Sinker. "Unharmed and untouched."

"Well, it was nice bein' anonymous." Leanne sighed. "But I guess they woulda found us out sooner or later. At least this way we have some halfway decent Zoids at our disposal." She clambered up the side of her Gunsniper. "But you are right, Rayvenne. It's good to come back to 'em."

"Hey Rayvenne." Jason commented as he abandoned his ragged gear, instead pulling on his familiar jacket. "Have you figured out how you'll explain away your dual identity?"

"I figure they'll be too shocked to ask." She quipped as she pulled on her baggy flightsuit. "And if all else fails, you can pretend that I was the 'shy one' from earlier."

"So what about the buxom black-haired lass from earlier?" Jason asked. "What do we say about her?"

"Pretend it was Lee with a wig and a push-up." She finished as she put on her bandanna. "Frankly, I'd be flattered."

"Yer modesty is limiltess." Leanne dryly finished as she closed the canopy of her Zoid. "All right, I'm all good to go here."

"Same here." Jason finished as he closed the Iguan's canopy. "Let's go."

The Iguan and Gunsniper walked out, straightening up as they reached the front of the cave. The Sinker followed them, simply hovering a half meter above the ground. The three machines stepped out, the Iguan brushing aside the cammo netting to reveal the group of Red Claw Zoids. "Betcha the looks on their faces right now would be priceless." Rayvenne spoke up in the harsh whisper that she used as her 'male' voice.

"Ssh." Leanne hissed as they stopped.

"Well, here we are." Jason spoke up. "This is what we wanted to show you."

"What... the hell?" Drake managed to splutter out.

The Redler swooped down, hovering right in front of the three of them. "If this is some kind of a joke, then I am not laughing. Now tell me, right now, what this is supposed to be about!"

"Its what it appears." Jason stated. "The three people you saved from the Chimera are three of the members of that group who have been fighting the Red Claw for so long. We were infiltrating Gayos, and were trying to escape when the Chimeras started attacking people, and Levisha took over. Now we're in the same situation as you."

"And you just walked right into our hands." Gwen sneered. "I'm glad you survived that, simply because it means I can have the satisfaction of eliminating you nuisances myself."

"Before you do that, Gwen, you might want to consider a couple of things." Harry McNeil spoke up. "And they are good."

"Such as?" She hissed.

"Consider this. These guys have been successful in ballsing up most everything we've tried to do." He explained. "They've been giving us all sorts of hell for, well, it seems like an eternity now. So I figure that if they're that good at tearing into us then, well... they could be useful. Besides which we are rather short on salable assets, Gwen."

"So what are you saying?" She snapped. "That we should just trust these people who have been trying to kill us?"

"In my line of work, every now and then you have to make a few deals with people whom you do not necessarily like, Gwen." He stated, matter-of-factly. "That and the fact that the Iguan has its guns pointed at your Zoid's cockpit would suggest that we could have a lucrative partnership here."

Jason smiled. He'd been wondering if she - or anyone else - would notice that.

"I also have to ask where and when you become the leader of this impromptu band, Gwen." He continued. "Last I heard, the four of us were all considered to be more or less equal in rank."

"I..." She snapped. "I have... umm..." The Redler seemed to waver as if in response to its pilot.

"Look, mate." Harry continued. "I may not like you lot, but I can see the value to having you around. The lot of us all seem to be on the run from the old bill; it makes sense for us to, if even for a bit, work together. I'm gonna put my trust in you lot for now."

Jason nodded, his Zoid mimicking the move. "Of course." He agreed. "As it stands, we've got enough problems. It doesn't make sense to keep fighting."

"Right then..." Harry finished. "Now that we're all done standing around and gawping, we need to start thinking." He stated.

"Levisha's up to something that doesn't seem to involve the rest of the Red Claw." Jason stated. "And we need to know what."

oOoOo

Floyd hadn't been surprised when they'd come to take him away. He'd been expecting it for some time. Althiea's descriptions aside, he knew that it was unlikely that these people, whoever they were, would go to all the effort of capturing him just to leave him to rot in a cell. He wasn't worried; he was confident that he could survive the worst that they could throw at him. His biggest concern was simply how much they knew of the truth about Althiea.

"I've been expecting you." He began as the soldiers came. He casually slipped his glasses into his pocket and stood. "Well, better get this over with. I don't want to cause you any bother. Just mind the hair, okay?"

He was blindfolded and lead out of the room, marched through a small eternity's worth of halls before being shoved into another chair. His hands and feet were bound, and his blindfold removed, revealing a featureless room resembling Althiea's descriptions. "Ahem." He began as they turned to leave. "You wouldn't leave a man without his glasses, would you? I am quite, quite blind otherwise and, well, it'd be very polite of you to aid a man you're clearly aiming to convert to your cause - whatever it may be."

There was a moment's hesitation before one of the soldiers delicately replaced Floyd's glasses. "Thank you." he began. "Its little things like that which really aid the brainwashing process." The pair of soldiers, however, left without further comment.

The bright light came on, same as Althiea had described. He didn't turn from it, however, instead staring straight into it as the light-sensitive lenses of his glasses activated, darkening to almost completely shade his eyes from the glare. "What is this?" He began. "Is this improv theatre? Or a stand-up night? Should I do a dance, maybe?"

"You know why you are here." A voice spoke up.

"Not really." He replied. "I was hoping that you could toss me a couple of clues."

"You have information. We want it."

"Ah we... why didn't you say so?" He spoke up. "If its information you want, then I can gladly provide. As the greatest scientific genius in the world, I can tell you all you need to know about anything at all. I've got degrees, I've got doctorates, I've got all manner of silly letters after my name. So whatever it is that's bugging you, well, I'm the man for it."

"You know what we want, Glass." The voice continued. "Where is it?"

"Well I'm afraid that you have me at a loss there, sir. I can't read your mind, so I cannot say what it is you want." he shook his head. "Throw me a clue, maybe. I'm good at puzzles."

"The information you stole from Jenice." They demanded. "Where is it?"

"Ah well... now we hit a sore spot." He stated. "Its amazing, isn't it? She wanted those dusty old books so much that she'd chase me over every hill and valley in all of creation for it. At first, I thought it was love. Ahh... to be young and in love again." _So now I know exactly what it is they want, _he thought to himself, smiling with satisfaction. _Which means that I now have an advantage over them. And by the simple default that they want that information tells me that they are not the sort of people who should have it._

"Answer the question!" The voice shouted. "Where is it?"

"Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?" He asked. "Or are you some sort of Blackstar thing and have no mothers save for a test tube and a drinks mixer? At any rate, you're not going to get anything out of me unless you ask nicely."

"Where is the information, Glass?"

"I'm not listening. Not until you say the magic word."

"Where is it?"

"Now we can keep this up, your shouting demands at me and my ignoring you until you get angry, or we can play nice with each other." He continued. "Or I can sit here and sing show tunes for the next twenty minutes."

There was a long pause. "The sun will come out tomorrow." Floyd began, singing very off-key. "Tomorrow..."

"Mister Glass." The voice cut him off.

He paused, and then raised an eyebrow. "Yerrs?"

"What is it that you really want?" The voice continued.

"What do I want?" He paused. "Well, I want a world of love and peace. I suppose that's it, yes." he grinned broadly.

"Then why did you leave the Zygra Empire's service?" It continued. "Since they are a legitimate authority, one that has served to prevent war for decades."

_And now you get interested. Well maybe it's time to prod your motivations. _"Well..." He began. "The thing is, the Zygra empire does a bang up job of that. But, well, that's all they do. Y'see, they maintain the peace by discouraging progress, preventing anything form changing or being invented or anything. That way, the status quo is maintained. Problem is, it means that the whole planet is stuck in a rut for as long as they maintain this policy. We go nowhere fast."

"So why did you leave then?"

"Because I realised that I would never get anywhere on my own. I figured that if I wanted to let myself grow, I'd need to travel, to explore... I wanted to stretch my legs and take a look at this big ol' world and maybe - just maybe - see if there was some other way to peace, a way that didn't involve decades of continual food-shuffling and naval gazing. y'dig?" _And there's the pitch._

"Indeed we do, Mr Glass." The voice continued. "In fact, we feel the same as you do."

_Straight into the net. Perfect. _"You do?"

"We feel that mankind has been allowed to stagnate. We see a world regressing rather then advancing, one where people fear change for what it may bring. We believe that we must change to survive. Our goals, Mr Glass, are to change the world. To make a better life and abandon this enforced fear of change."

"You believe that technology is good." Floyd stated. "And you want to convince everyone else of that fact."

"Yes."

_So there you go. They're firing along the same lines as Jenice and her joy luck club. _"Well then..." He finished. "When you put it like that you make a rather compelling argument."

"We could use your skills, Mr Glass. With us, there is no limit to what you could do."

"Then I'm afraid I must pass." he finished with a broad grin. "I'd never join a club that would have me as a member."

oOoOo

The normally dim chambers of the Blackstar council were illuminated by a floating holographic map, one that displayed a section of the Zygra empire. As it floated in place, it changed and moved to represent the latest movement and positions of various forces. The edge of it began to take on a deep red colour, representing the aggressive movements of the Drakken army.

"It would appear that the Red Claw situation is well in hand." One male member of the council spoke up. "The Draken forces will simply obliterate them. Looking at these force projections, I see no way that the Red Claw army in Gayos could stand against them. The situation will likely simply resolve itself."

"A rather clean and simple solution." Another female member spoke up.

"Almost too clean." The female head of the council countered.

"How so?"

"In taking Gayos, the Red Claw upped the ante." She explained. "Now I am willing to accept that Zygra fleeing into the safety of the Draken Empire was not a part of their plan. In all likelihood, they had wanted to neutralise him, eliminate anything that could pass for a legitimate leader and establish themselves as the new ruling power. However, I doubt that nobody within the Claw proper had anticipated this outcome."

"The Draken Empire has no love for Zygra." A male spoke up. "Why would they have aided the empire otherwise?"

"Yet at the same time, it would be an excellent excuse for them to make a territorial grab." Another man countered. "One that they could extend to a peacekeeping mission or an attempt to remove a potentially dangerous government. Or at least, use that as a justification."

"So it would appear that, in any scenario, the Red Claw would have to face an invasion." A woman finished. "One that is determined to press ahead, despite the prospect of mass destruction at the hands of the Red Claw's new weapon."

A rotating image of the Gungyarados superimposed itself over the map. "Yes, this Zoid is a singular danger." One of the earlier speakers continued.

"So we have to assume that the Red Claw has planned for this eventuality." The female leader spoke up. "As a consequence, we must assume that rather then the neat outcome you predicted, they have another hand that they are yet to play."

"One that may yet have consequences for us." A female officer added.

"Exactly."

"In that case." She continued. "We must accept that the Gungyarados is a threat that can and will be used against us. We must be prepared to counter it and, potentially, other machines of similar performance and threat."

"What are you proposing?" Another voice spoke up.

"We have certain... eventualities planned." The female speaker continued. "Ones that we have been sitting on top of for far too long. And while we recently took action to begin enacting the process, I feel that the time has come for us to move that project to its final phase."

"A dangerous decision." The commander continued. "I would seek alternatives."

"You have seen the footage of the devastation in Gayos, correct?" She added. "And you have seen what it has done in other places; not just to cities but to the few efforts Zygra has made to field a force against the Claw. You, of all people, should be aware of the dangers posed by such a weapons platform."

"That is true. But I am also aware of the dangers posed by our countermeasures, having seen them in action from first hand."

"But the threat posed by the Gungyarados outweighs that." She continued. "That Zoid could kill thousands in an instant. it could reduce all we have worked for to smoldering wreckage. Are you prepared to face that possibility?"

The commander audibly sighed. "Very well. Enable the procedure." She shook her head. "And may god help us all."

oOoOo

Sturm was still getting used to the layout of the strange subterranean facility. Despite being there only a few days, he still found it confusing to say the least. The place was simply unlike anywhere he had ever seen before; it was clear that it had been purpose built, but he couldn't even being to figure out the exact nature of that purpose.

Despite being a relative outsider, he had been free to wander the facility. Apparently, Levisha's word was enough to warrant that level of trust in him. Unfortunately, he'd quickly found the limits of that trust; large areas of the facility were guarded and inaccessible; those there had simply stated that he didn't have the clearance to access those areas as yet.

Instead he'd spent his last few days looking over their Zoid facilities; the _Kuroryu-kai_ had a small force of machines that was apparently a rather hodge-podge collection that they had scrounged up from various other sources. These had been boosted by the bizzare machines that they referred to as Bio-Zoids. He'd taken some time in studying the strange creations and their mechanical pilots. So far, he'd counted seven distinct types, each roughly analogous to a regular Zoid. Of them all but one appeared to be relatively common; that single example was the largest of them, a black tyrannosaur-like machine that reminded him of a Genosaurer. Not only was it a lot less common, but he'd only seen it with a human pilot thus far.

He had been given his own quarters, a bland but functional room that had fulfilled all his basic needs. Apparently, arrangements were being made to transfer his personal effects from Gayos, which would add some life to the otherwise spartan facilities. However, he wasn't heading there now.

Since he'd been here, he'd spent most of his time on his own. Levisha had been busy with operations pertaining to the Drakken invasion, while Jenice had been engrossed in what she called her 'great work'. As he didn't know anyone else there (Levisha had apparently been the only agent within the Red Claw. It impressed him that those who had followed her in overthrowing Jenice were agents that were loyal to her rather then the organization as a whole) he'd been largely on his own.

However, to break the monotony, Levisha had, in passing, invited him back to her room. He realised what she meant, but instead saw it as an opportunity to clear up some lingering doubts. Waiting patiently until she had opened the door, he discretely slipped inside, turning to face her. "Levisha I-"

He was cut off as she kissed him full on the lips, holding him tightly and pushing him back against the now closed door. Struggling against her, he managed to push her back for a moment. "Wait-" He started, putting his hand in front of her mouth. "Just... a minute, please."

She nodded, her face not betraying a hint of emotion, a complete change from the passion that had been there a moment ago. "Go on then."

He glanced around, realizing that he was still stuck here - his back was up against the wall in more ways then one. He knew he was out of options, he turned to look directly at her. "There are some things about this that just doesn't seem right to me, Levisha." He stated. "I have questions. I need them answered."

"Of course." She replied, nodding. "Go ahead."

"Why did you do it?" He asked. "Why destroy the Red Claw? Why didn't you bring Jenice straight into your organisation when you realised what she was?"

"Several reasons." She countered, still standing in place. "The Red Claw provided a handy distraction; while the Empire was focusing its efforts on them, they would not see us until the time was right. By the same token, when I saw that the Claw were powerful enough to take on the empire, I let them move. They are now the focus of everyone's attention; and yet we remain in the shadows, hidden until the time is right."

"So you would sacrifice their lives for your goals?" He asked.

"As readily as you fired on civilians to achieve yours, yes." Her eyes narrowed. "The Red Claw is no longer of any value. I have removed those elements of it that can be used to better the world, and discarded the rest."

Sturm could see the truth to her words, and at the same time the implications of her statements. What she had done was no different to what he had done all those months ago when he left the Empire, only on a far larger scale. _We both betrayed one cause for what we thought to be a far greater, far nobler one. _"Fine then." he continued. "So why did you never tell Jenice of any of this?"

"Jenice sees herself as a leader." Levisha stated. "She would not have been content to follow the orders of others. To bring her in, I had to first take that from her, bring her under control. She will serve our cause, but only now that she has no other choice. However, the revelation of her true nature seems to have, shall we say, shocked her into submission."

Jenice was clearly anything but shocked, but he chose not to comment. "So then why me?" why did you bring me into this cause? I don't have Jenice's abilities."

"No, but you have my vision." She continued. "Speaking to you, I saw that you desired the same things as I did. You saw a world that needed to be changed, regardless of the cost. Your level of determination told me that you were exactly the sort of person we wanted. After all... that was the traits they saw in me."

That surprised him; he'd somehow assumed that she was always a part of this organisation. "Then what about you?" he asked. "You're not really Levisha Towne. I've gathered that much. So who are you?"

She grinned, a predatory, hungry grin. "I'm whoever you want me to be. I'm an agent of the _Kuroryu-kai_, Sturm. I long ago gave up my own identity for the benefit of the cause. My only name is Fourty-Two; that's all you need. If you want me to be Levisha Towne, then I can."

"There must be more to it then that." he shook his head.

She nodded. "Well... there was once. And there are some remnants of it still." She wiped a hand across her right eye, holding it closed for half a minute before re-opening. Instead of her usual blood-red eye, however, it was a bright green colour - the green of a Blackstar's eyes. "I had a life. I had power, prestige, position... everything. And like you, Sturm, I gave it all away for a cause that I believed in. I sacrificed my identity to save this world."

He was surprised, to say the least. That a Blackstar would abandon their life for anything else was unthinkable - possibly only just less then a Zygra Paladin doing the same. It spoke volumes of her beliefs and commitment. "Levisha..." He began, staying with the alias that was the only name he knew she had. "What is going on? What is this plan that everyone speaks of?"

"Shh..." She replied, leaning closer to him. "Soon, very soon... we will change the world." She finished, pressing her body against his, touching her lips to his.

oOoOo

Listening in on the conversations between Althiea and Floyd, Thorne had figured what was going to happen. Sooner or later, the guards would come for her to drag her off for interrogation. And she would be ready for them.

Things had gone as planned. She had ambushed them on entrance, managing to knock one of them down before he knew what was going on. A moment later his companion was also down, taken out by a swift blow to the throat. She'd grabbed a gun and left the cell, figuring that she could take things from there.

Except they were ready for her. A small squad of guards were waiting outside, presumably as a contingency against something like this happening. They had jumped her, bearing her down under their sheer weight of numbers. Even then, she'd continued fighting. Not able to use the gun in such cramped conditions, she'd gone hand-to-hand, trying to dispatch her attackers with fists or feet, beating them off by any means possible.

It had been a valiant effort. In fact, she would have had a chance if not for somebody armed with a stun baton.

Blindfolded and only half conscious, she'd been dragged across the facility for some distance before being set down on a chair in a small room. She only vaguely recalled being bound, her head drooping forward as she tried to clear her mind. She blinked her eyes open, her enhanced vision immediately compensating for the darkened room. As she regained sense, she could make out every detail of the room. However, there was nothing to see; it was completely plain and unadorned.

_I shouldn't be here. _She thought as she shook her head. _I should not have been defeated. A real Blackstar, one truly deserving of the title, wouldn't have fallen so easily._

She knew that her capture wasn't her fault. Seeing that Glass' life was at risk, she had reluctantly surrendered. It wasn't that she had any attachment to him; anything but. She wouldn't have done the same for most anyone else. The issue instead was his _value. _She had a use for him, and he couldn't fulfill it if he was dead. There was still information locked in his head, information that she may yet need.

Instead, what burned her was that she had been so easily manhandled by these thugs; she was a Blackstar; she was supposed to be superior to them. She should have been able to physically dominate them, beat them aside and then make her escape. Instead, they had dragged her around like a petulant child, throwing her down and securing her before she could offer any resistance.

The light came on, glaring in her face. Her eyes, adapted for the darkness quickly compensated, reducing the glare to manageable levels. However, the brightness of the light, combined with the beating she had suffered, still made it painful to look at.

"My name is Asheligh Thorne." She began. "I am a captain in the Blackstar Guard. My serial number is-"

"We know all that already, Ashleigh Thorne." The voice cut her off. "We did not bring you here for that."

It was exactly as Floyd and Althiea had described it. But she refused to be cowed. "My name is Asheligh Thorne-"

"Who is Sabrina Delgado?" The voice cut her off. This genuinely surprised Thonre; she had not expected anyone outside of Blackstar to know about her. It meant that there was a high-level intel failure somewhere inside their organisation. _I need to know where, _she thought, trying to focus. _If I play along, maybe there'll be a lead._

"Who is Sabrina Delgado?" it repeated.

"She... she is a fusion reactor technician, assigned to the Number One plant in Blackstar City." Thorne stated.

"We know that." The voice stated. "Why was she assigned to your training?"

_That proves it. My training of her was a secret outside of a few people. _"Because she was promoted to become a Blackstar warrior."

"Irrelevant. Delgado is not a warrior."

"She would not have been trained if she wasn't." Thorne countered.

"Who is she? Why was a non-combatant technician promoted to warrior duty?" The voice repeated.

"I don't know." She stated.

"You lie." The voice continued. "Tell me why she was assigned to you."

"Because I was being punished for disobeying orders." She countered. It was not the answer they had expected, but it was the truth.

"Why was she assigned to you?" The voice repeated, clearly not satisfied wit the answer.

"I already told you!" She snapped. "I was being punished for my actions by being withdrawn from combat duties!"

"What is your involvement with the Delgado project?" They continued. "Who is she? Where is she from?"

_Delgado Project? _She shook her head. _There is more going on then I realised... which makes me wonder what exactly was going on with her. _"I have said that I don't know!" She continued. "She is a reactor technician. She was promoted to combat duty. I was assigned to train her!"

"Tell the truth." The voice stated.

"That is the truth!" She snapped. "I have told you all that I know about her!"

There was a pause. "Where did your Zoid come from?" It asked.

"What?"

"Your Zoid is of a unique configuration." It continued. "Where did you acquire it from?"

"It was found in a ruined town decades ago." She stated. "It was left in storage until I claimed it as my own. Nobody else wanted it." _Because it was not perfect, did not meet their standards. _She thought. _Just like me._

"Who created it?"

"I don't know."

"Who designed it?"

"I don't know!"

"Who is Sabrina Delgado?"

"I... I..." She snarled "Damn you!" She pulled hard against the seat, which was firmly bolted to the floor. Her wrists and ankles strained, the bonds cutting into her skin. "I don't know!"

"You lie!" The voice continued, anger colouring its tone. "Tell us who she is!"

"No!" She yelled. "I told you I do not know!" She lunged forwards, the various modifications to her body kicking in, increasing her strength and endurance while at the same time dulling her pain receptors. Her bonds snapped, blood trailing from, the cuts in her skin as she charged forwards. She lunged at the light, swinging around with a booted foot that smashed straight through it, plunging the room into darkness. A moment later her vision adjusted, again compensating for the darkness.

A siren went off, guards running into the room. Thorne ran at them, ploughing headlong into them in a frenzy of action. The first soldier went down under her assault before he even knew what was going on. A moment later, another one joined him. This time she didn't want a weapon; she just wanted to kill as many of them as she could.

Reinforcements ran to the room, bearing down on her as they had before. She kept fighting, however, taking whatever chance she could. Even though she knew it was pointless and that they would eventually triumph, she didn't care She had to defeat them, had to destroy as many of them as she could. Because that is what a true Blackstar would do.

oOoOo

A pair of cannon shots struck the Command Wolf in the side, blasting armor off its flank. Staggered, the machine struggled to stay upright and return fire at its attacker. Ignoring the handful of ineffectual shots it sent his way, Nikolas Zygra grinned in anticipation of bringing down his opponent.

He opened up the throttle, the Liger Zero EM roaring as it charged forwards towards its foe. As it ran, its claws built up a glow of brilliant golden energy as they readied for the strike that would finish their opponent off. The Liger leaped, then bought its claws down, scything through the air in a brilliant arc that came down on the Wolf, slicing through its neck and instantly decapitating it.

Wasting no time in savoring his victory, Zygra pushed his Zoid on, charging forwards. He would let the rest of the Drakken troops deal with the rabble. He had more important opponents to deal with; the enemy's leadership. It was only fitting that they should die at the claws of his machine as a demonstration of his power and resolve.

The Liger charged into Gayos, headed straight towards the palace itself. He knew that it was the only place the Claw's leaders would be; they had to make a statement, had to act like they were the true rulers. He would teach them the error of their ways, and reclaim his empire.

The sensors beeped to indicate the presence of a nearby Zoid. _here we go... they come out to play at last, _he thought as he surged forwards, pushing his machine as hard as he could. Anticipation filled his head as he counted down the seconds until the engagement, and the inevitable demise of his opponents.

The first target appeared; a Cannon Tortoise that all but blundered into his path. Before it could react, he opened up, peppering the machine with shots. One of the impact cannon rounds went straight through the Zoid's cockpit, instantly killing the pilot and disabling the machine. A moment later, a second Zoid Tortoise stepped out to face him. The Zoid dropped its beam cannons and opened fire, spraying shots at his machine as it closed in.

Twisting and weaving, Zygra's machine danced through the volley of fire, the pilot ignoring or not caring about what he was facing like it was a gentle rainstorm. The Liger charged forwards, bearing down on its opponent, closing in for the kill. With a loud roar, it again lashed out with the Strike Laser Claw, gouging into the Zoid's flank, ripping through the smaller machine. The Tortoise simply crashed to the ground, gutted by his attack.

"Enough with these fools!" He called out. "Where are the real opponents?"

A burst of fire from a nearby building provided the answer to his question. Several shots slammed into his Zoid's armour but did little more then mar the paint. Zygra kept his Zoid running, twisting and weaving his way through the shots as he glanced around, searching for his attacker.

He caught a glimpse of an orange form behind him, flitting between buildings as it tried to avoid his Zoid. _So there's the Lord Gale, _he thought. _Now to take it down. _He swung the Zoid around, charging at the machine, opening fire with the impact cannon. His weapon didn't have enough elevation, however, the shots passing well below it. The Lord Gale spun around, again leaping out of his way and opening fire with its cannons. _Damn it... how can I take him down?_

The enemy Zoid came around, spraying shots at him from behind. _That impudent fool... If only... _He glanced down at his weapons board. _Aha! That's it! _As he twisted and dodged his way through the enemy Zoid's fire, he replied with his own Zoid's tail cannon, raising the weapon to track the Lord Gale. A shot caught the Zoid in one wing, spearing straight through it and sending it crashing to the ground. The Zoid fell back, a building collapsing under its weight as it went, showering it in debris.

"Now you're mine!" he shouted as he came around, charging at the wounded Lord Gale as it struggled to its feet. The Strike Laser Claw slashed at the enemy Zoid, shattering its lances before it could respond and sending it again staggering back. Taking advantage of the situation, he opened fire again with the Impact Cannon, the shots smashing into the Zoid's chest before he bore down on it for the kill. The Liger sank its fangs into the Gale's cockpit, crushing it and instantly killing the pilot.

"Thus fall all enemies of the Empire." He grimly added as he released the mangled corpse of the enemy machine. A moment after it clattered to the ground, the Zoid simply vanished, as did the environment around it. Nodding at the now blank screen, Zygra disengaged the safety and opened the Simulator's cockpit.

"Excellent work." Marissa Fyre began as she approached, applauding him. "Had those been the real Red Claw, well..." She smiled. "They certainly wouldn't be a threat to either of our nations any more."

"Thank you, your majesty." He replied with a slight bow. "I merely did what I could."

"While only a simulation, it shows a degree of your prowess." She continued. "Certainly your performance was impressive. One of my aides commented that you handled your Zoid like a skilled veteran, despite the fact that you have very little actual experience. You must simply have a lot of raw, natural talent."

"You are too kind." He offered as they walked back to the control booth. "I suspect that some of it may be my grandfather's influence. Zygra was an excellent pilot."

"This is true, but you shouldn't underestimate yourself." She finished. "Go clean yourself up. We'll review your progress and cover the war situation later."

"Thank you again." he finished, then turned to leave.

Marissa waited before he had left before she turned to the operations technician. "That trick he pulled with the tail gun was impossible. There's no way that Liger could hit a flying target with it." She glared at him. "So what did you do? Downgrade the AI?"

He nodded. "I reduced the durability of all the Zoids on the Red Claw's side, increased the lethality of the Liger Zero weapons, increased the size of the hit bubbles and, yes, decreased the AI considerably."

"And the results?"

"He does have some natural skill, yes, but a lot of it is the combination of being given a powerful Zoid and enemies who basically line up to let him kill them. We keep him going on this path, he'll think he can take out an Energy Liger on his own."

"But its keeping him occupied and confident, which is the most important part." She finished, and smiled. "Excellent work."

A short walk later, she arrived in the ship's War Room, surveying the maps as she approached. "Well, how are we going?"

Nacht looked up at her as she entered. "The initial plan seems to have worked out as you expected. We offer the local Zygra forces a chance to stand down and, when they don't ,we assume that they're hostile." He indicated to several displays. "They've given us fair justification; we've had reports of Zygra forces opening fire on our units on site. Already, we've moved a good way into their territory."

"And the resistance?"

"Those who chose to fight us are usually eliminated pretty quickly." He finished. "Their Zoids simply cannot compete with ours."

"Good." She replied. "How is our supply situation holding?"

"As expected. What was initially derided as excessive for a short campaign has clearly become an necessity."

"Of course. It is fortunate that we planned for this sort of inevitability." Which was only a partial truth. The few unprovoked Zygra attacks had given her an excuse to let her troops loose on the Zygra army. Her aim was to simply create a large buffer area of 'occupied' territory once they had destroyed the Red Claw. Of course, since these areas would be deprived of their normal defenses, she would have to use her forces as peacekeepers to 'stabilise' them afterwards. They would use those territories launch their invasion of the Auroran republic, while returning some of the lands that Zygra had taken from them.

In short, the Zygra attacks were unnecessary. This conflict would have happened anyway.

"And Zygra is not aware of how things are working out?"

"I have kept him occupied." She explained. "His mind is filled with notions of becoming a heroic warrior king in the model of his grandfather, and returning to Gayos at the forefront of a liberating army. Its one that I'm willing to entertain, as it keeps him occupied."

Nacht nodded a an aide approached. "Excuse me, your majesty." He began as he handed her a sheet. "Latest intel from Gayos."

"Thank you." She commented as she read it. "Interesting. Most interesting."

"Your majesty?" Nacht asked.

"There was fighting in Gayos a few days ago." She offered as she handed him the sheet. "The Lord Gale and Gungyarados apparently disappeared and have not been seen since. And while the Claw are still in control, their numbers are somewhat reduced."

"So then what shall we do?"

"For now? Nothing. We proceed according to the plan. I see no reason why not to." She paused for a moment. "But advise all points to keep an eye out for the Gungyarados. Its absence makes me wonder if there isn't something else going on."

"And our man in Gayos?"

"Keep them there until things become untenable, or until we're about to get there." She finished. "I'd like to know more about what's going on. But I may need their skills later."

"Of course, your majesty."

She nodded. "This will be our time, Nacht. Again, the world shall tremble in our presence."

oOoOo

"Commander!" A technician called out form the other side of the control centre. "Zero point has commenced reentry!"

"Already?" He looked up, glancing over at the array of screens. "Main board, now!"

The main screen flashed up with an orbital diagram, showing the path of a single object as it made its way across the surface of the globe. As he watched, he could see the figures emerge; it was loosing latitude and gaining speed, beginning its long, final plunge into the atmosphere and towards the surface of the planet.

And he would be there for it. The future depended on it.

"Order all forces to standby for immediate deployment!" He called out. "Be ready to mobilise as soon as we have the target coordinates."

"Yes commander." The technician replied as around her the room exploded into activity. Monitors flicked on various displays of the object's heading and potential target impact zone. Others updated with the newest available information on the positions of other forces around the target area.

"And be prepared to fight. We may need to defend the object from other parties. They would capture and destroy it, afraid of what it is. Only we can use this boon to save this world from itself!" He turned to Jaeger. "What's the status of your activators?"

"i would prefer to use Althiea, but Jenice is ready now." He stated. "I think we may yet be able to bend Althiea to serve our purposes."

"Very good. I want her good to go as quickly as possible, Jaeger."

"Of course." Jaeger nodded as he watched the displays. _Soon... very soon now. This world shall be ours._


	40. Skyfall

The massive, bizarrely-shaped vessel rose into the air, a cloud of smoke and flames enveloping its base. Looking for all the world like it was never meant to fly, it was clearly comprised of sections of different vessels crudely lashed together. Yet it rose unsteadily into the air, propelling itself and its valuable cargo into orbit. From this day, all would be different. From this day, mankind would be reborn.

And then a brilliant blue and white beam came out of seemingly nowhere, a brilliant slash across the twilight sky. It sliced straight into the side of the launch vehicle, slicing its way through the structure in a wide arc. The effect was nothing short of catastrophic.

The body of the ship was sliced in half. The lower section suddenly veered off course, unbalanced by one of the boosters breaking away form the body and continuing on its own path. It fell, twisting sideways as it went, while the upper half flipped over and began to plummet. As the three large sections, and innumerable other ones began to fall to the earth, a single overriding thought filled the witnesses mind.

They had failed.

The commander sat up in his bed, looking around the room. _Odd that dream should return now, _he thought. _Now that I am on the edge of my victory. Is it a warning of what is to come, or merely a reminder of what happened in past?_

A beep from the communicator beside his bed caught his attention. _Now what, _he wondered as he picked it up. "Who is this?" he asked, almost expecting the reply. The time was right for it, and he had waited so long to hear this.

"Commander?" A female technician spoke. "Zero Point has begun the final stage of its decent."

"Very good." He replied. "I will be there shortly."

_And that is it. No ceremony, no bold declarations, nothing. Just the inevitable march of progress, _he thought as he stood. _And today, the world changes._

oOoOo

**Skyfall**

oOoOo

The massive object crashed through the atmosphere, trailing debris behind it as it went. Its structure began to break up, panels peeling away from it and burning up as it descended. However, this was deliberate; those that broke off were intended only as concealment rather then parts of its structure. As they came away, they revealed layers of heat-resistant material designed to shield it.

Anyone tracking the object would have noticed that it was constantly correcting its course rather then simply plummeting. Furthermore, it stabilised itself to prevent itself from deviating as it fell and shed external layers. As its structure broke away, the massive cylindrical form, composed of sheets of twisted wreckage gave way to a far sleeker, slimmer shape.

Purged of its outer layers, the object began the final stage of its journey, half gliding, half falling towards the planet's surface. It sped over Draken space, heading towards the centre of the besieged Zygra Empire. Thrusters fired to slow its decent while still maintaining control. It hit the ground at an angle, its purpose-designed leading end breaking up the ground as it furrowed through, limiting the damage it suffered. As it slowed, additional thrusters and stabilisers activated, bringing it to a near-vertical position.

The last of its momentum died, the object coming to a rest in the middle of an open plain. Its appearance was extraordinary; it resembled a massive, burnt iron tower, comprised of a mixture of sleek panels and twisted, charred debris. Around it lay piles of burnt parts that had shed during its decent.

It served as an ominous landmark, a jutting black tower that spoke of horrific power, waiting to be unleashed.

oOoOo

Rayvenne's Sinker passed over the narrow canyon, its pilot looking down at the terrain below her. This stretch of it was initially no different from any other; rock walls, bolder-strewn floor and a mixture of sand and scrub. What caught her attention, however, was the obvious signs of a battle. Bits of debris, craters, blasted holes in the rock, even small patches where the sand had been fused into glass by high-energy weapons.

"Hey guys." She called out in her horse voice. "I think we've found them."

For the last week, they had been searching for any sign of the other two members of their band; Floyd and Althiea, as well as the Blackstar they had picked up along the way. The three of them were headed to Floyd's home to plan their next move; instead, they seemed to have simply vanished off the face of the earth. It was unexpected to say the least; the three of them had been piloting very large, very distinctive Zoids that would be hard to hide. That one of them was a Blackstar seemed to only make them stand out more.

"What is it?" Gwen replied over the comms channel, her voice clearly weary. To say that Rayvenne didn't like the former Red Claw pilot was an understatement; she was a constant nag, she acted incredibly superior and she seemed to take everything as a directed insult. That she had spent months trying to kill Rayvenne only added to it. She'd often wondered what Gwen would think of the real her who, compared to the Red Claw agent, was taller, better looking and far better endowed.

"Signs of a battle." Rayvenne continued. "Looks like some weapons fire and explosions and a lot of Zoids moving around here. Big ones too." She'd been keeping up the 'mysterious Sinker pilot' act almost continually for a week. It wasn't easy. When she first created the character, she'd figured that she'd only be playing him for short periods of time before vanishing back into the shadows and going back to her day job. But a week at one stretch? It was murder on her throat.

A moment later, Gwen's Redler flew past, swooping down over the battlefield. "Yeah, I see it." She muttered. "Everyone, home in on our location. We gotta take a look at this."

It was a few minutes later that the entire team were gathered around the site, looking over the evidence at hand. "Looks fer all the world like 'em." Leanne commented as she looked over the site. "Y'all can see the prints left by the Iron Kong, both its knuckles and its feet. Those heavy ones got to be the Darkhorn then." She indicated to a different path. "Those tread marks are the Gustav all right, but there's somethin' wrong. They blur, then suddenly end."

"What do you reckon happened?" Jason asked.

"I ain't sure... maybe it flipped over or somethin'. Of course, that normally ain't gonna happen with a Gustav." She shook her head. "An' check out the way the others are movin'. The Kong's reared up, and the Darkhorn's definitely runnin' at something."

"Like what?" Drake asked, hovering over her. He'd been tyring to get as close to Leanne as possible for the last week. Rayvenne had been quietly wondering how long it would be before she simply smashed his nose in.

"Well that's the thing..." She shook her head. "There's a lot of other tracks around, but I ain't got no idea at all as to what made 'em. They don't look like Zoid tracks though... more like animals or birds or somethin'."

"Fascinating." Drake continued. "How do you know so much about tracking?"

"Raised on a farm." She shrugged. "I learned a thing or two."

"You know what I think?" he continued. "I reckon this has something to do with that meteor."

Everyone turned to glare at him. "Drake?" Gwen began. "What the bloody hell do you mean?"

"Well, I'm just saying that it could be." He replied, somewhat defensively. "I mean, well, strange goings on, Zoids vanishing, weird lights in the sky, huge rocks smashing into the earth... I don't see why the two couldn't be unconnected."

"Well, and I'm going to sound like I'm going out on a limb here." Harry spoke up. "But I reckon it could be because it doesn't make a single bleeding bit of sense."

"Well. um..."

"Okay, people." Jason spoke up, heading off what was clearly about to turn into the group's umpteenth pointless argument. "Let's not debate what happened. The key point is that we have a lead that we can follow up on. So what I suggest is that we all take a quick break and then we try finding a trail and following that." He finished. "Any objections?"

"Yeah." Gwen called out. "I object to your telling us what to do."

Jason shrugged. "Fine then. What's your suggestion?"

"We..." She paused, clearly not ready. She'd probably only spoken up for the sake of hearing her own voice and appearing to be in charge, something the Red Claw woman seemed to do a lot of. "Well, we will take a short break and then scour the area for any further clues to the whereabouts of your allies, and who attacked them."

"Fine then." Jason agreed. "Everybody, take five."

Shaking her head, Rayvenne couldn't help but chuckle to herself. It had become very clear that there were deep divisions within the Red Claw group. The McNeils didn't like the Trakes, and the Trakes didn't like the McNeils. it was also clear that Gwen and Drake didn't really like each other. The problem was that none of them outranked the others, which meant that they spent more time bickering over who should be telling who what to do. Jason had basically taken over by simply presenting them with ideas that it was hard for them to reasonably object to.

She grabbed a water bottle from her Zoid's cockpit and carefully slid the straw under her bandanna. It was tiring work maintaining the identity, yet, at the same time, she was far from ready to give it up. She'd just have to knuckle down and accept it. Of course, the suspicious natures of the four Claw pilots hadn't made it easy, especially not Gwen. That she had an axe to grind with Rayvenne over multiple defeats only made things worse.

"Hey there." Rayvenne almost jumped out of her skin as she heard Gwen's voice behind her. Taking a moment to compose herself, she turned around, stashing the bottle.

"What do you want?" Rayvenne replied, sticking to her character voice.

"Look..." Gwen began, her usual gruff attitude absent. "I figure that we're not going to get anywhere by fighting with each other, right?"

"Yeah." Rayvenne simply stated. _And never mind that most of the 'fighting' has been caused by your constant bitching._

"So, uh... what I wanted to say..." She trailed off for a moment. "Well hell, look, what I'm trying to say is that it's good we're working together. Really."

"Yeah, what with us both being chased by the Red Claw and all." She replied, deadpan.

"So what I;m thinking is that it might be better if, we, uh, got to know each other a little better." Gwen burbled. "I mean, look, I consider myself lucky to be travelling in the company of such a skilled pilot as oyu. There aren't too many people around who can equal my own piloting abilities."

_Equal? No. Beat? Plenty, like me, Levisha, those Blackstar Relders, those unmanned Chimeras... _It was what she wanted to say, but she kept her trap shut. "Yeah, and?" That sounded good, the sort of noncommittal, nonplussed reply that her mysterious persona was all about.

"Well, all I'm saying is that you're a pretty good pilot and that I, um, respect you for that. Because, um, its the sort of thing a girl could... respect. In a guy." She was clearly stumbling over her words. "That and, um, you're all mysterious and stuff, which is kind of cool and all."

"Sure." Rayvenne finished, suddenly a little uncertain.

"So, um, what I think I want to say is... that you're kind of neat, actually. Yeah."

"Riiight." Ravenne drawled. "Look, I've got work to do here."

"Sure, um, work. yes. I'll let you get to it, then. Sure." She nodded, then half walked, half stumbled off.

_Well that was freaky, _Rayvenne commented to herself. _We have to get away from these people._

oOoOo

The appearance of the object had come as a shock to all of the nations of the Shelflands. Nobody had expected such a large chunk of debris to still exist, especially after over fifty years, and certainly not to have come suddenly crashing to the earth. The situation in the Zygra empire also meant that it was a relatively minor concern; they had more important things to worry about. However, to the _Kuroryu-kai_, this was the cumulation of all they had worked towards for decades. All the events they had engineered were leading up to this one point.

The commander stood on a platform, overlooking the massive hanger bay. Below him was a strange assortment of soldiers. Only a minority of them were human, the shaven headed soldiers dressed in their strange uniforms and concealing face masks. Also amongst them were a substantial number of the so-called Bio-droids that, until recently, had been the backbone of their Zoid forces. The strange, almost comical robots had proved to be vital in expanding their forces, and would remain such until enough of their replacements were available.

It was those replacements that caught the commanders eye. The first batch of them had been hurried into production for this moment. They possessed superior abilities to the machines they were supplanting, but, to the commander, that wasn't their true strength. Unlike their prdecessors, they were fully humanoid; they were the size of men, and resembled nothing so much as humans in flight suits, with helmets. They had fully human faces, even if their features were inert. The only difference was that they were entirely cast in a dull red colour.

These were Bio-Mindriders, the _Kuroryu-kai's _greatest technological achievement.

He looked over them, then turned to glance back at Dr Watanabe, the man who had bought them to life. "You have done truly excellent work." he began.

He shook his head. "Darth Selaj should be thanked. She was the one who bought them to us, and it was her... abilities that allowed us to reverse-engineer them. And even then, they are but pale copies of the true originals. They lack the life and intelligence that true Mindriders were said to possess."

"You sell yourself short. What you have achieved with them is remarkable."

"I have other plans, however." He continued. "The next generation of Bio-Mindriders will be far superior."

"No doubt." The commander finished. "And I eagerly await your creations. I am sure they will be invaluable to us in the days to come. For now, however, we have other matters to attend to."

He stepped forwards, looking over the balcony at the assembled forces. "Brothers of the _Kuroryu-kai!_" he began. "This is the moment we have waited decades for is finally upon us. Zero Point has returned to this world, and is calling to us. It is our duty to reclaim it; not for ourselves, but for all humanity."

There was a cheer from the assembled crowd of human pilots and soldiers. Both the Bio-Droids and Bio-Mindriders remained mute and unmoving.

"In past, we have been forced to hide on the margins of civilisation, avoiding conflict lest we be destroyed before we can claim what is ours. But no more." He paused. "Today, we will strike out form the darkness, revealing ourselves to the world. We shall confront our enemies head on, and defeat them through the wonders of our technology. We shall drive back the ignorance and fear, and bring this world into the light."

He turned for a moment to a man standing by him. Tall and muscular, he had short-cropped black hair and dark eyes that enhanced his chiselled features. Like the others, he was dressed in a form-fitting bodysuit, but did not wear a facemask. "Agent Six, you will lead the operation alongside one of our newest, and most important members. After your extraordinary efforts in the field so far, you have my fullest confidence." he referred to the capture of Althiea and Glass by Six's own troops; that he had managed to do what no other force had so far was a tribute to his skills.

"Yes, commander." He replied with a nod.

Jenice stepped out next to him, the commander nodding to her as well. "Six, Darth Selaj will lead our forces alongside you. Her skills and her new weapons she has created for us will be vital to the success of the operation."

"Thank you." Jenice replied. "I have awaited this opportunity for so long... the chance to reshape the world, to enlighten its people. I will not fail this cause."

"I have no doubt, Selaj." He finished with a slight bow. "Your very presence is a boost to our cause. We fight better knowing that one of your kind has chosen to serve alongside us."

He turned back to the assembled troops. "Men, this is our time. We will not be denied; we will not be swayed from our course. After today, the world will be ours to reshape in our image. Now go and do your duty; not for me, not for yourselves but for the lives of every human being on this planet." As the crowd cheered, the commander smiled to himself. He had waited so long for this moment; now it would all be his.

Within minutes, the bulk of the _Kuroryu-kai's _forces were in motion. They gathered in the canyon outside the wrecked ship that had been their shelter, then moved off into the desert. They were an odd mix, an eclectic assortment of Zoid types scattered amongst the hordes of the Bio Zoids that had become the mainstays of their armies.

As they left the canyon, the force split into four sections. The bulk of the group peeled off, heading north, away from the crash site, while only a smaller force continued heading directly towards it. The third group was far smaller then the others, consisting of the Lord Gale and the two Chimeras that Towne had bought with her. They took to the air, heading due north. The last group, consisting mainly of support Zoids, lagged behind the main body of the march.

Inside his Bio-Tyranno, one of only two in the force, the commander smiled to himself. He had inherited this dream from another man. Now it was his task to fulfil it.

oOoOo

To their annoyance, the _Kuroryu-kai _had discovered that all three of the Zoids that they had captured were useless to their forces. More frustrating, each of them had been rendered useless for different reasons.

The modified Darkhorn had been equipped with a Blackstar-style cybernetic neural interface system. This meant that, amongst other things, it could not be operated by a "normal" pilot. Since only a single _Kuroryu-kai _agent used that system (the organisation generally saw it as too unstable and dangerous, and too much of a risk to the mental health of their agents. She was an exception, as she'd already had the system installed prior to her joining them) and she had other duties that were far better suited to her talents. Thus, until they could spare the time and resources to rebuild it to use a more conventional control system, it was out of action.

Floyd's Gustav was also proving to be unusable, if only for different reasons. The Zoid had been equipped with an elaborate security system to prevent unauthorised access to it. Comprising of a layered mess of silent and not too silent alarms, immobiliser switches and other traps, the idea was that any would-be thief would have to spend hours cracking the system. To further complicate matters, access to the Zoid was controlled by a password system - one that only Floyd knew and was not willing to give up.

However, the most baffling and frustrating was the Iron Kong. The Zoid didn't have an elaborate security system, nor did it have any sorts of modifications that altered its control system (In fact, save for the additional weapons systems, it didn't have any modifications at all). The problem was that the Zoid simply refused to start or respond to the controls. Efforts to bypass them has produced similarly disappointing results. All inspections showed that the Zoid was no different from any other Iron Kong. Furthermore, it was fully functional and should be able to work. It just didn't.

Giving up on the Iron Kong, the technicians looking after them had instead focused on the Gustav which, at the very least, could potentially be usable. Their inspections had revealed something even more interesting, however. There was a small compartment on one side of the Zoid, one that wasn't standard on a Gustav. More interestingly, it was sealed shut and had its own security system.

"Well?" Watanabe commented as he looked down at the panel. "What are you two waiting for?"

"This Zoid has been most troublesome so far." One of the technicians commented. "Its security system is-"

"Insane." The other cut him off. "And that's the Zoid. This is a secret panel on the side of a Zoid. If he's trying to hide it, I don't want to know he's protected it."

"Then make it your duty to find out." Watanabe replied, glaring at the pair of them. "Glass holds secrets that are vital to our future. Your mission is to see if that Zoid is the container for them."

"But we-"

"Now." He simply replied. "We need that information."

"Yes, sir." One of them reluctantly replied. "I suppose we could force it-"

"Don't suppose." He stated. "Do it."

The pair of them went to work with crowbars, wedging them into the container in an effort to pry it loose. Watanabe simply stood back, watching the pair of them. If this was what he suspected it to be, then it would be of great value to him. It would mean that he had captured the information that had eluded both Jenice and Jaeger for so long, information that was believed to be lost decades ago.

"Ahem." A voice began. Watanabe glanced around, before he realised that it was coming from the Gustav. "I can't help but notice that you're trying to force your way into this hidden storage compartment. I know its not my place to tell you what to do but I suggest that you really, really don't want to do this."

It took Watanabe a moment to recongise the voice; it was Floyd Glass speaking, albeit a recording of him. "What should we do?" One of the technicians asked.

"Keep going." He stated. "It's just a recording. It can't harm us."

The two went back to work, the recorded voice speaking up again. "I did warn you." It commented. "Have fun, kiddies. And remember, this is all your fault."

There was a small explosion, with smoke suddenly billowing out from the compartment followed by a rain of paper scraps. The two technicians jumped back as a fire alarm went off, ringing out through the bay. "What happened?" Watanabe shouted.

"I don't know." One of the technicians replied as he tried to wave smoke out of his face. His breather mask protected him from its effects, but it was still an annoyance. "I think it was a bomb or something."

"Forget that!" Watanabe snapped as he noted the scraps of paper. "What's inside there?"

"Hold on..." The other one replied as he delicately pried the ruined compartment open. "Looks like... looks like it was a couple of books. I say was, because, well, they must have been blown apart by that bomb... I figure it was a small directed charge, just enough to shred the contents without damaging the Zoid."

"Give me that!" He snapped, barging past the tech. Opening the compartment, he peered inside. It was as the tech had described; some bits of what could have been books. One cover remained partially intact, which he gingerly removed then looked over it. _The Compleat Darth; a treatise, _the cover proclaimed. None of the pages had survived.

"Damn it." He snarled. "There has to be something here..." He began rummaging around inside the box, sifting through the ruined pages. "There has to be... hold on." He pulled out a small, sealed packet, singed but otherwise intact. "Aha! I knew there would be something." her carefully opened it, revealing a battered piece of paper inside. Carefully unfolding it, he read over it.

_To whom it may concern._

_You can't say I didn't warn you. I figure that if you were trying to get in here, then its a fair bet that you shouldn't be reading what's inside. Especially you, Jenice. As a result, I've had to destroy the contents to prevent them from falling into your hands - whoever you are._

_Knowledge is valuable. But knowledge is also power. And in the wrong hands, that power can be very dangerous._

_One day, I hope, it will be safe to reveal this knowledge to the world. In the meantime, enjoy your ill-gotten gains._

Watanabe snarled to himself. "Damn you, Glass." He muttered. This was a setback, but not one that they couldn't overcome. In time, they would have that information and, with it, they would remake the world.

oOoOo

"Well?" Colonel Cade asked as he entered the situation room. "What do we have?"

A holographic map of the city and its surroundings appeared out of one of the briefing tables. "A large force of Zoids penetrated our territory about thirty minutes ago." Colonel Shandris replied. Taller then him, she had darker skin then the norm for a Blackstar - likely a trait inherited from a Zemalyan-era ancestor. "They've ignored all warnings and are marching straight for the front gates of the city."

"Who are they?" He asked as He looked over the situation. The new contacts were being identified in bright orange on the maps. "Last I heard all the Red Claw forces were tied up in Gayos. So is this Zygra or Draken or what?"

"I'm not sure." She commented. "Some of the units are a real hodge-podge of designs; nothing consistent or regular."

"Some of them?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. The bulk are, well... take a look yourself." Pressing some buttons on the console, Shandris bought up several images of the enemy force. The individual images resolved into rotating animated models, depicting the bizarre enemy machines. "As you can see, they don't match to any known designs."

Which was an understatement to say the least. The skeletal machines looked like no other Zoids he had ever seen or heard of. The display picked out a half-dozen different machines, displaying early estimates of their configurations. "Fascinating." He commented. "They look organic... and they have no obvious external weapons. In fact... I wouldn't bee surprised if they were unmanned. Their heads for the most part look to be way too small for a pilot."

"They have extensive air cover." She continued. "And while they're not acting overtly hostile, their manner suggests intent. They haven't made any efforts to communicate with us, nor have they responded to our own identification requests."

"So then we're assuming they're hostile." He stated. It wasn't a question; he knew the Blackstar resolve. Everything was assumed to be hostile unless proven otherwise. This group, however, left very little ambiguity as to its intent. "They're heading straight for the city and have considerable air cover. It looks like an out and out invasion to me."

"Of course, since we have no idea of their capabilities, we can't say how well our defences will hold against them." Shandris countered. It was a given that any attempt to penetrate the walls of the Blackstar city would be incredibly costly. Besides the static defences built into the walls themselves, there were also fortified emplacements for their Dark Zoids to fire from. The result would be that any attacker would walk into a wall of beams and shells, as well as suffer attacks from the Blackstar air forces. And while there were a handful of weapons that could have penetrated the wall, they had all been eliminated by post war treaties.

Still, Cade had to agree with her assessment. The strange Zoids had no clear weapons, however it didn't necessarily mean that they didn't have any weapons at all. And there were still a large number of them. "Very well then. What's the plan?"

"We'll test their strengths." She commented. "Unleash our air forces against them, try to break up their formations or thin out their numbers. It'll be a good way to get some measure of their capabilities."

Within minutes, a flock of Black Redlers were heading south from the city, straight for the enemy formation. In the situation room, a display showed the progress of the force, breaking it up into a mass of icons from the individual Zoids. "Their own airbornes are accelerating." Cade commented. "They're not messing about."

"Clearly hostile." Shandris added. "The Redlers are closing to engagement range now. This should give us our first indications."

Watching the display, Cade noted that there was no sudden reduction in the numbers of the enemy Zoids. "That's odd." He commented as the two groups began to close. "The enemy don't seem to have sustained any losses as yet."

Shandris nodded. "What's going on up there?" She asked as she pressed a few buttons on her command console. "This is General Shandris to Blackwing leader. What's going on up there?"

"The enemy Zoids seem to be resistant to our weapons." Came the muffled reply from the pilot. "They're taking heavy fire from our Zoids, but the shots seem to be deflecting straight off the armour."

Cade raised an eyebrow. "And the enemy?"

"They're not the best pilots." He called back. "But while we can't hurt them, they can hurt us."

"And the enemy ground forces?"

"The same. Our shots bounce right off them."

Shandris and Cade glanced at each other. "This is a problem to say the least." He commented.

"What do you suggest then? If we can't destroy them in the field?"

"Call the Redlers back." Cade shook his head. "We'll need to figure our next move." It was a rather serious statement. The Blackstar army had never met a foe that it couldn't simply crush. They had a reputation for being indestructible monsters, relentless pilots who didn't rest until their enemies were utterly destroyed. Most importantly, however, they had a reputation for being unbeatable. They had never been defeated in a battle. Many had backed down simply because they knew that they were facing opponents who could not be stopped.

Today however, all that had been changed. Today, the Blackstar army had been defeated.

oOoOo

Captain Kevin Hutchins watched the display screen in his Dark Spiner's cockpit as it lit up with signals from the Zoid's sensor unit. Additional feeds from the rest of his Force Recon unit confirmed what he was seeing; a squad of unidentified Zoids approaching fast. He bought his massive machine around to sight the oncoming threat. A quick check showed that all his systems were ready to go; a small miracle given the age of the Zoid he was piloting.

Once a potent electronics warfare platform, the Dark Spiner had all but vanished in the aftermath of the Hydra war, a victim of both the post-war cutbacks and the destruction of the industry needed to support its sophisticated electronic systems. This particular machine was decades older then he was, and one of the last of its kind. "All units." He growled into the communicator. "Incoming hostiles. They're not answering to hails, nor ar they coming up as any recognisable design. Assume hostile and prepare to engage."

A pair of Gators moved in alongside his Zoid, while a pair of Rev Rapters stood by to close as soon as the enemy was sighted. He'd been unsure of what to expect on this op; they had been dispatched simply to investigate the area. That there had been as a meteor strike had caught him by surprise; he'd been ordered to check it out as well just to see if it was worth further investigation. Of course, that's before the enemy forces had shown.

"Here they come!" one of the Gator pilots called out as the first enemy machines crested the hill. Kevin was taken aback by what he saw; a pair of machines similar in size and shape to the Rapters, but very different in appearance. Rather then mechanical animals, they looked like nothing so much as animated skeletons with glowing red orbs imbedded in their chests. "What the hell?" The pilot spoke up, echoing Kevin's thought as several more joined them.

The skeletal machines opened up, belches of flame issuing forth from their mouths. One of the fireballs slammed into a Raptor's face, scorching the small Zoid and forcing it back. "All units!" Kevin called out. "They're hostile! Open fire!"

The two Gators stood their ground, opening fire with their beam gattling cannons. Instead of ripping into their seemingly lightly armoured opponents, however, the beams simply bounced harmlessly off their bodies. The enemy machines continued forwards regardless, washing flames over their would-be attackers. One of the Gators was blasted in the flank, toppling over and crashing to the ground on its side, clearly out of action.

"What... what are these things?" He asked himself as he opened fire with his Zoid's own weapons. The twin autocannons roared to life, spraying shells at the enemy machines. Unlike the Gator's beam weapons, however, the Autocannons were far more effective. The heavy shells ripped into the body of one of the small machines, blasting it apart. The machine staggered back and then, strangely enough, simply melted away as if it had never been there.

One of the enemy machines leaped past him, instead pouncing on one of the Rev Rapters. More agile then the Drakken Zoid, the enemy machine dug its claws and fangs into the Rapter, shredding its armour and structure. Several more turned their attention to him, their flamethrowers scorching the armour off his Zoid's body. The damage readout indicated that the Spiner's thick plating was holding, but he could tell that it couldn't last forever.

He swung around, the twin autocannons spraying shots over the enemy Zoids. To his surprise, rather then running or seeking cover they instead charged forwards, two of them being cut down before they reacted. One twisted to one side, then lunged at his Zoid, closing in as quickly as possible. It raked its foreclaws across the Spiner's flank, gouging into the armour but not penetrating. He lashed back with the Spiner's own forearm, the Strike Laser Claw simply decapitating the enemy Zoid. Its headless body stood for a moment, before melting away like the others.

"Damn it..." he looked over the battlefield to see what had quickly become a massacre. All four of his men were down, while there were clearly more of the enemy remaining. More importantly, he couldn't see how many of them had been taken down; the way they died left no evidence of their passing.

He checked the weapons readouts; he'd expended a lot of ammunition, but the cannons still were operational. Glancing around, however, he could see that there were still a lot more enemy Zoids. The Zoids were all around him, slowly closing in on his Spiner. He tried to figure his best plan of action. Whoever these new enemies were, the Empire needed to know about them.

The Spiner was rocked as a volley of weapons fire struck its side, causing the massive machine to stumble and shake. Coming around, he could see another Zoid approaching at high speed. Far more conventional in design, it was immediately recognisable as a Liger-type Zoid, albeit of very unusual configuration. Its armour was bright red, with a large green orb mounted in the middle of its head. A pair of large shields were mounted on its forelegs, while on its back it carried a pair of large gattling-style weapons.

"Maday!" He called over the communications channel. "Under attack by unidentified hostile force-" He was cut off as more shots slammed into his machine, sending it reeling back. He swung around, bringing the cannons to bear in the enemy Zoid and opening fire. The Liger seemed ready for him, however, leaping past the shots with a fluid grace that belied its bulk. The Zoid quickly spun around, opening fire with its twin cannons.

The Spiner's leg buckled, the Zoid shouting out as it stumbled backwards. Red lights came on across the status board, Kevin seeing that his Zoid's mobility had been severely impaired. The Liger seemed aware of this, however, skipping around his Zoid out of his line of fire, then surging forwards at high speed. Kevin twisted the controls. desperately trying to fend of the attack. The effect was the opposite of what he desired; the damaged leg gave way, the Dark Spiner sprawling backwards. Seeing a chance the Liger charged in, swiping downwards with its strike laser claws. The attack cleaved through the underside of the Spiner's head, shredding the cockpit and its pilot.

The Trinty Liger stood over its prey for a moment, its pilot examining the results of its attack. "Not bad." Jenice commented to herself as she checked over the systems. This had been a trial run of sorts for the new Zoid that she had so expertly crafted in the depths of the _Kuroryu-kai's _fortress. Based on her original Trinity Liger, she had taken advantage of the superior resources available, as well as all she had learned during the last few months when she built it. The result was a far more powerful machine then the one she had originally used.

And, like that machine, this one would become a symbol of her cause.

"Onwards!" She ordered. Not too far ahead lay the crash site that she had been ordered to capture, the one that would be so vital to the future. She knew with every fiber of her being that she had to capture it, but, as she had travelled, she had found there was more to it then just that.

The object, whatever it was, had been calling to her. She could hear it as she approached, its voice drawing her towards it.

oOoOo

Agent Six lived his whole life for the _Kuroryu-kai. _It wasn't an overstatement, it was a fact.

His parents had been two of the organisation's initial founders. He had been indoctrinated into the agency at birth, born and raised in the various lairs that it had called its home over time. While his parents had given him a name, for over thirty years he had simply answered to "Six". It was the only identity he recognised now. Like so many other members, the _Kuroryu-kai_ were his life. he would gladly give all for them and their goals of resorting technology and reshaping the world.

For years he'd been the field commander of their meagre military forces, a general with almost no army to speak of. As the odds of them actually committing to a large-scale field operation where slim, he'd never had much chance to test his tactical skills. Now, however, things were different. The mass-production of the Bio-Zoids and their artificial pilots meant that they had instantly grown an army out of nowhere. And now hew had a force to command.

He'd been impressed with the Bio-Zoids and their unique natures. The possibilities afforded to him by their laser resistant armour (nicknamed "Hell armour" by the developers) were seemingly limitless. He'd seen both tests and field operations where even the pathetic Model 006 Bio Zoids had been hit with heavy beam weapons and shrugged it off as if nothing had happened. It was a superb advantage, one that he was going to put to the test.

The biggest impediment to his goals were not, to his mind, the enemy, but rather his pilots. The Bio-Droids that made up the bulk of the troops under his command were rather limited in their abilities as pilots; they were clumsy, inarticulate and only marginally skilled. The Bio-Mindriders that were going to replace them were better on paper, but he wanted to see how they would perform in the filed. Of course, he had also seen the specs for the third generation Bio-Zoid pilot that was still in development. _That would be interesting._

Their plan was a daring one. They were to challenge the single most lethal, most capable military on the planet head on. Six realised that it would be a challenge, which meant that he only enjoyed it even more. He liked the idea of defeating a supposedly unbeatable army, and the amount of thought that would go into it.

Ironically, the Blackstars would be no threat to them. Under most circumstances, they could have been happily ignored until well after their final operation was launched. However, the Blackstars had something that he, and the rest of the _Kuroryu-kai_ needed. And confrontation would be the only way that he could seize that asset.

His model 002 Bio-Zoid (Nicknamed Bio-Tyranno because of its configuration) travelled at the head of a well ordered heard of machines. One of only two of its type in the _Kuroryu-kai's _arsenal, it was by far and away the most powerful of them. By his reasoning, this lone Zoid could take on a Blackstar Deadborder or Darkhorn and win. Of course, the problem would be getting it into a one-on-one fight. Instead, he knew that he'd normally have to fight off a large force of them as they ploughed into his troops.

Of course, that was only if he fought them the way they wanted him to. Instead, he had other plans.

A beep from his communicator interrupted his thoughts. "Six here." He began as he answered it.

"This is fourty-two." The voice on the other end replied. "Just reporting that I've reached Gayos and am securing the assets there."

"Affirmative." He replied. "How are the Claw faring?"

"Confused and scared." She said. "But they should hold their ground when the Draks strike, which should keep all involved happily distracted. I'm going to make sure that Paladin Trogdor's and my Zoids are clearly visible during our stay; if nothing else, it'll keep the Draks focused on Gayos until its too late."

"Understood." He commented. The Gungyarados would not have sat well with his overall plan; a key part of it was to ensure that the Blackstars responded in a certain way. True, he could have predicted how they would react to the fearsome dragon Zoid, however it would not be the result he wanted. "And Jencie's force?"

"They've taken Zero point. There was a brief scuffle with a Draken probe, but nothing severe."

"I really envy you." Fourty-two continued.

"Oh?" He was surprised. "What could be so envious about my position? There are few who would care to face down the entire Blackstar army."

"Yes, but it's interesting and daring." She stated. "And besides, the bragging rights from being able to claim that you defeated their army would be incredible."

"I suppose so." He finished. "However, there is still a lot of risks involved in the plan."

"I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off."

"I hope so." He stated as he glanced at the Shadow Arms Lizard that was travelling alongside his Zoid. "I'm putting a lot of faith into Jenice's skills."

"They will work. Jenice has a certain genius that can be hard to understand." She finished. "Out."

Six nodded to himself as the Zoid thundered forwards. The first contact with the Blackstars had gone well; their Zoids had been driven off with no losses to his forces. By now, thy would have no illusions that he and his Zoids were hostile. At the same time, they would be confronted with the fact that their weapons couldn't harm his troops. It would certainly put them in a bad situation - one to which he figured they had only a single solution.

And that was the solution he wanted them to employ.

oOoOo

While the rest of the _Kuroryu-kai's _forces had been deployed to secure Zero Point or their other objective, Jaeger had remained behind to look after their base and several special operations going on within it. He didn't resent the duty at all; in fact, he had volunteered for it. What he was doing here was vital to his cause. His chief concern, however, was not how either of the two attacks they had launched went off. He was confident that the forces that they had deployed would be capable of capturing both of their intended targets. Instead, he had far, far more pressing matters to tend to.

When he had first located Jenice, he had immediately recognised her for what she was, being a Darth. She posessed all the abilites of the now-extict race, but simply lacked the experience and skills to use them. However, events in her life had unfolded in such a way to prod her in the right direction, to firmly push her into the hands of their cause while, at the same time, allowing her abilities to mature and develop. This had all been for one goal, one reason; they needed a True Darth for their plans to be successful.

Jenice would be his _Activator, _the one who would issue in the new age. Or, more to the point, she would be his reserve of his primary plan failed to work.

Discovering Althiea had been a stroke of luck. Younger then Jenice, her powers and abilities were far more developed then the renegade Zygra Knight's ever could be. That alone would have made her a far better candidate then Jenice would, but there was more to it then that. A medical examination had revelled something about the girl that made her far more then she appeared. her mind had been altered, a cybernetic system installed into it that would make her far greater then anything she could have been on her own, and would make Jenice seem worthless by comparison.

He wanted her to be his Activator. No, that wasn't true. He _needed _it. The only problem was that, unlike Jenice, she was not inclined to side with his cause. Whereas Jenice had embraced her true nature, Althiea seemed to have fought it every step of the way. Furthermore, unlike Jenice, she had no reason to support them and every reason to oppose him.

It was that stance of hers which called for very drastic measures. Other options were not available to him; he couldn't risk her being damaged in any way. If she was to be of any use, she had to come willingly.

He stepped into the simulation room, joining Watanabe who was already at a console. "Is the program ready?" He asked as he approached the scientist.

"It ism yes." Watanabe stated. "The simulator has been programmed with the scenario you devised. I found it odd but at the same time, quite inspired. A very interesting way to turn her to our needs."

"And the interface?"

"It was exactly as I expected it to be." He nodded. "I have wired the simulation systems directly into it. Using the same principles that Hydra originally designed the system for, we should be able to directly enter her unconscious mind."

"Amazing technology..." He shook his head. "We had always planned for this moment, but to think that it should happen, and that it should be delivered into our lap like this..."

"It is." Jaeger agreed. "And nobody else knows about this?"

"I have taken every step to make sure that nobody has access to the simulator logs or systems." He continued. "Nobody, not even the commander, will know exactly what happened here."

"And her medical records?"

"The same." Watanabe nodded. "As far as the rest of Hydra is concerned, she is merely another Darth like Jenice."

"Ironic, isn't it?" Jaeger commented. "We spend so long searching for the perfect Darth for our project and then, when we find it, we downplay exactly how powerful it is."

"We have to." Watanabe finished. "We cannot afford any mistakes now."

He glanced across to the other side of the room. Althiea slumped in a chair, a headset covering the upper half of her head. Her hands and feet were bound, while her head had been propped up. "She's unconscious now." Watanabe noted. "More to the point, she won't be aware of what we are doing. As far as she knows, it will be as real as anything else she has experienced while awake."

"Excellent." Jaeger finished. "And my suit?"

"Already prepared." He indicated to a second seat across the room, a helmet placed upon it. "All we need now is you."

Jaeger seated himself and activated the headset before putting it on. "Is the equipment ready?"

"It is." Watanabe replied.

"Then let's proceed."

"Beginning the operation." It was the last thing that Jaeger heard before the Artificial Reality System activated, replacing his world with a new, alien one of his own design. _I will not fail now._

oOoOo

_Beginning the operation._

Althiea's eyes shot open as she heard the voices in her mind. They were alien, yet, at the same time, familiar, as if she had heard them somewhere before in past. She couldn't place it, but at the same time, she felt like she knew exactly who it was.

She was standing on a rocky ridge, overlooking the desert. Behind her was a harsh rock face, a large cave entrance plainly visible. Her Iron Kong was also there, its massive form looming over her in a way that was strangely reassuring to her. All around her, however, was an empty wasteland, a place that she did not recognise at all. The place was unfamiliar, but something told her that he knew it.

No, it wasn't empty. A single figure was standing there before her. He hadn't been there a moment ago, instead seemingly appearing out of the air. The only clue to his arrival was the battered Sandspeeder behind him. He was tall and gaunt, with long, black hair and dark eyes. His clothes were rather drab, a weather-beaten coat over a plain shirt and pants. Most telling, he didn't appear to be carrying any weapons.

"It's good to see you." He spoke up. "I have journeyed a long way to meet you."

"Who are you?" She asked

"My name is unimportant, he replied as he kneeled before her. "What matters is the world I have come to save. For that, I need you."

"Why me?"

"Because I know who you are, Althiea." he stated. "Or, if you wish, Darth Corvus."

She stepped back as she looked down art him. She'd heard the name before; it was something Floyd had said to her once. But the title? That was wrong. She wasn't a... was she? Then she glanced down and saw what she was wearing. Instead of her normal dress, she was clad in a black suit, complete with a cloak that seemed to be weaved of darkness itself.

"You are unique amongst all the people of the Shelflands." He continued. "You possess skills and abilities that most thought were gone forever. Rather then hiding them like others would have you do, you instead have embraced them and developed them to their fullest."

"But I-" She paused. What he said simply seemed _right _to her. She was unique, she did possess skills that nobody else did. And she knew that she would want to develop and use them as much as she could. Why wouldn't she? "I do."

"And there is more then just that." He stated. "I know about your... alteration. I know about the technology you possess. I know that it has caused you much pain in past, Corvus. Yet, I know how to end that pain. I know how I can use it to save this world."

_He knows... _she nodded slowly. "How... how can I do that?"

"Join me." He continued. "Join me and I will show you the full power of the abilities you possess."

_That voice! _She shouted to herself. _I know it!_

oOoOo

Jaeger couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched the girl's reaction. This scenario had gone exactly as he had planned it; he had tunnelled into the very depths of her subconscious and caught her off-guard. This way, he could easily confuse and then woo her to his side, bringing her over to his cause. He waited patiently for her reply as he knelt before her.

He had to credit Watanabe on the simulator's design; he could feel the cold wind on his skin as it blew past him. In fact, he could have sworn that it had gotten colder since he had arrived there. He waited, looking up at the pale-skinned girl standing before him.

"You... know who I am?" She asked.

"I have for a long time." He answered.

"You know about my abilities?"

"I do. And I know how they can be properly harnessed-"

"You know about what was done to me." She cut him off. This wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Well, I-" he began, but was cut off by a sudden gust of cold wind that ruffled his coat, as well as her cloak. "I knew-"

"Who did this?" She snarled, her expression changed form the frail, blank-faced girl he had met. "You did htis? You changed me!"

"I-" He shook his head. "No! I only want to use your abilities! Not for me, but... gut for all humanity!"

"You lie!" She snapped. Behind her the sky suddenly darkened, filled with leaden grey clouds. The clear desert day had suddenly become a dull, overcast twilight.

_Watanabe should check the environmental protocols. That's way, way off, _he thought, then refocused on her. "No! I tell the truth!"

"You did this!" She repeated. "You want me as a weapon! A weapon that you will use to destroy this world!"

The colour drained out of the world around him; the sky, clouds and rocks suddenly washing out into shades of dull grey as the wind continued to pick up. The Iron Kong, now silhouetted against the grey rocks, seemed to shift, its form becoming bulkier and broad-chested.

"No!" He denied it. "All we want is for you to use your abilities for all mankind! We don't want to destroy-"

"You!" Althiea shouted with a ferocity that belied her small frame. "Get out of my head!"

The ground shook as the Iron Kong stamped forwards, its red eyes glowing ominously as it advanced. _Remain calm, _Jaeger thought to himself. _It's just a simulation. It's not real. It cannot hurt you. Just focus on the objective. _"Please, there's no need for this. We can discuss-"

"Now!" She demanded. Behind her, the Kong's shape shifted again as it let out a loud, bellowing roar. A pair of skeletal arms jutted out from its back, while its left arm exploded into a wicked six-pronged claw. The Zoid stretched out the malformed limb towards him, reaching out to seize or crush him.

"Watanabe!" He shouted out. "Abort the operation! Abort, now!"

"I've lost control of the simulation!" His voice squawked in Jaeger's ear. "I can't see what's going on!"

"Just get me out of here now!" He yelled. "Quickly!" The massive Zoid lunged forwards, its mass seeming very real despite being only a simulation. Then, just as abruptly, it vanished, the entire world going black. Jaeger shook his head, quickly figuring what had happened; Watanabe had ended the simulation.

Standing, he pulled off the headset and stormed over to the control console. "What the hell happened there?" he demanded. "Where did all that stuff come from?"

"What stuff?" he asked. "I couldn't see what was happening."

Jaeger shook his head. "The environment changed, her Zoid changed shape and decided to come after me..." He shrugged. "I'd love to know what the hell you did."

"I did not do anything." Watanabe explained. "Last I saw of it, the weather was clear and you were talking to her. I certainly did not alter anything."

"Then who..." he paused, then turned to look at the console. "...the simulation's still running."

"That's odd." Watanabe checked a few systems. "No, that's impossible."

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's Althiea." Watanabe breathlessly answered. "She's taken control of the system. I don't know how she's done it, but... she's managed to take control of the simulator."

The lights in the room flickered on and off. "Now what's going on?" He asked as he glanced around.

"Hold on..." Watanabe checked his computer. "I've completely lost control of the simulator, ands... and its spreading. There are systems crashing across the board here. I can't say what's going on unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless she's doing it." He said, almost stunned. "But that should be impossible. She should not be able to do that."

"Then what is causing it?"

"I..." he checked the system. "That's insane. The code is re-writing itself. It's spreading across all the systems in the base. And it's coming from here."

"Then shut it down!" he snapped.

"I can't!" Watanabe yelled back as he hammered the keys on the keyboard. "It's locked me out of everything. Whatever she's doing, it's working very well."

"Has it reached the vats yet?" He asked, apprehension in his voice. It was where they produced the Bio Zoids as well as certain other, very special projects. if that system was infected or destroyed then all would be lost. They needed those facilities in order to fulfil their plans.

"No, but-"

"Good!" He shouted as he ran over to Althiea's slumped form. He grabbed the cables connecting both to the headset and the back of her neck, and violently yanked them out. Althiea gave a short, high-pitched scream of pain, but he ignored it. Then, just as quickly, he grabbed the headset and threw it against the wall. The set cracked, then crashed to the ground, clearly wrecked.

"You... you did it." Watanabe commented. "The infection has stopped growing."

"Right. Begin repairing it. I want it up and about as fast as possible. And make sure that nobody finds out what caused it."

"What should I say?" he asked as Jaeger walked towards the door.

"Anything. Tell them it was a system failure or a programming glitch or something. As long as they don't know the truth, then all is good."

oOoOo

"Well?" The head of the council examined the holographic map of the city and its surroundings. In particular, she examined the row of Zoids that were now encamped around the front gate. "How much of a threat are we looking at?"

"Severe." One of the generals replied. "Their forces have blockaded our main gate. As per Cade and Shandris' initial report, their Zoids seem to be immune to our energy weapons. Furthermore, they seem to be employing some sort of magnetic deflection system that is providing cover from our artillery."

An image came up of one of the enemy Zoids; resembling nothing so much as a skeletal Triceratops, it had a heavy, aggressive look to it. "The neck shield of this Zoid generates a magnetic field that diverts the shells and missiles away form their targets."

"The situation is further aggravated by their air support." Another council member spoke up. "The enemy aircraft have been launching regular sorties on our city and the troops at the defensive lines. So far, the damage has been light but the problem has been aggravated by the fact that, again, we cannot do anything about their Zoids."

"But the main problem is this machine." A third party added. The diagram changed to show the largest of the enemy machines, a black and purple tyrannosaur. "This Zoid possesses a charged particle weapon comparable to that mounted on the Genosaurer. It's been sitting behind their front lines, able to open fire on our city gates. So far, our defences have held against its strikes, but it is clear that it is only a matter of time before it breaks through. Of course, with our weapons proving to be useless against them, it can operate with impunity."

_A siege situation against our fortifications, _the commander thought to herself. _And this time, we don't have the resources to launch even a diversive strike on them. _"Then what are you suggesting?"

A female council member stood as she spoke. "The contingency plan." She stated. "We have had it prepared for years against such a situation. We must enact it now, commander. This is our only way to break this siege."

"I must agree." Another member spoke up. "We cannot let these Zoids lay siege to our city any longer. Who knows who they are or where they came from? How do we know there aren't more of them?"

"A force of those machines could ruin us." A third spoke, pointing at the diagram of the Tyrannosaur Zoid. "For all we know, this force could be aiming merely to contain us before the main body of their army moves in for the kill. We must act now."

_So the decision has been made for me, _she thought. _We enact our final contingency, the one we never intended to use. How quickly our superiority has crumbled in the face of this assault. _She looked around the room. _Yet, this city was created as the final refuge for people who had twice lost everything. We cannot run again._

"Very well then." She finished. "Contact colonel Cade and have him prepare Delgado for action." She shook her head. "And may heaven have mercy on us all."

oOoOo

Cade shook his head as he read over his orders again. _So its come to this, _he thought. _I had hoped this day would never come. _he turned to look over the city, out towards the besieged front gates. Plumes of thick black smoke rose into the sky from the damage inflicted by the enemy raids. Squadrons of Zoids were standing at the walls, watching the enemy force. They'd long since abandoned firing at them, realising that it was futile. They had no weapon that could stop this force.

_No weapon save for one, that is. _He thought. _I wish I didn't have to use it._

There was a weak knock on his door. "Enter." He began, turning around to face it. A moment later, a woman stepped into his room; short, with scruffy, shoulder-length red hair and yellowy-green eyes, she didn't look the part of a Blackstar pilot at all. Yet, she was dressed in a milliary combat uniform, one that she'd probably only been given in the last few hours.

"Cadet Delgado reporting as ordered, sir." She replied with a salute.

"At ease." He replied. "Do you know why you are here, cadet?"

"Because the city is under attack?" She asked.

"Yes." He nodded. "And because you are the only one who can help us."

"I don't understand, sir."

"Your training has been different from the norm for a Blackstar. As yet, you have not been in a live Zoid." he explained. "Nor have you been equipped with the neural interface system that we use to control our Zoids. Do you know why?"

She self-consciously rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, no sir."

He nodded sadly. "You were... recruited for a very special task, Delgado. One that only you can perform. A task we need you to perform now."

"Yes sir." She replied. "And I will gladly do anything for my home."

_How do I explain this to her? _He asked himself. _How do I say what I need to? The line they provided me doesn't even begin to explain the-_

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion from nearby. Turning around, he could see several enemy Zoids climbing away, while a fresh cloud of smoke billowed out form a damaged building. A volley of fire followed after them, but the few shots that hit the enemy Zoids simply deflected off harmlessly.

"Sir?"

"Sorry, Delgado." He finished. _But in the end, it comes down to this, doesn't it? I have to balance her life against those of everyone in this city. And the decision will be made for me. _"Let's get going."

The pair of them boarded a staff car which whisked them across town. The normally packed streets were now deserted, the population having been evacuated to their designated shelters. While most of these people had never had to face live combat, Cade noted that the procedure had been very orderly. Clearly, the people of the city were used to following orders. He only wondered how those in the international district were faring.

The car instead travelled to the reactor complex that was the heart of the city, heading straight for the quintet of cylindrical towers that dominated the skyline and provided the city with all its power. So far, the enemy attackers hadn't reached it, being instead more intent on focusing on purely military infrastructure. It was a relief to him; it meant they had a chance.

A quick flash of his ID was enough to grant him access to the Number One tower, the first and oldest of the five. Externally no different then the others, its insides were a different matter. As he and Delgado entered, they were greeted by a pair of technicians who escorted them into the facility's heart.

On the inside, it was as completely different matter. Unlike the others, the cylindrical housing was merely a shell, an empty facade to conceal the plant's true nature. At its core was a massive frame concealed within a mess of equipment, its body contained for now. Masses of tubes and cables led off it, feeding into the city's power grid. The architects who had designed this facility had given it two purposes; the first was to generate power, the second was to house their weapon of last resort.

Delgado stopped, gasping loudly as she entered the main room. "What is it?" He asked as he turned towards the young technician.

"I thought... I thought I heard something, or felt something here." She replied, a nervous tone in her voice. "Like there was someone shouting out to me."

_You probably did, _he thought, then smiled. "Come on. We have a job to do. Ready?"

"Yes." She nodded.

The four of them headed up a long, spiralling staircase towards the top of the equipment. Once there, the technicians accessed a security panel, going through a lengthy identification process to activate it. Then they stepped back as an access hatch swung open. To Sabrina's surprise, inside the equipment was a fully-equipped Zoid cockpit; larger and somewhat different looking to the simulators she had dealt with. While she couldn't see any signs if the Zoid's "eyes", glancing up she could see the canopy, hinged forwards and concealed inside the dome.

"Is this it?" She asked.

"It is." Cade replied. "It's a Zoid, a very special one that was prepared for you."

"For me?" She asked. "I, uh..."

"You'll find that the controls are identical to those of the simulator system." He reassured her. "Just stay focused and you'll know what to do."

"I understand." She finished. "And when I get in there?"

"The Zoid will power itself up. Your task will be to head out, through the front gates and engage the enemy force. You will act as a spearhead for the rest of our forces, who will follow you up." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck. We're all depending on you."

"Thank you, sir." She smiled. "I just... I just wish captain Thorne was here to see this. She did a lot for me and... i miss her."

He nodded. "I do too, Sabrina." He finished. "Now, for her."

Sabrina climbed into the Zoid's cockpit, settling into the seat. Unlike the other Blackstar Zoids, however, this one lacked a neural interface system, instead relying entirely on manual inputs form the pilot. It was not a design flaw or an oversight; rather a deliberate plan on the part of the engineers.

As soon as she was settled in, the Zoid's systems began to power up. The flow of power from its core to the external hook-ups ended as its systems redirected the energy. The canopy closed with the hatch following it. Across the room, a loud alarm sounded, accompanied by flashing red warning lights.

"Colonel Cade?" One of the technicians spoke up. "We should go. The primary structural purge will begin soon."

"Of course." He replied, glancing back at the equipment. "We should." _Good luck, Sabrina._

oOoOo

The shell of the reactor fell away in four sections, crashing to the ground around it in a cloud of smoke and debris that rose into the twilight sky. In its wake, it left a massive, twisted mess of pipes, components and tubes, a strange, free-standing prism that resembled nothing of this world.

Then it too began to fall to the ground around the Zoid, crashing down in a thunderous hail of parts, revealing the true form within. It was a Zoid, similar in stance to the Deadborders that the Blackstars used, but that was where the similarities ended. Standing almost twice as tall, its sleek body, covered in thick armour, belied its deadly nature. Its eyes glowed an angry red under the clear canopy cover as the last of the cage that had held it in place fell away. The Zooid straightened up, lashing out with its tail as the two thrusters vanes on its back rose into position.

Then it let out a bellowing scream, as if to let the whole world know that the massive, blood-red machine had been reawakened.


	41. Altered Reality

The Bloody Deathsaurer stepped forwards, bellowing out a loud challenge to the world around it. Settling, it advanced forwards, a slow but relentless advance. Barricades and armoured bulkheads slid back, giving the Zoid a clear path to the city's front gate. Much of its layout had been planned around this one eventuality, the possibility that this titanic machine would have to be reactivated.

Across the city, sirens wailed as what little traffic was left evacuated the streets. The Blackstar military forces also pulled back, making sure that there was nothing that could possibly get in the Zoid's way. Even with all the safety protocols they had enacted, they wanted to make sure that there would be no risks, nothing that would attract the Zoid's attention and send it on a rampage. Fifty years of concise planning had gone into this moment to ensure that nothing at all would go wrong.

The key part of the plan had been the selection of the pilot and their equipment. Unlike all the other Blackstar Zoids, the Deathsaurer lacked the neural interfaces. This was to prevent a situation whereby the Deathsaurer could seize control, override the pilot and act entirely on its own. Similarly, the pilot would be one who had never interfaced with another Zoid, just to prevent any possible contamination of their neural pathways that the Deathsaurer could exploit.

Sabrina Delgado had been that pilot. Now, she was sitting in the cockpit of the massive machine, driving it forwards towards the enemy force that had laid siege to her home. She knew that she was their only hope, and that she was the only one who could stop these invaders. And, although she had never faced live combat before, she was confident in her ability to deal with the situation. After all, she was piloting the most powerful Zoid on the planet. She'd read the history books about what it could do.

The enemy Zoids also seemed to react to its presence. The airborne attackers pulled back to outside the city, retreating behind their own frontlines. On the outside, the enemy ground forces reformed their units, standing their ground but, at the same time closing ranks, as if to present a solid wall to the massive enemy machine.

To those watching, however, it seemed like a futile gesture. It seemed obvious that soon it would all be over.

oOoOo

**Altered Reality**

oOoOo

"Althiea?"

She blinked awake at the sound of the voice, sitting up. It took her a moment to figure out where she was before it become apparent. She was back in her prison cell, inside the subterranean facility she had been taken to.

"Althiea? Are you there?" Floyd's voice called out again.

"I... I am, yes," She replied, nervously.

"It sounded like they had taken you." He continued. "Was it another interrogation?"

"I..." She paused. Her memories were hazy after she was last taken from the cell. "I don't think so."

"What was it then?" Thorne demanded, cutting into the channel. "Tell me. We need to know everything we can about these people and what they are up to."

"Don't push her." Floyd interjected. "Give her some time. She's probably just tired."

"No., it's not that." She shook her head. "They put me in some sort of... I don't know what it was, I guess a simulator or something." She explained. "And then it becomes sort of hazy. I was in a desert, near a cave... my Iron Kong was there. And a man was talking to me."

"Hmm..." Floyd spoke up. "It sounds like some sort of incredibly advanced artificial reality simulator." He offered. "Which means that these people have access to technology that was cutting edge before the war and, as a consequence, well in advance of what we have today." he paused for a moment. "Yes, that would explain an awful lot about them, especially those strange machines that they attacked us with."

"You know of them?" Thorne asked.

"Not of them in particular." He replied. "But I am formulating a theorem that may go some way to explain their unusual appearance and capabilities. However, I am also digressing, so please continue, Althiea. What happened next?"

She paused. _What happened next? _That wasn't something she could easily explain. She had only the vaguest of recollections of what had happened. it seemed unreal to her, like some sort of a dream, albeit a rather vivid one. "I don't know." She offered. "Truthfully. Everything... everything went strange. It was like-" she paused. "Like I was in the simulator but outside it. I felt like I was everywhere at once. I... I can't explain it beyond that. Really. It just felt, well, like I was spreading out across this faculty, taking control of it or something, changing things to my will."

There was a long silence.

"Did... did I say something bad?"

"Not at all." Floyd commented. "In fact, this is a most interesting development, Althiea. Very interesting indeed. I would love to get access to their computer system and play silly buggers with it, just to see what exactly they did. I believe... and don't quote me on this, but I believe that they may have access to something greater then I had initially suspected."

"Hydra tech." Thorne muttered.

"Exactly. Which makes me wonder what they are truly intending... and if their interest in you was solely for your dress sense." he finished.

"What?" Althiea asked.

"Well, you see-" Floyd began, but Thorne cut him off.

"You are a Darth, Althiea." She stated. "A danger. A threat, not just to us but to the whole planet. And they know it. That is why they want you."

"I-"

"Now hold on there, lady." Floyd interjected. "Let's just be calm here. Nobody's threatening anybody. And just because somebody's a Darth doesn't mean they're a menace to society."

"That is a lie, Glass, and you know it." She sneered. "It was the Darths that were behind Hydra-"

"Unproven speculation." He stated.

"It's obvious!"

"If there was any evidence, maybe." He replied, casually. "And since your friends the Drakken empire reduced their homeland to radioactive ash, that's not likely to be forthcoming."

"We had nothing to do with that!"

"And thus you also have no grounds for wild speculation of what may or may not have happened!" Floyd continued. "Furthermore, I would argue that your opinions of the matter are undoubtedly coloured by your cultural and genetic background."

"My what?"

"Your people do not carry the genes that produce Darths." He explained. "Likely a product of their separate origin to the rest of humanity on this world. Combine this with your less then healthy paranoia and xenophobia, both of which are culturally ingrained traits, I might just add, and you become naturally disinclined to trust them. Since they are not found within your society, you automatically assume the worst about them."

"I don't need to assume the worst." She stated. "When you consider the fact that the entire Darth populace put their weight behind Hydra-"

"Not all of them." He stated. "Merely the vast majority-"

"-My point stands!" She finished. "She is a Darth and, as such, is a danger."

"I-" Althiea started. "I didn't want this! I didn't want to be a Darth or have..." She remembered what Floyd had said. If Thorne knew about her modifications, there would be no chance for her. "I'm just as much a victim of this as you are. I just want to be out of this cell and away from here!"

And then there was a loud beeping noise. Behind her, the door to her cell slid open. Warily, she turned round, expecting soldiers to enter at any point to restrain her and take her away again. Instead, the hallway outside was empty with nobody in sight. As far as she could tell, the door had opened on its own.

_But why? _She asked herself. _Was this a malfunction or something? Or was it something else? _She glanced over the door again. It seemed to be working normally. _But I did want to be out of here. _She furrowed her brow in thought. _I wanted to be out of here. I wanted to leave the cell, and it opened. It couldn't be._

The realisation frightened her.

_I was controlling it. Somehow... I'm, in their system. _It fit with what she remembered. She was expanding her thoughts, reaching out across a network of different systems, her mind grabbing hold of whatever it could. _That was me. I took over their computers, or at least tried. _She simply stepped out of the cell, turning back to look at the three adjacent cells. Holding out her arm, she glared at thew other two doors. _So then if I wanted Floyd and Ashleigh out..._

There was a pair of beeps, and then the doors to the other two cells opened.

Thorne was the first to react. She turned and looked at Althiea, somewhat shocked. "What... what happened. What did you do?"

"I opened the cell doors." She stated, matter of factly.

"What... then..." She stammered out. Her voice sounded unusual to Althiea at first, until she realised why. The Blackstar was afraid, something Althiea had never seen from her before. "What the hell are you, Althiea?"

"I..." She replied nervously. "I'm not sure. Really."

"You are no Darth." Thorne continued, swallowing loudly. "Then... what..."

Floyd walked out, placing a hand on Althiea's shoulder. "She's special, that's what she is." He replied with a smirk. "And she is a unique human being, one who is valuable and must be protected. Just like everybody else, Thorne."

"But..." The Blackstar shook her hair, her long braids falling about. "But I don't understand."

"You will in time." He stated. "But for now, we need to be out of this place." He glanced around. "Unfortunately, I think the odds are that they know we have done a runner." He glanced up at a camera. "And by now, they're probably having an attack of the screaming whatsits trying to figure out how we did it while, at the same time, sending mooks down to deal with us." He glanced at a camera.

"So what do we do?" Thorne asked.

"We take care of their security." Althiea began, glancing at the camera, focusing on it for a moment. There was a small pop and then sizzle of circuitry. "There. They shouldn't be able to see us now. But we can't barricade our selves in here."

"Right. Here's the plan then." Floyd spoke up. "Thorne will stop staring in slack jawed horror and wait at the main door. I'll be there with her. When anyone comes in, we shall deal them a fatal beating and avail ourselves of their weaponry. From there, I suggest we try to subvert as much of their system as possible so we can ascertain their true goals."

"But..." Thorne began. "Is it safe? I mean, with her being a and-"

"God damn it, just do it!" Floyd snapped as he stormed towards the door. "You're doing the reputation of the Blackstars a disservice through all this gaping in awe and stuff. When confronted by the unknown you should blow it up and sift through the remains, not question its nature and stuff."

"I-" She sputtered. "I'm not a proper Blackstar. There, happy?"

"I know." Floyd stated. "You're something like one-sixteenth human on your mothers side. Means there's hope for you yet." he smiled. "So come over here and prove me wrong by pummelling the unknown into unrecognisable goo."

She paused, and then nodded at him. "Of course." Walking past Floyd, she approached the door. "We are all strange ones here, aren't we? I am not a proper Blackstar. Althiea is not a proper Darth. And you are, well..."

"I'm just me." He finished as he joined her.

She nodded. "Right. Althiea, stay there and hold their attention. If my hunch is right, I doubt that they will fire on you. Floyd and I will deal with them."

"And I'll try to cut off their communications." She finished. "All right."

It was a minute before she could hear the first soldiers coming. Despite the situation, she stood her ground, waiting patiently for them to arrive. The door opened, as if on cue, a pair of soldiers stepping in. "You there!" One called out, raising his rifle. "Raise your hands now! Or else- aaaah!"

He and his partner were cut off by two things; the first was a aloud screech of static through their earpieces, the second being Floyd and Thorne laying into them. The first soldier went down under a blow to the back of his head by the Blackstar, but the second managed to roll with Floyd's punch. He swung around at the scientist, only to be met by a blow to the side of his head by Thorne that slammed him into the doorframe. Staggering, he collapsed backwards.

"Perfect." Thorne stated as she grabbed their sidearms, leaving the rifles alone. "Grab their guns if you wish."

"Ow..." Floyd shook his hand. "It's been way, way too long since my last bout of pugilism. That hurt a ton."

"Fine. I'll handle all the fighting." She stated. "Let's go." Pistol in each hand, the Blackstar woman lead the way out of their cell block. "Our first plan should be to find a communicator and see if we can contact the rest of the group and arrange some sort of rescue."

"While sabotaging their plans from within." Floyd finished. "Whatever they may be."

"Just so long as we let the rest of the world find out what's going on here." Althiea finished. "Whatever it is, they need to know."

oOoOo

Rayvenne's Sinker cruised over the desert landscape, its pilot looking down at the expanse of sand and scrub below her. On examination, the tracks of a procession of Zoids was clearly visible, albeit somewhat eroded after a week. However, the size and numbers of the Zoids left a considerable impression, one that would last a while.

"I've got 'em." She called out in her throaty voice, still trying to maintain it. It wasn't an easy act, one that had been becoming harder and harder after each passing day. "Heading south-west. No idea on their destination or numbers, but this is clearly them."

"Can you tell anything abut their status?" Jason asked, his Iguan following some distance behind with the rest of their convoy.

"Nothing yet." She stated as the Sinker swooped down, following close to the ground level. "Looks like the Iron Kong and Darkhorn at least are walking however. There's a lot of big prints that look like them, but plenty of those unidentifiable ones." She finished, then pulled back on the stick. The Sinker climbed, reaching altitude before levelling.

Rayvenne looked around the Zoid. All she could see for miles around was sand, rocks and scrub, petering off to a rocky desert in the distance. The area around them seemed to be devoid of life, save for the small convoy of Zoids following behind her. "Of course, I can't see where they've gotten to." She stated. "There's nothing here, really. It's almost like the desert swallowed them up or something."

"According to the map, we're heading south to the Redrock hills." Leanne commented. "The ground there's more of hard rock and some clay then anyhtin' else. So the odds are we're gonna loose the trail unless we find something really, really significant."

"I'm inclined to believe that this endeavour may be coming to a dead end." Harry McNeil interjected. "As much as I do want to find your friends, we have to ask ourselves a few questions. First is, can we find them. Second is, can we deal with whatever it was that took them?"

"He's got a point there." Drake continued. "I mean, they took out a Blackstar and all."

"We're not giving up." Jason stated. "I'm going to find them."

"Damn right." Leanne added. "And if y'all don't want to help, that's fine. You can leave. I'm sure that the Red Claw or the Draks would be glad to see ya. Me, I'm gonna stick to this."

"Same." Rayvenne finished. "If nothing else simply because they're my friends and I am not going to leave them behind."

"Shame on the lot of you then." Gwen interjected, her Redler pulling up next to the Sinker. "For even thinking about abandoning these people when you know how important this is to them."

Rayvenne rolled her eyes and sighed. Of late, Gwen had managed to become far more obnoxious, albeit for different reasons to her usual obnoxiousness. It had become clear that the Red Claw pilot had developed a crush on Rayvenne - or, more to the point, on the dashing and enigmatic masked man who piloted the Sinker. This was a problem for any number of reasons - Rayvenne actually being a woman chief amongst them. The fact that Gwen was an odious little pest didn't help matters.

"So I say we keep working with them. We need to help their friends, so they can help us." She continued to rant in her whiney voice. "There is no way that we will abandon them, not when they need us. Only a coward would back out now."

Rayvenne wanted to quietly throw up. Instead, she consoled herself with the fact that Gwen's rant seemed to be aimed solely at her brother. She really didn't want to know what was the issue between the pair of them.

"Sorry about that." Gwen commented over a closed channel to Rayvenne's Zoid. "Those guys... some times, they just don't understand things, you know?"

"Oh, I know all about that." Rayvenne replied, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah... I mean, some days it just great that I can get away from them." She continued. "You know, come up here, go flying, get away from everyone else... it's really invigorating. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Rayvenne muttered.

"I mean, when I found this Redler, I initially claimed it because it was far more capable then that stupid Snipe Master." She continued to ramble. "But then I discovered how much I like to fly. Its great to fly, you know, to get away form the ground and just loose yourself. I'd hate to be stuck on the ground."

Rayvenne sighed to herself. _She's hopeless. And she wouldn't know a clue if it bit her on her bony - _a beep from the control console cut her off. "Hold on." She hissed. "I'm getting something." It was an incoming signal, one that was on the frequency the team had been using for communications. "The hell?" She asked herself as she activated the comms console.

"Can anyone hear me?" A man's voice came over the channel. "Hello, hello. Moriarty Records, Moriarty Records. Testing one-two-one... hello? Anyone out there?" She recognised both the voice and the manner of speech immediately.

"Floyd!" She called out, staying in character as best she could.

"Ah, Ray... Mysterious Sinker pilot!" He cheerfully replied. "Good to hear from you!"

"Where are you?" She continued. "And are the others there?"

"Well that's a bit of a problem." Floyd explained. "In truth, myself, Althea and Thorne have no idea of where we are, having been bought here against our wishes. However, we've managed to elude our captors for a moment or two."

"Hold up..." She patched the signal through to Leanne and Jason. "Right. I got the others here."

"Jolly good." Floyd replied. Rayvenne could tell he was grinning. "Okay, cats. I'm going to ask a mighty big ask of you. Home in on our signal and pull us the hell out of here."

"Understood." Jason commented. "We've got some, uh, reinforcements on our side that should help us in the extraction."

"Ooh, mysterious allies. I like it a lot." He continued. "So what's been happening in the outside world for the last week?"

"I was kinda hopin' y'all would know." Leanne commented. "We've been very outa the loop."

There was a loud sigh. "Right, well, we'll try to steal some info so we can do a trade once we meet up. In the meantime, we're going to bolt before the local heavies come after us. I'm sure we'll know when you get close."

"Roger that." Jason finished.

"Catch you later!" Floyd finished. "I'm going to bolt, but I'll try to leave the signal running as long as I can to gave you a lead. Over and stuff."

"You guys got a bearing on that signal?" Jason asked.

"Ayup." Leanne confirmed. "I got it."

"Right, feed the information to... the Sinker. I'll need you to lead the way."

"Got it." Rayvenne replied. "Hmm... gimme a sec. I'm sure I can get the Claws following me easy."

"You sure?" Jason asked. As a part of maintaining her cover, Rayvenne had spoken to their erstwhile allies as little as possible.

"Absolutely. Trust me on this." She finished, then changed channels. "Hey Gwen?"

"Yes?" The Claw pilot started, rather excitedly.

"We've got a lead on our allies - just got a distress call from them." She explained. "Of course, we'll need you to back us up."

"Of course." Gwen replied with an enthusiastic chirp. "Let's get going then!"

Rayvenne sighed to herself as she changed the Sinker's heading. As much as she hated using Gwen, it was still the best way to get what she wanted. _I am so going to need a wash after this, _she thought to herself as the Redler pulled level with her Zoid. _And I'll be so damned glad If I never see her again._

oOoOo

Six calmly watched as the gates to the city slid open, revealing the monstrous form within. He wasn't surprised by this, however, In fact, their making this move had been a key part of his plan. To his mind, all was going to schedule. Of course, the risk was in the execution of the final stage.

His communications system came alive with chatter from both his organic and artificial soldiers. The human pilots were expressing a mixture of awe and fear, clearly apprehensive about the machine that they were facing. The mechanical pilots simply burbled off threat assessments and estimates of its abilities, all figures that he didn't need to hear. He knew exactly what the enemy Zoid was capable of, and what it could easily do to his force.

Or rather, what it would do if he let it.

"All units!" He called out. "Hold your ground!" he quickly leapt between different command circuits, issuing orders to different squads. "Delta Squad, stand in place and keep Flare Shields active. Alpha and Bravo squads withdraw back. Charlie unit, begin suppressive fire on enemy Zoid. Kage unit, stand by for activation on my mark."

A round of affirmative replies, both human and mechanical, filtered in. Some of his units, chiefly those with organic pilots, began to withdraw as the front line maintained its positions. The smaller raptors opened up, spitting fireballs at the Deathsaurer as it advanced out of the gate. The shots simply washed over its armour, not even marking the paint. He was well aware of the effect that they would have, yet he ordered them on as a distraction. In truth, he knew that there were only two weapons in the entire force that had any chance of harming the enemy machine; his Zoid was using one of them.

The Deathsaurer roared as the fan on its back activated, crackling with power as it drew in static electricity and particles form the surrounding air. The beast reared back, then lunged forwards, its mouth opening as its charged particle cannon fired. The searing blue-white beam swept across the front rows of his force, instantly incinerating the Zoids it touched. The Deathsaurer swung its beam around, dragging it across the front line, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. While only a fraction of the power the Zoid had possessed when it last awakened eighty years ago, it was still more then enough to destroy anything in its path.

"Hold your ground!" He called out as several pilots backed off. It wasn't easy, staying in place as Zoids around you were being vaporised. However, he needed them to stand their ground. Fortunately, the Deathsaurer seemed to have taken the bait, destroying the first row of his Zoids as a prelude to a second attack. The Zoid reached the end of its run, the particle beam fading.

"Now! Kage unit, attack!" He'd waited until this point, immediately after when it had finished to launch it attack. In the aftermath of discharging its cannon, the Zoid would be at its most vulnerable and the easiest target. That was his moment. The ground in front of the Deathsaurer shifted and cracked as the black Shadow Arms Lizards emerged form its concealment. Looking up at the Deathsaurer's belly, it was using the bulk of the Zoid's body as protection against any supporting fire from the walls of the fortress. In place of its secondary cannon, the fuzor Zoid mounted an odd, cylindrical device.

"Fire!"

The weapon opened up, spitting a stream of brilliant blue energy straight into the Deathsaurer's chest. However, rather then melting off the armour like a normal energy weapon, the beam instead seemed to wash over the Zoid's surface. Blue electricity cracked across its body as the huge machine spasmed, roaring as it shook and stumbled. The SA Lizards scrambled out of the way as the machine finally gave in, pitching forwards and crashing to the ground on its belly.

The weapon they had used was a tight-stream electromagnetic pulse generator that Jenice had built, a massively improved version of the device she had first used against the Blackstars which had lead to her court martial. Without it, Six knew that they had no way to defeat the Zoid. And its defeat was vital to their plans.

"Second wave, move in! Cover the salvage teams!" Behind the disabled Deathsaurer, a second Zoid emerged; a Grounchar, its small size making it seem insignificant next to the felled behemoth. The Zoid activated its jamming array, scrambling the sensors and fire control systems of the Blackstar Zoids waiting nearby. At the same time, the second wave of Six's forces surged forwards, opening fire on the wall and its defenders. The fireballs washed over the wall, scorching enemy Zoids as they opposed up. Return fire came, but it was ineffective against the Bio-Zoids.

The Bio Tyranno fired again, its particle cannon searing through the open gates and tearing into the city behind. Something exploded, flames rolling out across the street and leaping into the air. Overhead, his air support flew inrto action, launching assaults on the Blackstar forces and further pinning them down. Realising the gravity of their situation, the Blackstar troops began to withdraw, again closing the gates to the city.

_Excellent. _This was just what he had wanted to have happen. His Zoids continued to fire on the walls, now less focused on destroying them as they were on continuing to pin the defenders down. In the meantime, a pair of Gustav transports moved in, beginning the painstaking process of loading the inert Zoid onto their trailers. This was, if anything, a bigger risk then what he'd taken in having it fire on them; if the Blackstars discovered the weaknesses of his Zoids now, then it would all be over.

A shell slammed into the Zoid next to his, tearing it apart. Chunks of the Zoid were sent flying, disintegrating before they hit the gorund. Another shell landed nearby, blasting apart another pair of raptors. _Maybe they guessed hwy their artillery wasn't working, _he grimly figured. _Or maybe they're just desperate. Either could be trouble. _"All remaining 004 Units, push forwards!" He called out. "Keep suppressing the enemy's artillery!" His own Zoid stomped forwards, its Bio Particle Cannon roaring as it seared into the now firmly closed gates.

"We're ready to go!" One of the Gustav drivers called over the communicator.

"Good!" he replied. "Move out, now! All units are to fall back and cover the transports. Air units-" He was interrupted by another burst of fire as Blackstar shells began to detonate in the air. A round punctured through the wing of a 007 Unit, ripping it apart. _So they have our weakness, _he thought as the small Zoid spiralled downwards. "-air units are to continue the assault. Expend all drones if needed."

Of course, it didn't matter how much they lost in this assault. They had what they came for, and that was all he needed.

oOoOo

After realising he had been captured and the Empire's last point of resistance had been crushed, Nathan Winters had become convinced that Sturm or Jenice intended to execute him. There were numerous reasons that sprang to mind; the fact that he would make a good example of what happened when one defied the Red Claw's new order being chief amongst them.

When he had been blindfolded and taken from his holding cell in the Palace, he knew he was done for. What had happened had surprised him, however. He was taken to a transport and driven for hours to an undisclosed location, only to be locked up again. That had been followed by several interrogation sessions, ones in which he had been asked innumerable questions about the size and dispositions of various Zygra forces.

He'd tried to analyse the situation, but had fialed to come up with any new information. The only thing he'd seen so far was the inside of his cell, and brief glimpses of the soldiers who had come to take him away for interrogation. Their armour and equipment was unfamiliar to him, which suggested that he had fallen into the hands of a third, as yet unknown party. He'd tried to figure out exactly how they related to the Red Claw and, as a consequence, what part they played in these matters.

His efforts to collect his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his door opening. Looking up, he expected to see more of the strangely-dressed soldiers. Instead, he was greeted by an unexpected sight; Ashleigh Thorne, the Blackstar agent who he'd been working with months ago. It was a shock for two reasons - the first being that he hadn't expected to see her here, the second being that he thought she was dead.

"That's a surprise." She stated, relatively nonplussed. "I didn't know you were here."

"What, something can actually still surprise you after the rest of the days events?" A voice in the background asked.

"Captain Thorne?" Nathan asked as he stood. "What are you doing here?"

"Escaping." She simply stated as she stepped back from the cell. "You're invited to join us."

He stepped outside, noting the others present. Floyd Glass was immediately recognisable, the renegade scientist having been the subject of a lot of attention from the Empire's intelligence services. With them was a small, slender, pale-skinned woman who he didn't immediately identify; it was only after a moment that he realised that it was the same girl who had been seen in Glass' company, said to be fighting a guerrilla war against the Red Claw.

"Three Paladins at once." Floyd commented. "What are the odds?"

"Three?" Nathan asked as she stepped out of the cell. "Who are the others?"

"Over here." A familiar voice called out. Turning, he could see Dezalg, waiting near one of the cells. He appeared to be healthy, in spire of all that had happened. next to him was a rather dishevelled looking woman; it took him a minute, but he realised that it was Paladin Jocasta Trabe. She had been lost in action in the same battle where Thorne had also disappeared. "Quite a reunion."

"I'll say." He asked, glancing around. "So what exactly is going on?"

"That's a very good question." Dezalg replied. "Nobody here seems to know where we are. These three were bought here after being captured by a bunch of strange Zoids. I was transferred form the Gayos palace, while Paladin Trabe was transferred from the Red Claw's old base."

"Did they transfer anyone else?" He asked.

"Doesn't appear so." He shook his head. "Its possible they singled out us because of our high profile and intelligence value. They probed me with questions about troop movements and some other odd things."

"Such as?"

"Well, and this is going to sound really bizarre, our preparations for dealing with meteors and falling space junk." Dezalg shrugged.

"Yeah." Trabe finally spoke up. She had been glancing around the room, clearly feeling somewhat apprehensive. "The same here. Like... i have no idea why, but..."

"Space junk?" Floyd rubbed his beard. "Very interesting. Very interesting indeed."

"I'm sorry." Nathan turned to him. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm Paladin Nathan Winters."

"Floyd Glass, greatest genius in the universe." He replied, with a grin. "And this is my apprentice, Althiea. I assume that you already know Captain Thorne, delightful person that she is."

"I do, yes." He nodded. "Thorne and I have worked together in past."

"She almost respects him." Dezalg added. "But to get back on topic, we have no idea of what's going on, who these people are or even where we are."

"No." Floyd admitted. "But we have a master plan to get an answer. All we need is to get Ali here to their main computer system and the rest will come easily."

"That's easier said then done." Nathan offered. "Since we don't have any idea of their numbers or layout-"

"I do." Althiea spoke up. "I can get us into their operations centre easily. And I know for a fact that they're on a skeleton staff here, but I can't say why. I've already got the full run of their security system."

"Fascinating." Nathan commented. "Can I ask how?"

"...its probably best not too." Floyd interjected. "At least, not now. For the moment, I think that the best thing to do would be to keep moving before they come after us. Even with Ali's inner eye, we don't have the numbers to take on everyone here at once. And if we stay still it's a problem. So are you good to move?"

"I'm a bit stiff from sitting around in a cell for ages, but I'm good." He replied, noting Floyd's sudden change of topic.

"Right." Floyd finished. "Get yourself a gun and get going. We've got work to do."

oOoOo

"What the hell is going on?" Jaeger demanded as he stormed into the Red Claw's control centre. Alarms were going off across the room, with screens showing innumerable alerts.

"We have a mass prisoner breakout." One comms tech reported. 'Mass' in this case meant 'no more then six', being the number that the _Kuroryu-kai _were currently holding. of course, that nobody had ever escaped from one of their cells before meant that something was going on.

"How many?"

"All of them." She continued. "They've disabled several guards and armed themselves. We're having problems tracking them, however."

"Why?" He demanded. Like everything else in the fortress their security system was state-of-the-art and as close to infallible as possible. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." She replied. "We've lost control of the security system. Somebody has overridden all the controls and locked us out of it."

"That's impossible. Check the system." The system was built with their own, internally-developed software and equipment. It shouldn't be accessible, simply because there was no computer on the planet capable of interfacing with it save for their own ones. Even then, nobody would have the access codes to control security, unless...

He dashed across the room to another station. "Watanabe." He snarled. "is this... this isn't what I think it is?"

Watanbe nodded nervously. "I think it is." He sneered in a quiet tone, glancing around to make sure that nobody was looking at him. "Althiea infected substantial portions of our system when we tried to interface with her... modifications. However, it seems to have left a residual link in her mind, one that she is now using to our detriment. Whatever systems she reached, she now has at least some degree of control over."

"Does that include..." He paused, glancing around again. "Does that include the special projects?"

"I don't think so." Watanabe replied, nervously. "We had enough redundancies and backups to keep them secure form everyone, including our own people. So she shouldn't have access to that. Everything else is another matter."

"And if she got in here?"

"Then we're in real trouble." He finished.

Jaeger turned back to the comms tech. "Where are they?"

"I don't know, sir." She nervously replied. "We lost track of them... the security system is too compromised to allow me to track them. I can't find their location... I think everything I'm getting is false data."

"And you can't isolate it at all?"

"No sir. They have the complete run of the system."

"Damn it." He muttered. "There has to be something here. As it stands, we may as well be trapped in here."

Another alarm sounded, this time from a different console. "Sir?" A tech spoke up. "We have a problem."

"I'm aware of that." He snarled.

"A different one." The tech offered. "The outer base is under attack."

"What?" he looked over. "What do we have?"

"Not sure as yet." The tech admitted. "But the Whale King hulk is being shelled by at least a pair of weapons."

_This is too convenient to be just a coincidence, _he thought, grimacing at the situation. _No doubt this is some sort of rescue party or extraction team. Either way, they are a severe risk to our operations. And with almost all our forces at Zero point, then we are in severe trouble. But I cannot loose Althiea. Not now._

"Send out our reserve forces." He ordered. "Withdraw all security to the command centre and make sure that they do not make it in. We will hold here at all costs."

"All costs?" Watanabe quietly asked.

"All costs within reason." He explained. "If all else fails, we head for the special hanger and take things from there. I have no intention of letting everything we've worked for be lost now."

oOoOo

The canyon rang with the sound of exploding ordinance as several more rounds slammed into the battered Hulk of the Whale King. Up on a ridge, the two Cannon Tortoise used by the McNeil brothers paused a moment before launching another volley of fire. "Tell you what, Mal." Harry commented between shots. "These guys must have very, very tough heads."

"Yeah." Malcolm replied. "Dems tough ones, what with all we've been throwin' at 'em."

"You sure this is the right place?" Harry asked again.

"Positive." Jason commented, his Iguan hiding nearby. "We traced the radio signal to this point. This has to be it."

"Well, whatever you say. I don't care as long as I get to open up on someone."

Jason muttered to himself as he watched the decrepit wreck. The plan was simple; flush out whoever was inside, and then head on in to find Floyd and Althiea. Of course, they needed to get some measure of the capabilities of the site's defences first, which was why the McNeils were shelling it. At the same time, the others were standing by to ambush whatever came out.

Now if only the enemy would respond.

As if on cue, a pair of Zoids emerged from the front of the Whale King. Jason's patience suddenly dissolved into fascinated horror as he studied them, realising that they were unlike anything he'd seen before. The size of Rev Raprters, they resembled nothing so much as animated skeletons, with silver bones and fiery red eyes. The pair advanced, looking around for any signs of their enemy.

"What the..." Drake began over the communicator.

"Uhh..." Jason replied, then shook his head. _Focus! _"Never mind! Just shoot, now!"

"Already on it!" Leanne called back. There was a sudden explosion from one of the two Zoids as her Sniper round slammed into its side, the Zoid's frame twisting under the force of the blast. A moment later, the second one suffered a similar fate, flames erupting from its body. The pair of them slumped forwards but, rather then crashing to the ground, they simply melted away, leaving only a pile of random scrap parts to hit the canyon floor.

"Well that was freaky." Rayvenne commented.

"Looks clear to me!" Leanne added. "Get goin'!"

"Right." Jason replied as he opened up his Zoid's throttle. The Iguan burst out form cover, running as fast as it could go towards the wrecked ship, a length of scrap metal clutched in its claw. As he approached, several automated weapons hidden on the ship's side exposed themselves, spraying fire at his machine. Twisting the controls, Jason kept running, concentrating on evading the enemy rather then fighting back. "I could use a little support here!" He shouted.

"On my way!" Rayvenne hissed back, her Sinker popping over the rim of the canyon before diving towards the ship. Its quartet of cannons opened up, spraying energy bursts at the hull of the Whale King. Beams tore through several of the weapons turrets, blasting them off the hull of the ship. A moment later, Gwen's Redler came in from the other side, her own beam cannons adding to the damage that Rayvenne had done. Another pair of cannons blew off as Leanne and Drake continued firing, their sniper rifles proving to be deadly accurate. Only Bob wasn't cotributing; his Hellruner was ill-suited to what Jason had in mind, so it had been left to guard the trailer.

_Almost there, _he thought to himself as he closed in on the ruined ship. _Almost.._

A pair of fireballs launched themselves from the gaping maw, heading straight towards his Zoid. Swerving, he managed to avoid the first, but was struck by the second. The Iguan stumbled, Jason fighting with the controls to keep the small machine upright. Glancing around, he spied the source of the attack - two of the strange skeletal Zoids, this time firing from the cover of inside the base. _So they've figured where the snipers are. _"Two more in here!" He called out. "I'm gonna try and take 'em."

He ducked to one side as another pair of blasts came for him, twisting the controls and then firing back with the dual head-mounted cannons. Strangely, the shots seemed to simply glide off the Zoid's body, leaving it unharmed. "Guys!" He called out. "We got a problem with those strange Zoids. They seem to be resiting my beam weapons."

"Great." Rayvenne commented. "So If I ever see one, I won't be able to do squat to it."

"If it helps any, they seem to go down to sniper rounds real good." Leanne added.

"Thanks!" Jason called back, dodging another burst of fire. "Its a good start."

The inside of the ruined ship left him with very little room to move. Besides the cramped conditions, there was a lot of junk and fallen debris around that further reduced his mobility. Glancing at the enemy machines, he could see that they boasted an array of claws and fangs that left him to no doubt as to their close-combat capability. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to close in and engage with them at point-blank range.

The Iguan ran at the first one, throwing in a small leap at the last moment. The Zoid sailed over the Raptor's claws, instead coming down with the point of its improvised spear leading. The Raptor looked up at the last moment, only to get the spear rammed down its gullet. The Zoid staggered back, beginning to disintegrate as it went.

The second raptor, which was a slightly darker colour then the first, lauinged forwards, swiping at the Iguan as it landed. One claw raked into its side, shaking Jason's Zoid. Leaping back, he tried to swing around with the Iguan's clawed foot, but the enemy Zoid proved to be a bit faster then its partner, shifting back to avoid the strike. Twisting around, the smaller Zoid struck back, its hooked toe claw snagging the Iguan's leg and yanking it off balance.

As his Zoid fell backwards, Jason saw his chance. He flicked out the booster and fired it as the Zoid fell, twisting it around. The Zoid shot upwards with its leg, the foot connecting with the underside of the Raptor's head. Then, with the momentum form the booster, it slammed into it, kicking it free from the body. Jason's Iguan landed flat on its back while the decapitated Zoid stood there for a moment. Then, almost as an afterthought, its body dissolved.

The Iguan propped itself up, only to have the floor beneath it suddenly shift. Jason glanced aorund for a moment before he realised what was going on. He was on some sort of platform that was decending into the ground, taking the wreckage of the two Zoids with it. _Okay, this is some sort of Zoid elevator, _he thought as he looked around. _And I'm guessing this is where the others are at._

The lift came to a stop in what appeared to be a hanger bay. Two things about it immediately surprised Jason' the first was that it was a lot larger then the Whale King above it would have allowed for, the second was that it was actually rather empty. There was no sign of the force that had taken the three other Zoids of their team - or, for that matter, those three Zoids. _And I doubt that those little guys were the ones who captured them, _he thought, grimly. It meant that there was probably a far larger, as yet sight unseen Zoid he may have to face down. _Not a pleasing prospect._

"Jason!" Althiea's voice called out in his communicator.

"Hey!" He replied, pleasantly surprised. "Can I ask what the hell is going on here?"

"That's a long story." She offered. "What's the situation outside?"

"I've got... people distracting their defences and keeping the place covered." he explained.

"Excelement!" Floyd interjected. "Now, and I know that this is a big ask, but w'ere going to need a measure of extra boofheadedness. Would you mind disembarking and joining us? Methinks there is some foul deeds afoot."

"Uh, sure." He finished. After checking that there was nobody present, he grabbed his pistol and climbed out of the Zoid. Leaving it behind, he ran across the hanger, plunging headlong into the unknown depths.

oOoOo

To Levisha's point of view, the city of Gayos didn't seem to have changed much since she left it. The Red Claw's forces were still firmly entrenched, but even from the air, she could see that htings were changing. There were a lot more guards on the street, watching not only the civilian population but the members of the Red Claw themselves. Of course, this was as she wanted it.

The only use the Red Claw had any more was as a distraction. They were there to keep the Drakken Empire - and the rest of the world - watching as they reactivated Zero Point. By the time the Draks were through with the Claw, it would be too late for them to do anything about the _Kuroryu-kai. _But in order to remain an effective threat, the Claw would have top maintain cohesion. That was why she had originally intended to eliminate its other so-called leaders, simply because they were the ones least likely to follow her suicidal orders.

Escorted by a pair of Chimera Dragons, and with Sturm's Gungyarados trailing behind it, the Lord Gale circled down over the city before settling on its customary perch on top of the palace. Nodding to Sturm, she clambered out of the Zoid and headed on in. _My sudden reappearance should get a few tongues wagging, _she thought. To her mind, there was no doubt that the Drakken Empire had agents inside Gayos who would be reporting on her activities, as well as the rest of the Claw's. In fact, she wouldn't have been surprised if there was one inside the Claw itself.

She entered the palace, heading for her personal office. Originally used by the leader of the Zygra Paladins, she had made it her own after the takeover, symbolic of her place as the right hand of the new order. Of course, it was only a temporary home at best. She'd known that, as soon as they'd taken Gayos, the Red Claw's days were numbered.

As she proceeded into the office, she opened up her communicator. "Krark, this is Towne." She simply stated as she reached her desk. "I want to see you immediately."

"Commander?" His gruff voice came in reply.

"Now. I have urgent matters to discuss." She stated as she began to go through her desk. They'd already made several trips to the city to secure certain assets and some equipment. This was slated to be the last one, however. Its purpose was twofold; the first being to secure some final pieces of information and resources before abandoning what was left to the Drakken forces. The second was to ensure that the Red Claw did their duty and fought to the death.

She took out a small disk, leaving it by her terminal as a reminder to herself. Its contents would be vital to the successful completion of this plan. Sitting down, she began going through her system, analysing the complete file records of the Red Claw and expunging anything that might linger in the system that she didn't want found. To her mind, it would be in their best interests if the Draks found as confusing and inconsistent information as possible.

It was after about fifteen minutes that there was a knock on her door. "Enter." She casually stated, not even looking up form her terminal. A moment later, Bart nervously stepped into the office.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked, an apprehensive tone in his voice

"Yes Bart, as improbable as it may seem." She casually replied, still not even bothering to look up at him. "I have a special duty for you."

"What is that?" He continued, clearly nervous.

Levisha finally looked up at him. "You have been promoted." She stated. "You will be in charge of Gayos and all Red Claw forces in it, unless Jenice or myself are directly present."

"Thank you." He replied, clearly relieved.

"Of course, you will have certain... responsibilities." She continued. "Your primary task will be to maintain our presence here. It is vital to our cause that we protect and hold Gayos against any opposition."

"Any?" he asked. "But the Draken empire-"

"I know, Bart." She stated. "But I am confident that you know your duty, and will hold the line here. It is, after all, what we expect of you."

He paused for a moment, as if he was considering the full weight of what she had said. The threat had been well veiled, but was obvious. And Bart, coward that he was, wouldn't risk doublecrossing her or Jenice. She'd hoped that he got the message - _whatever the Imperial Army may do to you if stay won't be anywhere near as bad as what I will do to you if you leave._

"Of-of course c-commander." he finally stammered out. "I think that-"

His reply was cut off from a loud explosion from outside. Glancing out the window, Levisha could see a smoke rising from just near one of their troop barracks. A moment later, a small object plummeted out form the sky, slamming into the city's main gate. There was another explosion, the gate blowing apart.

Ignoring Bart, she leaped up, running out of the office. "Sturm!" She demanded. "What's going on here?"

"It's a Drakken raid." He replied. "A squadron of Zabats on a bombing run over the city."

"Don't think they know we're here?"

"I doubt it." He finished. "If they did, they would have sent a heavier force." There was a roar of engines. "I'm heading up after them."

"Very well. I'll join you in a moment. Out" She stated before turning back to Bart. He was running along after her, struggling to keep up. "Organise our forces here to repel the raid." She ordered. "Make sure our men hold fast. We have to show the Draken Empire that we will not be intimidated."

"Y-yes, commander." He stammered. "Of course."

"Good. I expect only the best from you." She finished as she headed up to the roof. Looking up, she could see that Sturm's Gungyarados was already in the air, chasing after one of the smaller Zoids. Smiling to herself, she clambered into the Lord Gale's cockpit, powering up its systems. _This coincidence should prove to be to our advantage, _she thought as she quickly checked the systems. _The Empire will see our Zoids here and regard Gayos as a major threat. As a result, our army at Zero point won't even register._

The Lord Gale took to the air, screeching as it soared skywards. Behind it, two of the Chimera Dragons took of, following her Zoid through its commands. She climbed towards the enemy formation, the flock of Zabats breaking up as she and Sturm closed in. _I wonder how many of those are Drones, _she thought. The Zabat Drone had proven to be a favourite of the post-war Draken Empire. Able to be produced in large numbers for small costs, it not only didn't require them to train a pilot, it also allowed them to bend post-war treaty manpower limits. The Drones were more reliable then the unmanned Chimeras, but at the same time less intelligent and independent. They were more like true automatons then the animal-like intelligence displayed by the Chimeras.

The Gungyarados took the lead, opening fire with its pulse cannon, spitting a team of energy darts at an enemy Zoid. The Zabat tried to break away, but dudn't get far before the shots tore into its weakly armoured body. Struck by a barrage of fire, the Zoid burst into flames and disintegrated.

Opening up her throttle, Levisha closed in on a second Zoid before opening up with the Lord Gale's cannons. This one seemed to be a little more responsive, twisting and turning out of her line of fire before her shots struck home. Levisha followed through, twisting the Lord Gale to follow it.

A burst of fire caught her attention as another Zabat dived down on her, its twin cannons spitting shots at her Zoid. Rolling over, she twisted the claw arm around to face it, again opening fire with the twin cannons. Several shots struck the Zabat, hammering its flank before it pulled away. The small Zoid broke off, trailing smoke behind it as it tried to pull away. "No way." Levisha replied, a hungry tone in her voice as she sped up and closed in on it. "I intend to send a message."

The Gale's claw opened fire again, several shots slamming into the Zabat's back. The Zoid rolled over, spitting smoke from several gaping wounds. Spiralling out of control, it slammed into the city below, erupting into a brilliant fireball. Watching the Zoid's demise for a moment, Levisha turned back to the battle in progress.

A burst of flame seared though the air, enveloping another one of the smaller Drakken Zoids as it tried to escape pursuit. Crippled the damaged Zabat rolled and plummeted out of the sky, trailing thick black smoke behind it. Ignoring it, Sturm surged forwards, opening fire again with his Pulse Cannon. A pair of Zabats managed to weave past the shots, then fired their ion boosters, accelerating away from the Gungyarados.

Checking her sensors, Levisha could see that the pattern was being repeated by other members of the attack force. The Zabats were retreating, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the city's defenders. "Should I pursue?" Sturm asked. "I'm far faster then they are."

"You could..." She paused. "But I think a more _visual _message would be better for our would be attackers."

"I understand." He commented. The Zoid climbed, accelerating after the fleeing force. Levelling out, it lined up the fleeing force as it reduced its speed to a stable cruise. Then it opened fire, a brilliant beam leaping form the Charged Particle Cannon and tearing through the sky to the enemy force. The beam passed through them, sweeping across the formation, tearing apart more then half of the remaining machines. The others scattered, desperately trying to avoid the attack.

"That should be more then enough." She commented. "They'll see what we did, and return to this city with a far greater force to destroy the Claw. Of course, this is what we want."

"Of course." Sturm replied.

"While we-" She paused as there was a beep from her console. "What is it now? Its one thing after another today." Shaking her head, she opened up the incoming comms channel. "Town here. What's going on?"

"This is main gate control!" The voice called back, the crackle of static filling the line. "We got hit during the attack-"

"I'm well aware of that." She replied. "What is going on?"

"Some of the members of the garrison decided to run during the attack!" He continued. "Lieutenant Finchley and a couple of others. They said they were leaving and when we tried to stop them they opened fire on us."

Finchley was an old member of the Claw, one that had been recruited during Levisha's first ever expansion drive. She'd honestly expected a lot better from him then to run from a fight. On the other hand, it presented an opportunity to her. "Very well then." She replied. "I'll deal with this myself."

While at first this may seem like a problem, she quickly figured how she could turn this around to her advantage. "Sturm, head back to Zero point." She ordered. "I'm almost finished here anyway."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"I'm positive." She replied. "This little rebellion shall end here and now. Furthermore, I intend to make sure that nothing like it happens again." The Lord Gale swooped down, heading towards the fleeing group of Zoids. There were three orf them total; Finchley was piloting a brand-new Command Wolf taken straight from the Gayos plant while his two compatriots were piloting a Legz and a Diloforce. Smiling to herself, she reached for her command console.

She'd recently made another modification to the Zoid's capabilities, one that was designed for use in a situation like this. Keying in several commands, the Lord Gale sent a tight-beam signal to the Command Wolf. Almost instantly, the Zoid froze up, tripping over and crashing to the ground as the Factory Override Code closed down its system. She smiled to herself as she then punched in several instructions to the Chimeras.

One of them leapt on the immobilised Command Wolf, all but crushing the smaller Zoid under its weight. Bellowing, the Zoid tore into its helpless prey with its fangs and claws. The second one looped around, landing in front of the other two fleeing Zoids while the Lord Gale hovered overhead. "I give you a chance." she called out. "Surrender now and return to your posts, and we will let this pass. Refuse my offer, or try something else like this..." She trailed off, the Lord Gale glancing at the wrecked Command Wolf, still pinned under the wreckage of the Chimera Dragon.

She paused for a moment. "I thought so. Now the pair of you get back to town and we will not speak of this again. Consider this a second chance, one that you should consider yourselves very lucky to be getting." The two Zoids turned and, as expected, both started running back to the city.

Levisha allowed herself a small chuckle. _If I can't control the Claw through loyalty, then I shall through terror, _she thought to herself. Punching some more commands into the console, she stood back as the Chimeras registered her orders. The first lifted into the air, grabbing the twisted wreckage of the Command Wolf in its hands. Then it joined her and its partner, flying back towards the city. _And this shall make an excellent object lesson to those who would try to cross me._

The Gungyarados pulled into formation next to her Zoid. "Was that strictly necessary?" Sturm asked.

"Oh yes." She replied. "If these simpletons are going to stand and be slaughtered by the Draken Empire, then we need to give them a reason. And to my mind, I cannot think of a better one then this." She smiled. "They have their choice, follow my orders or else."

oOoOo

"Glad you could join us!" Floyd yelled out over the roar of automatic Gunfire as Jason approached. "Pity the party isn't going as planned."

The group were pined down at the end of a corridor, several armed sentries firing at them. As he approached, Floyd spied a trio of people he couldn't recognise, but put them out of his mind. Instead, he crouched behind the first cover he could find. "Floyd?" He called out. "What in the name of all hell is going on here?" Everyone present save for him an Althiea were armed with a mixture of rifles and sidearms.

"Good question." Floyd replied. "That's what I've been endeavouring to find out. However, the locals don't seem to be too friendly to us."

He glanced at the soldiers; who were clad in an unfamiliar uniform, "Who are thy then?"

"No idea." He replied. "But they have an interesting taste in Zoids, as I suspect you've seen."

"The freaky skeleton things that melt when you kill them?" Jason commented. "Yeah, I know them."

"Glad yo know you're introduced." He continued, then gestured around. "By the way; this is Paladin Nathan Winters, Paladin Jocasta Trabe and senior Paladin Dezalg. They're in the same boat as us so I thought that we'd give them a leg-up." He Gestured to the trio. "This is Jason Simons, a rather decent bloke who has helped us in the midst of many a pinch."

"Floyd, um... is this the time?"

"Of course. It'd be rude of me not to introduce you." Floyd commented. "And now that you're here, I think we can nut a way out of matters."

"How so?"

"Well..." He pulled something out of his pockets and began tinkering with it. "You and Ms Thorne are in the best shape of anyone here. The three Paladins have been detained for some time, Trabe having also been a guest of the Claw for a while before that. And Althiea and I well... we're lovers, not fighters."

"Your point?"

"I'm going to make us some noise." He continued. "When I signal, I want the pair of you to advance, try to drive them back and break up their formations, got it?"

"Of course." Jason replied. "Thorne?"

"I am ready, yes."

"Good." Floyd finished with the device. "Three, two one. Let's jam." he flung it over his shoulder, the metallic canister clattering down the hallway before coming to a rest near the enemy squad.

"Well?"

"Umm..." Floyd looked up. "Ms Thorne? Could you?"

The Blackstar ducked around, opening fire with her twin pistols on the canister. There was the ringing of ricocheting bullets, then a sudden loud explosion as the canister burst apart. "Home made grenade, brewed from cleaning products!" he yelled. "Go! Now!"

Jason didn't need to be told twice. He charged down the hallway, closing in on the enemy squad as they tried to recover shock of the blast. Thonre ran besides him, both arms outstretched. She fired first, emptying rounds into the haze that the bomb had left behind. Ahead, he heard shouts as the enemy troopers tried to recover, only to feel the force of the Blackstar's attack.

Reaching the end of the hallway the pair of them stepped into what appeared to be a store room that the enemy soldiers were retreating into. Seeing a chance, Jason ducked to one side, diving behind a pile of crates as he opened fire again. Several shots struck one of the enemy soldiers, knocking him down as he drew a bead. Moments later, more fire came from down the hall, courtesy of Trabe and Winters, scattering the enemy soldiers.

One reacted, spinning around and opening up at Jason with his own stub-nosed rifle. Rounds tore into the crate near Jason's head, shredding the wooden packaging and sending splinters flying. Keeping low, he broke into a crouching run, trying to keep as much cover between himself and his attackers as possible. The pair of them reached the end of the row at the same time, Jason leaping out and opening fire just as the soldier was turning to face him. A round hit him in the chest, the trooper sprawling backwards just as Jason landed on his side.

Rolling away, he couched behind a box, listening to the sound of combat. He was trying to figure how Thorne was doing, having lost track of her during the initial rush. Waiting a moment, he leaped up, looking around for either her or another attacker.

That's when he realised that he needn't have worried about how she was faring.

The Blackstar warrior was a swirling engine of destruction, seemingly intent on carving a bloody path through the room. She ran as she fought, arms out stretched and her coat billowing out behind her as she turned form one enemy to another, a pistol in each hand. Ducking and weaving, she evaded the enemy fire while putting down her opponents with precisely accurate shots. She was like a dancer following a concise routine, albeit one that involved a hail of deadly fire.

Charging out form cover, he ran at one of the remaining soldiers, opening up on her as she tired to draw a bead on Thorne. The soldier collapsed backwards, just as she turned to draw a bead on them. Jason almost recoiled as her gun levelled at his head.

"Whoah, hang on!" He called out. For a moment, she held the gun out, not looking at him. Then she simply dropped the arm.

"It's safe." She called back. "Come on."

The group advanced down the corridor, weapons at the ready. "Right, we're here." Jason announced as he glanced around. "Um... wherever here is." Given a chance to examine the room, he found that there was no reason for them to be there. It was a dead-end, only opening to the hallway they had just come through. The soldiers, he realised, had not been protecting this one objective, but had probably been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Um... what is this?"

"Pur way out of here." Floyd added, indicating to a small terminal. "Althiea?"

The young woman nodded, gingerly stepping past Floyd. As she walked, Jason noted that she was doing everything she could not to look at the bodies of the fallen soldiers. _I can understand... even after all we've been through, death is still confronting. And, whoever these people are, their deaths were not an easy thing._

She stood over the terminal, simply holding her hand over it. "Hold on a moment." She began.

"Um, Floyd?" He asked. "What's she doing?"

"Truth being told, my boy, I'm not entirely certain." He muttered. "You know how Althiea's always been a bit... different. Gifted, maybe."

"Yeah."

"She's been getting steadily more and more gifted in the last few hours." He continued.

"I found them." She spoke up. "Our Zoids, I mean."

Thorne swirled around, all but glaring at Althiea. "Where are they?" She demanded. "I need to know."

"Getting a bit touchy?" Floyd asked. "You sound like you need a fix of real ultimate power, am I right?"

"Glass... you know what I mean." She snapped.

"I know, I know." He raised his hands.

"Excuse me." Dezalg interjected. "Now while I'm sure you and Ms Thorne have plenty of personal issues to work out, can I inquire as to what it is we're looking for exactly?"

"Zoids." Althiea explained. "Hers, Floyd's and mine. And... something else."

Floyd raised a conspiratorial eyebrow. "Do tell."

"They're hiding something here." She explained. "There's something hidden away in here, buried too far down for me to find. They're keeping it a secret, not just from use,. but form the rest of their people here. And, whatever it is, Our Zoids are in the same place as it."

"Mysteries within mysteries and wheels within wheels." Dezalg continued. "So these people have their own secrets."

"I think I've penetrated some of them." Althiea nodded. "But... I think there's a lot more."

"Uh guys?" Jason asked. "While all this is fascinating, I think that we really should be more concerned about leaving this place. Any moment they're going to come after us and we'll be trapped in a dead end here. So maybe we can save the hypothetical questions until later and get going now."

"An eminently rational and sensible plan. I thoroughly approve." Floyd stated. "Althiea, lead the way."

Althiea's course wasn't a direct one back to the main hanger bay. In fact, it seemed to be one of the most rambling and incoherent passages that Jason had ever seen. She lead them through a maze of service ducts and access crawl ways that seemed to descend deeper and deeper into the depths of the facility as if they were plunging into the depths of the earth itself. It was after some time that they emerged into a faculty that was more bizarre and more alien then anything they had seen before.

The long corridor was lined with rows of clear class cylinders of two diffident styles. The first were massive ones that dominated the room, stretching form floor to ceiling. The second were far smaller, their surfaces fogged over from condensation. The entire room seemed to be freezing cold; Jason felt chilled to the bone, and he could see the condensation of his breath.

"What is this place?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know." Dezalg admitted. "But it seems... familiar somehow. I've never been here, yet I have seen a place like it before."

"Where was that?" Jason asked as he looked around.

"Decades ago." Dezalg continued, looking over the cylinders. "It was in a subterranean fortress like this."

Looking up at the cylinders, Jason could see that larger ones had forms visible within them, but they were unrecognisable. Suspended in fluid, they consisted of little more then blobs of clumpy red material, a fiery red glow emanating from the centre of each of them. Althiea stepped closer to them, looking up at them in awe. "Those Zoids." She began. "This is where they grow them."

"I do believe that you are right." Floyd observed. "Yes, that luminous orb does appear to be similar to the ones on their chests. Most fascinating. If so, then that would indicate that these Zoids are biological in nature, not mechanical." He rubbed his beard. "How very interesting... a biological Zoid. A Bio-Zoid if you will." He strode down the hallway to a defend tube. Inside it was the cured form of a strange, quadrupedal Zoid, innumerable spines protruding form its back. "Yes, that does appear to be what they're doing here. Fascinating."

"Then what are the smaller ones for?" Nathan asked. "They couldn't grow a Zoid there."

"I'm not sure." Floyd commented. "Their design seems to be substantially different not to mention the scale. And they're a lot colder to boot."

"Hmm..." Jason stepped up to one, wiping away some of the fog over the surface. And then he stepped back, recoiling in shock.

Looking back at him was a human face, that of a woman who appeared to be sleeping, a clear breather mask covering her mouth and nose. More to the point, it was one he immediately recognised.

It was Levisha Towne.

"What..." He began. "What is she doing in here?" He furrowed his brow.

"Egads." Floyd commented. "It's a snap-frozen Red Claw. I wonder how long she's been here?" The others began to gather around the tube.

"I last saw her... probably no more then a week ago." Jason began, noting the strands of hair floating in the tank. "Wait a moment..." He wiped away more of the tank, revealing her naked body floating in whatever fluid was inside it. Cautiously, he tried to peer as far around the sides of it as possible, then stepped back.

"That's not her." He determinedly stated.

"Oh?" Floyd asked. "Ogling the naked comatose chick was for scientific purposes, was it?"

"Levisha has coloured hair, and a very large tattoo on her back." He continued, ignoring Floyd's quips. "Whoever she is, she doesn't."

"Interesting." Floyd commented. "But features you described could be cosmetic."

"They're not." Jason stated. "Trust me."

"Well then." Floyd added with a quick grin. "An interesting development. Why is the twin sister of one of our most dangerous enemies here, floating in a tank?"

"She's not a twin." Dezalg spoke up. "Look here." He'd wiped away the fog from another container; inside it was the face of a woman, identical to the first. "And I suspect not a triplet either."

"There's another one here." Nathan spoke up, wiping away another tube.

"And I have one here." Thorne continued. "Although, I think I recognise her. I can't put my finger on it."

"What is this place?" Trabe spoke up, nervously looking around.

"Its a factory." Althiea stated. "This is where they are building their future, the future they want for all of us." She turned towards the far end of the hallway. "This way. I can feel it."

The group cautiously travelled along the gangway, studying the area around them. Jason tried to count the cylinders, both large and small. If he was right, there could be hundreds of Zoids here and possibly thousands of pilots. _What are they planning to do with all these? _He asked himself. _And what does Ali mean by their future? _Everything about the place was unsettling. The more he thought about it, he realised, the less he wanted to know what was going on. What they had seen so far seemed _wrong _to him, but he couldn't explain why. He kept scanning the room, as if he was expecting some new horror to leap out at him. And, from the looks of things, the others were as well - save for Althiea.

_Cloned pilots driving cloned Zoids, _he thought. _Its like some nightmare of science. _He glanced at the others again. _And what is going on with Althiea? She's acting even stranger then usual._

They stopped at a huge door that dominated the far end of the room. "This is as far as I know." Althiea stated. "Everything in here has been blocked off from the system... from me." She looked up at the massive door. "There's something wrong here. Something I can't begin to explain."

"A dread portal. One that man was not meant to pass." Floyd commented. "Fascinating."

"_Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here._" Dezalg added. "So how do we get in?"

"I..." Althiea paused. "I think... I know a way in." She raised a hand, indicating to the portal. "Stand clear"

For a moment, there was silence. Then, with a loud hiss and clang, the doors began to slowly slide open. Jason watched apprehensively, weapon at the ready as if he was expecting something to leap out at them. After the strange things he had witnessed so far, he felt that it was justified. This place was rapidly becoming a nightmare, one that he wished he could just wake up from and forget about.

The doors finished opening, revealing another hanger within. Before anyone could do or say anything, Althiea strode forwards, stepping into the dimly-lit room. "Wait a moment!" Jason called out as he stepped in after her, not wanting to leave her behind. Or maybe it was that she seemed to be the only person here who knew what was going on, and he didn't want to be left without her. Either way, he advanced into the darkened room, apprehensively glancing around at the darkened forms looming over him.

_Okay, so I'm scared. There, I admitted it._

Then the lights came on. Jason spun around, gun at the ready. Then he paused as he saw Floyd standing by the door, hand on a switch. "What?" The scientist asked. "What!"

"Don't..." he paused. "You could have warned me."

"Hey, I'm not the one that went running into a darkened room." Floyd objected. "If you wanted to give yourself the willies, then that's fine."

"I..." He paused, then looked around. Inside the room were a trio of Zoids that he immediately recognised; Floyd's Gustav, Althiea's Iron Kong and Thorne's modified Darkhorn. His relief quickly vanished as he spied a fourth Zoid standing at the far end of the room, one that was unlike any he had seen before.

The machine was similar in size and form to a Genosaurer, but the resemblance ended there. Its head was far smaller, while the armour over the body was differently shaped. In stead of harsh, jutting angles, the plating over its body instead formed into almost organic looking curves, with a ridged spine down the back. The head was similarly shaped, with the mouth more resembling a beak then a toothy maw. Atop its body were a pair of claw-like pods, a large beam cannon muzzle protruding from each. While parts of its black frame were visible, the Zoid was mostly a light teal colour, with a blue trim.

"What is that thing?" Jason asked.

"I don't know." Althiea finally spoke.

"It looks like..." Dezalg began. "It reminds me of a Zoid from the war, but it's a new model, one I don't recognise at all." He looked over it. "But then, I think I know its origins." He indicated to an insignia on one leg, that of a three-headed snake.

The symbol of Hydra.


	42. Dark Awakening

"They did it, didn't they?" Jaeger muttered as he looked over the display. "They bloody well did it."

"Yes." Watanabe agreed. "They have penetrated the final hanger. They now have access to, well, everything."

"Then we are undone." Jason concluded. "Everything we have worked so long for..."

Watanabe shook his head. "We have Zero point. And we have Jenice. Together, those two elements are all we need. The loss of the Secret Hanger is a blow, yes. Potentially loosing the new pilots is a blow, yes. However, compared to what Zero point will bring us, it is nothing."

"Of course." He agreed. "I wasn't thinking. This is a setback, but not one that we cannot recover from. And whatever abilities Althiea has, they are nothing before what we are about to unleash." He stood. "We will abandon this facility, certainly. We can easily leave everyone else here to fight a rearguard; certainly there's nobody of any value to us left here."

"So what do we tell the commander?" Watanabe asked.

Jaeger stepped out of the office into the chaotic hell that the main situation room had become. The technicians were all shouting at one another as innumerable sirens went off, filling it with a cacophony of wails. many of the monitors were now blank, while others were running through error codes. Only a handful remained operational, including the main board which continued to show the positions of various forces. Jaeger stopped, studying it.

The bulk of the _Kuroryu-kai's _forces were gathered at a single point, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. However, Jaeger knew exactly what it was, and exactly why they were gathered.

"What do we tell him?" Watanabe repeated.

"Nothing." Jaeger finished as he turned away from the board. "We don't need him any longer."

oOoOo

**Dark Awakening**

oOoOo

Jenice looked up in awe at the sight before her. For the first time in her life, she was speechless. She had never seen anything like the sight that stood before her, nor had she ever expected to see anything like it.

The dark tower jutted out of the desert floor, leaning at an angle yet remaining stable. It sheer size dominated over everything around it; a black pillar in the middle of the empty plains. Its form was made up of a nightmarish mess of components, a maze of parts clustered together to create something that seemed to be completely alien. Its form was blackened and scorched form the heat of re-entry, only adding to its sinister appearance.

Chunks of its body had broken away during re-entry, while others had fallen loose during the landing. Many parts were scattered around the landscape, burnt chinks of metal jutting out of the ground around it. The result seemed to only add to the nightmarish nature of the area, transforming it into a truly alien landscape.

The presence of the other _Kuroryu-kai _forces did little to change her impression of the area. In truth, the fact that the bulk of them were made up of the strange Bio-Zoids seemed to only further the image, making it seem even more bizarre and alien. The few regular Zoids seemed to be very out of place, as if they didn't belong amongst the twisted creations of their science.

"It is quite impressive, isn't it?" A voice behind her began. Spinning around, Jenice could see Levisha standing there with Sturm, a smug smile on her face. "This is what we've all been working towards for decades, the sum total of our efforts. This is how we will change the world, Jenice."

Jenice nodded. When she'd fist approached the site, she'd not been sure what she was looking at. It was a chink of space debris; yes it was bigger then any other she'd heard of but still...

Then she'd gotten close to the object itself. All of a sudden, it had become clear.

The object _radiated _power off it. It was an almost tangible force that reached out, seemingly screaming at her nearly to the point that initially overwhelmed her senses. And yet she stood her ground, basking in the glory of what it represented. She soaked up its power, feeling it flooding through her senses.

And then she knew what it was they wanted. They needed her to unleash the power that this artefact contained, so that she could change the world. She would use what lurked within it to change this planet, to reshape human civilisation in her image. And it would be her image; she could sense that it was her that they needed, and nobody else.

"Yes, yes it is." Jenice stated.

"I thought that you'd like to know that our army remains strong." Levisha continued. "They stand determined to defend Gayos against the empire, and will hold their ground, no matter what."

"Indeed." She continued, not quite acknowledging what Levisha had said. "They are brave men."

"Very." Levisha added, stepping away from her former commander, leaving Jenice alone to continue her observations of the wreckage before her. "Its amazing what a little terror will do for someone." She added under her breath.

Jenice turned around for a moment, as if she was finally acknowledging Levisha's presence. "Did you know of this?" She asked. "This place, this... monument?"

"Some of it." Levisha replied. "I knew that this is the moment we had awaited, when this... thing would return to the world, so that we could claim it for ourselves. I know that it contains the power that will allow us to fulfil our dreams. And I know that you are the one that will unlock that power. As for the actual contents of it..." She paused. "That is a mystery, one that I feel that only you shall ever know the full answer to."

"I see." She nodded. "Thank you."

"If there is nothing else then, Jenice." Levisha added, again choosing not to use her new name and title. "I have much to do to secure the site. The bulk of our forces will be arriving soon."

"Of course." Jenice acknowledged, an almost dismissive tone in her voice. "Go then. We all have our parts to play in the fulfilment of this destiny."

As Levisha walked off, Sturm waited nearby. It was only after she was out of earshot that he approached her. "Jen... Darth Selaj, there is something you need to know."

"Hmm?"

"Despite Levisha's assurances, I do have some concern over our men in Gayos. If the empire continues on its current plan, then they will bring the full body of their assault force to bear on the city. Our forces will be destroyed. And yet, Levisha wants them to remain there." He glanced around "In fact, she has all but directly threatened them with execution."

"It is military law, Sturm. I thought that you, of all people, would be familiar with it." Jenice commented. "They should full well know what is expected of them."

"But the situation..." He trailed off. "Surely you realise what will happen to them when the Empire gets there."

"It doesn't matter." She cut him off. "Nothing matters any more. When we change the world, nothing will stand before us. The Drakken Empire's supposed might will be nothing before the power that I will unleash, Sturm." She nodded. "This is, after all, what you wanted. It is the reason that you joined us."

"I..." He paused. "Yes, yes it is. I joined you to change the empire."

"And we shall." She finished. "Do not concern yourself with them, Sturm. Just remember that there is a far greater thing awaiting us."

A group if shadows passed over the pair of them as they talked. Looking up, Jenice could see squads of the strange bio Zoids passing overhead, circling around the strange tower. At the same time, there was a distant rumble of approaching Zoids, apparently a very large number. Looking around, Jenice could see the huge force as it began to close in on the tower. Lead by the ominous form of a 002 Unit, she realised that this was the bulk of their army returned from whatever mission it was that they had been sent out on. And while she could see that there were holes in their ranks, it was clear that they had been successful in whatever it was they had attempted.

The lead Bio Zoids stalked over to Jenice's position, crouching as its pilot disembarked. "Darth Selaj." Six began as he saluted. "Our mission was a success, as I can assume, was yours."

She nodded. "Zero point is ours." She stated. "And soon the world."

"Of course." He agreed. "However, I have need of your... talents before we proceed. While our mission was successful, it was only the first stage in the assembly of the ultimate weapon, one that will be essential to our pans."

"What is it that you need then?" She asked.

"Are you familiar with the mechanics of the Chimera system?"

"To a degree." Jenice acknowledged. "I certainly understand its functions."

"Hypothetically, could you install one in a standard Zoid to rig it to remoter control?"

"Hmm..." She rubbed her chin. "An interesting idea. Certainly it would be possible, but definitely a challenge. What did you have in mind?"

"The Zoid that was the target orf our attack." He explained. "The one we had managed to take out from under the Blackstars' noses and will be very well suited to a role in our forces."

"Go on."

"I'd prefer to show you, so you can understand exactly what you're up against." He stated. "If you'll walk this way, Darth Selaj."

"Of course," she nodded in reply. The pair of them walked around to the marshalling area where his forces were waiting, heading into the centre of it. From her observations, Jencie could see that his machines were clustered around a central point, some goal that they were protecting above all else. When she reached the middle, she saw what it was, and realised what it was that he was asking of her.

A massive, blood-red Zoid lay dormant in the midst of the group of Zoids, resting on the trailers of a pair of Gustavs. Even though she had never seen the machine before, she instantly recognised its type. "A Deathsaurer." She began. "And you want me to turn it to your control."

"That is correct, yes." He replied.

Jenice smiled as she imagined both the process and the results. "It will be a challenge." She stated. "But one that I eagerly await."

oOoOo

Jaeger finished pulling on his flight suit, then strode out of the locker room. Watanabe was waiting there, holding a bag full of equipment. "All right, let's go." He snarled. Despite Watanabe's assurances that loosing the base was only a minor setback, he was still far from happy about it. The last thing he wanted to do was admit that he had been beaten by his own creation, especially now.

The pair of them strode out into a hanger, a separate facility that they'd had built long ago to accommodate their own, personal machines. This place was never intended to be used save for in the most direful of emergencies. However, the current situation certainly qualified as one. If not for Althiea taking over the base, but certainly for what could happen if either of them were lost at this point.

Before the Activator was ready for them.

The two Zoids in the hanger couldn't have looked too much more different. The first was a Pteras, a twin to the machine that Agent Fourty-Two used to pilot, complete with the radome. However, it was dwarfed by the second Zoid present. The Evil Pegasus, with its Rocco design and distinctive sinister colour scheme, dominated the room and all around it. Its golden eyes seemed to look out with a malevolent glare, as if it was ready to lash out at anything around it.

Jaeger was rather proud of the Zoid; he'd found it abandoned in the desert, a derelict wreck. Over time, he'd worked to restore it and make it a part of the _Kuroryu-kai's _arsenal. It had not been an easy task; the Zoid had suffered severe damage before it was abandoned, and was in poor condition. The fact that it was never a common Zoid to start with, and it had been well over a century since it was last produced, made the task even harder.

He'd initially planned to use it to perform certain, limited strikes in the prelude to the capture of Zero Point. However, with the arrival of the Bio-Zoids, the Zoid had been instead left in storage, only to be used when the time was right. While more powerful then anything fielded by the Zygra empire, and capable of matching the best the UZN or Draken empire had to offer, the point was to keep it hidden until it could be used to the best effect.

Of course, now matters had changed.

He quickly boarded the Zoid, powering up the systems as he ran through a quick checklist. As soon as he was ready, he sent a signal to the hanger by doors, hoping that he at least had some access to the controls. Above him, a hatch in the roof of the derelict Whale King opened, while an elevator began to lift the two Zoids into position. _Very good, _he thought. This small, secondary hanger had been created for emergencies; this seemed like an opportune moment.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Affirmitive."

"Good." He finished. The Evil Pegasus broke into a run then quickly leapt into the air, soaring away from the ship. Moments later, the Pteras followed it, closing formation on the larger Zoid. Checking his radar, he could see that there were a pair of flying Zoids attacking the Whale King; however, the pair of them were well behind his Zoid and quickly loosing ground.

The pair of them, climbed to altitude, settling in a supersonic cruise. Jaeger knew that Watanabe would need to have the Pteras' throttle all the way open just to keep up with a casual cruise from his Zoid. Despite its size and mass, the Evil Pegasus was also one of the fastest flying Zoids ever built.

"So what is the plan?" Watanabe asked.

"Given the situation, I think that it would be in our best interests to perform the activation as soon as possible after we get to the site." Jaeger stated. "Althiea by now may have access to all our information. If she realises what we are doing, then they will do everything possible to stop us. We need to act before they can."

"Understood." Came the reply. "I should be able to perform the activation once we have Jenice secured."

"Very good. I'll deal with the Commander." He finished, checking over his display.

"And the others?"

He smiled to himself. "They are awaiting the activation. When it comes, they will see that we are fulfilling the Commander's will. We can use them just as readily as we have before. As long as the Draken forces keep focusing on the Red Claw-" He was cut off by a beeping from his sensors.

"Is something wrong?" Watanabe asked.

"I have a squadron of Zoids approaching us east of our position-" He paused. "Hold on, they've turned to intercept us."

"Unidentified Zoids!" A voice called out over the communications channel. "This is the Draken Imperial Army. You are in violation of Drakken Operational Airspace. Identify yourselves immediately or else we will open fire."

"They're onto us." Watanabe commented.

"I had hoped to avoid conflict. But as soon as they identify this Zoid, they will probably demand my surrender." He shook his head. "I shall intercept. Stay on your current course; this shouldn't be long."

"Understood. Out." Watanabe finished.

The Evil Pegasus peeled away from its companion as the warning was repeated. Ignoring it, Watanabe opened up the throttle, accelerating towards the squadron of Drakken machines. _Only four of them, and it looks to be Zabats. Knowing the Empire's current tactics, only one of them will be "live". I can handle this. _A moment later, his targeting computer confirmed this. _Excellent._

Letting out a loud whinny, the Zoid charged forwards towards its opponents. The Zabats, for their part, merely accelerated towards him, trying to close the distance as quickly as possible with no idea of what they were up against, which supported this theory as to their pilots. Remaining steady, he simply plagued forwards, lining up the first Zoid. A quartet of missiles shot out form the Pegasus' chest, streaking at the central Zoid in the formation. The pilot - man or machine - reacted to slowly, his Zoid being reduced to a fireball in moments.

The other three Zabats scattered, breaking off in different directions, presumably in an effort to try to surround the larger Zoid. In response, Jaeger pulled back in the stick, firing the Zoid's boosters and sending it into a sharp climb. The black warhorse shot past one of the Zabats, quickly leaving it behind, able to out-run and out-climb it. Swinging his Zoid around, he dived back at it as it tried to catch up. The twin buster cannons spat energy at the Zoid as it tried to close, ripping straight through it's body. The Zabat rolled, then began to dive away, trailing smoke and flames from its wrecked body.

Glancing at his sensors, he could see that the other two were turning to intercept him, while ignoring the fleeing Pteras. _Excellent, _he thought to himself. _This won't take too much longer._

oOoOo

It had taken them a few minutes to check over their Zoids and confirm that everything was as they had left it. None of the Zoids seemed to have suffered any damage, which seemed to indicate that their captors - whoever they were - had not tried to make use of them. Only Floyd's Gustav seemed hard, sporting a strange scorch mark on the side of the cockpit.

Floyd hadn't wanted to speak about it, and had instead dodged the issue. Nobody had pressed him; Jason, Althiea and Thorne were used to it, while the others had realised that pressing the issue wouldn't help. Instead, they had other matters to deal with.

"Right." Floyd began. "We have a Zoid lift that will take us up to the main bay where, all the powers of heaven and earth permitting, Jason's Iguan will be waiting for us. From there, we shall evacuate and hook up with the resto four force and the allies that Jason seems to be so reluctant to discuss. From there, I suggest a tactical withdrawal to a secure location so we can rearm, analyse the situation and plot our next move." He paused and grinned. "Any comments?"

"Actually, I have one suggestion." Nathan Winters spoke up. "I'm qualified to operate Genosaurer-class Zoids and their... derivatives."

Floyd raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He began. "I have to wonder how it is that a Zygra Paladin would know such skills."

"Nevertheless, I think that I could operate that... thing over there." He indicated to the strange Hydra Zoid that they'd found.

Dezalg studied it for a moment. "It would be an asset to our forces, especially considering that we're probably going to have to face Gungyarados again."

"Not to mention the big purple menaces." Floyd added. "Wait, you haven't met them yet. I shouldn't spoil the surprise."

Dezalg, Nathan and Trabe exchanged worried glances. "What is this?" Nathan finally spoke up.

"Its a long story." Floyd replied. "But we're in a hurry, so I suggest we get going quickly and we cover the specifics later. I don't mean to be rude or pushy but I'm sure you all understand the urgency of the situation. So maybe if we could save the discussions for later and just get going now."

A few minutes later, the quartet of Zoids were raised to the main hanger, finding Jason's Iguan still there. While a cadere of security personnel had since arrived to take control of Jason's machine, the appearance of the clearly hostile new arrivals was enough to see them off. A moment later, Jason was clambering into his freshly recovered Zoid.

"Okay, you guys still have no idea where we are do you?" Hae asked as he quickly powered up the Zoid.

"I sort of do." Althiea replied. "I'm going to take some time to go through all the information I pulled out of their computer."

"Right." Jason sighed. "Okay, we're inside a ruined Whale King in a valley. Leanne and Rayvenne are outside along with some, uh, other allies that we've picked up along the way. So I'll ask you to hold your fire unless you're attacked first, or it's a strange, skeletal Zoid."

"We've encountered those." Thorne simply stated. "Don't worry, I'll recognise another one on site."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"More concerned that she'll see your new allies and decide to exterminate them then?" Floyd needled.

"Well... yes, actually."

"And if you tell her who they are now, she'll go Kong snot and blast you instead?"

"...yes." He admitted.

"That's understandable." He finished. "Blackstars are very fickle people."

The cargo lift began to rise again, taking them up to the interior of the ruined Whale King. As they stepped off, the sounds of combat became obvious. Looking around, Jason could see several of the strange skeletal Zoids clustered around the front of the Whale King. Besides the raptors he was familiar with, there was a far larger raptor, and a pair of quadrupedal, triceratops-like Zoids that were in the front row of their forces.

"Now! Go!" Thorne called out as her Zoid charged forwards. "And be careful; their armour is laser-resistant."

The large raptor at the back of the enemy formation spotted Thorne's Zoid as it charged out of the Whale King, turning to face it just as she emerged. The Darkhorn struck it in the back of one leg, bending it over and slamming it into the ground. Before the Zoid could react, the Darkhorn simply ran over it, a sickening sound of cracking bones filling the air.

Several of the smaller Zoids wheeled around, opening fire on the Darkhorn with their flamethrowers. A few shots slammed into the larger Zoid in their midst, but didn't seem to do much beyond simply scorching the finish. One shot streaked straight past the Darkhorn, slamming into another Raptor and sending it reeling.

"Nice work, Thorne." Floyd added as his Gustav charged forwards. "Run right on into the midst of them, why don't you?"

Althiea's Iron Kong stamped past his Zoid, launching itself into the middle of the enemy formation as they tried to recover from the initial charge. The Iron Kong simply swung forwards, one of its massive fists crushing a raptor underneath it. The Zoid then swung around, taking a swipe at one of the Triceratops Zoids. The blow clipped it, but was enough to send it reeling back. Damaged, the Zoid lunged forwards, charging at the Iron Kong with its massive horns. Moving with a degree of agility that belied its bulk, the Kong simply swerved out of its line of attack.

Nathan's Zoid instead lunged at it, swinging around with its hooked claws. One of the claws scythed through the Zoid's head, snapping off one of the two main horns. Unbalanced, the Zoid skidded and tripped, crashing onto its side. Nathan wheeled around, planting the Zoid's foot straight into the brilliant red orb on the Zoid's chest; the orb shattered under the blow, followed by the Zoid's body suddenly bubbling and evaporating.

"The hell?" Nathan called out, rather surprised by the Zoid's destruction. Save for a few pieces of junk metal, there was no sign that it had ever been there.

"Freaky, innit?" Floyd replied. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it sooner or later."

There was a high-pitched whistle, followed by a pair of loud explosions as shells fell on the enemy position. Several of the smaller Raptor Zoids were sent reeling by the blast, recovering their footing before breaking into runs. Another volley slammed into their ranks, blasting apart one of the Raptors and sending the rest scurrying for cover. This also served to open up a big enough gap in their ranks to allow the escapees to escape.

"Get moving, now!" Jason shouted out, his Iguan sprinting past a Raptor as it recovered from the last volley. "And don't shoot any normal looking Zoids you see!" it wasn't exactly the most coherent order he could have given, but it was the best he could think of at the time. "Go on!"

"Jase, is that you?" Rayvenne's voice, still disguised, came over his communicator. "What the hell's going on down there? And what's that ugly blue thing with you?"

"Its a long story." He replied. "How's it going out here?"

"We're low on ammo, but mostly okay." She replied. "Two bogies left through the top of the base a while back, but I couldn't eyeball either before they escaped."

"Fascinating." Floyd again interjected. "However, at this stage, I'd suggest that we withdraw from the area before the summon reinforcements. We appear to have struck this locale at a low point in their staffing, but it would be good to get the hell out before they decide to come back in force. I suggest we retire to my own abode, so we can plan our next move."

"Right." Jason replied. "Call Leanne and get the others so that-" he was cut off by a roar of engines as a Redler passed over their force, rolling over then pulling away, but not before giving those on the ground a good view of the insignia painted on it's wing.

"That's..." Althiea began.

"Yeah." Jason replied. "Those are our new allies, the Red Claw."

oOoOo

There were numerous reasons why Marissa Fyre had introduced Nikolas Zygra to the simulators, but two were more important then the others. The first was to placate and feed his ego, so he would get an inflated idea of his own importance and capabilities. That way, she kept him happy and kept his mind off what exactly it was that she was doing.

The second was just as important. By leaving him in the simulators for lengthy mock operations, sometimes hours on end, she was happily occupying his attention. That allowed her to get on with the actual nuts and bolts of running the invasion of the Zygra empire without any interference from him. Not only did it mean that she had a free reign to do what she pleased without him second guessing her or providing 'suggestions', it also meant that he wouldn't know all of what she was doing until it was far too late for both him and his so-called empire.

"Well?" She asked, looking down at the display table. "What's the newest information?"

Jeroen Nacht looked up at her. "We've managed to capture most of the major centres of Zygra resistance on our path." he offered. "Initially, they simply fought us, but now they seem to be opting for surrender rather then conflict. We've disarmed those groups and interred the crews."

"Very good." She commented. "And, this leaves the path to Gayos clear." She observed the information. "Strange that they haven't moved. I'd have assumed that they would have realised what is coming and, more to the point, the fact that they are powerless to stop it."

"Our informant suggests that they are." He replied. "The Gungyarados resurfaced recently; I suspect that they believe it will be able to stop our forces or, at the very least, slow them."

"Then we shall have to do something about that." She commented. "Although, if we could capture that Zoid..."

"It appears to have vanished again, however." Nacht explained. "I'm wondering if this may be some sort of counterintelligence campaign, an effort to keep us off-balance by moving it around."

"You give them far too much credit." Fyre countered. "I think they're just hiding it from us to ensure that we don't destroy it in a raid. The intelligence form our source indicates that the claw are rather disorganised at best." She paused as a technician approached Nacht. "What now?"

"We just lost contact with a Zabat recon patrol." He commented. "They were chasing after a forcer recon team that we also lost contact with in the same area."

"Unfortunte." Marissa nodded. "Do we know what happened?'

"That's the curious thing." Nacht explained. "Last report indicated that they had made contact with an unidentified Evil Pegasaus."

"Most interesting. First a Gungyarados and now an Evil Pegasus." She shook her head. "It seems like somebody has a good line on rare, powerful Zoids, wouldn't you agree?"

"It does seem to be a little out of the way for the Red Claw." He continued. "By our intel, they don't have any forces anywhere near there."

"And nor are there any indigenous forces that would possess such a Zoid." She finished. "Or, for that matter, any that would have the courage to directly attack one of our units. They should know what would happen if they did. And to loose two groups in the same area does suggest that there is something going on."

"So then what do you suggest?"

She looked over the map, then pressed a couple of icons. "Major O'Bannon's unit is in the area." She observed. Despite the loyalty and capability of its members (And the experimental Zoids they were testing) she'd decided to leave them back from the front lines. He was a good soldier, a skilled pilot and very loyal, but sometimes she'd found that he could be just a bit too _moral _for her liking. Certainly he seemed to be more then a bit put out at her deal with Zygra. "Send him to investigate. I'm sure that he can handle whatever it is that's there... and it will also serve as a good way to keep his mind off what we're about to do to Gayos."

"Of course, your majesty." He bowed.

She looked over the map, bringing up the display showing the positions of her troops. A large portion of the Drakken-Zygra border, as well as much of the Zygra-Aurora border were showing now as Drakken-controlled. From there, they had advanced as a large bulge, sweeping all that was before them. And the leading edge of that bulge was bearing down on Gayos.

"I will not tolerate any interference at this stage. The time is right to reclaim what was stolen from us, Nacht."

oOoOo

The image of the Deathsaurer being hit by the EMP weapon replayed itself for the dozenth time, floating in space above the meeting table. At this point, it was the only source of light in the otherwise dull room. The Zoid roared as its systems shorted out, then collapsed forwards, flat on its belly, as the swarms of strange Zoids closed in.

"Pause." The Blackstar commander ordered, the image freezing in place. She looked around the room, analysing the circle of green eyes that were the only indicators of the other members of her ruling council. "To say that this is a disaster would be an understatement." She stated. "We have lost our single most powerful weapon. Not only that, but it has been captured by an enemy that we know nothing about, one that possesses incredibly advanced technology." She indicated to the swarm of Zoids closing in on the downed form of the Deathsaurer.

"This attack was carefully staged so that we would have no option but to use this weapon." She continued. "They anticipated exactly how it would act, how we would respond, how it would be deployed - everything. They knew exactly what was going on, and executed this operation with a remarkable degree of precision."

"How did this happen?"

There was a long pause as she looked found the room. Either nobody there knew what had happened, or, more to the point, they weren't about to admit it.

"I shall explain then." She continued. "There was no failure on the part of our intelligence. Rather, it is obvious that somebody inside our command structure informed these people of the existence of the Zoid. Furthermore, they made sure that the Zoid would be activated and deployed, simply so it could then be captured." She narrowed her eyes. "Of course, it would have to be somebody in a position to have full access to the Zoid's operational information, as well as somebody who could, say, push to have it reactivated specifically so it could be captured."

There was another pause as she allowed this to all sink in. "General Lairin. You had full access to this project. Furthermore, you constantly lobbied this council for reactivation of the Deathsaurer." That she named both the individual and the Zoid lent a certain gravity to her words. "As a consequence, it becomes obvious to me that you are the source of this leak."

"I-" The female figure replied. "This is preposterous. Why would I leak information on our greatest secret?"

"Wealth. Power. Promises that would be redeemed after their plan for it, whatever they may be, are complete." She simply stated. "However, it is clear that you have been compromised, and are no longer fit to hold a position on this council."

On cue, a light turned on above the woman, illuminating her. Stripped of her anonymity, the blonde-haired woman glanced around. "This... this is wrong! You cannot do this."

"By the rules of htis council, I can. And, for the future of our people, I will." A pair of black-armoured figures seemed to appear out of the darkness, grabbing Lairin by her shoulders. "Consider that."

"No!" She yelled as they dragged her to her feet. "Get off me! You... you can't do this to me!" The pair of them dragged her away from place at the table, back into the shadows. "Don't! This is a mistake! You'll see! When he... when he comes, then you'll all see!"

There was a pause as she was dragged off, then silence as the light faded. "As stated, this is a severe setback." The commander finally spoke. "For now, all I can suggest is that we try to learn all we can about our attackers and their intentions - whatever they may be."

oOoOo

The departure from the canyon had been less an organised, orderly retreat and more of simply everyone running in more or less the same direction. Despite that, however, the force had been able to retain its cohesion and fall back from the battlefield. Only after thoroughly ensuring that they were not being followed had Floyd then lead the ragtag group back to their fallback location, being his subterrainian home. Even then, he'd tried to hold off providing as much information as he could.

Looking over the group, Jason could understand why. They made for a very interesting and mismatched group. The five of them, five former Red Claw members, three Zygra Paladins and a single Blackstar to round it all off. He very much doubted if there had been another so diverse group gathered in the one place. At present, Floyd had (somehow) managed to settle them all aorund the one meeting table. However, it was clear that nobody present really trusted any of the other groups. Thorne was being her usual self, glaring at the Red Claws while all but ingoing the Zygra paladins. Only Nathan Winters had managed to get more then a few words through to her.

Despite all this, they had at least managed to share some information. Unfortunately, what they had gathered was far from comforting.

"Okay people." Floyd began. "Thanks to blending all your stories, as well as the data provided by Althiea, I've managed to come up with a rough idea of what's going on." He pressed a button on the table, activating a holographic projector. A display began, with a floating map of the Zygra empire.

"First of all, the Red Claw - or what passes for it these days," He glanced at the panel of Red Claw pilots, "still holds Gayos city itself. However, they are currently in the path of the Drakken Empire's armies of glorious liberation, note sarcasm. In all likelihood, I imagine that the Draks will not stop until they have happily ground the Red Claw into dust." A single icon lit up, representing the Claw's position in Gayos. At the same time, a wave of red swept towards it, indicative of the Drakken Army.

"The Zygra army still appears to exist, but their forces are scattered and lack any central command or control." He continued. "From what Paladins Dezalg and Winters tell me, only about half a dozen Paladins remain at large, the others being captured or killed by the Claw. Prince Zygra himself seems to be in the Drakken Empire, and supporting their drive towards Gayos. At thes point, hwoever, I doubt that we can depend on the Zygra army for much support. As it stands, they seem to be withdrawing their fdorces westwards towards the UZN border." Blue icons apepared, representing the Zygra forces. Jason noted that Nathan seemed to wince when he saw their current positions.

_That can't be comforting, _he observed. _He's lost his nation to the Claw, and now it looks like he's going to loose it to the Draks as well._

"More pressing is the presence of a second organisation that is hitherto unknown, but appears to have been behind a lot of the recent events." On the map, a single green icon appeared near the centre of the empire. "Information gathered seems to indicate that Levisha Towne, one of the Claw's top agents, is working for them. From what information our Red Claw allies have provided, I can deduce that she has made the Red Claw the focus of the Drakken Empire's assault in order to distract them away from this group's true aims."

"I managed to find out some more about them when I went through their systems." Althiea spoke up. "They call themselves the _Kuroryu-kai._ It appears that they have existed for some thirty-five to fourty years, but I couldn't say exactly when or where they formed. However, it seems that they are in the final stages of some large scale operation."

"Kuro Ryu Kai?" Dezalg spoke up. "Interesting."

"Oh?" Floyd began. "Can I ask?"

"The name means 'Black Dragon' in an Old Earth tongue." He continued. "Furthermore, it has thematic links to a couple of organisations that were a part of Hydra during the last war. It could be a coincidence but..."

"But they had some sort of Hydra nasty stashed in their basement." Floyd finished. "One who's design I don't immediately recognise."

"It has thematic links to the Geno Hydra, however." Dezalg offered. "A Zoid that I was rather well acquainted with, to my dismay."

Floyd nodded, rubbing his chin. "Fascinating. Maybe this little monster is a lost Hydra machine; a prototype that never reached production but at the same time managed to escape destruction. How very interesting."

"So you're saying these guys are Hydra then?" Malcolm McNeil spoke up. "I thought that they were all dead."

"Not necessarily." He replied. "Hydra left plenty of amusing artefacts scattered across the landscape. Your organisation, for example, spent much of its earlier years hiding in various Hydra bolt-holes." He smiled. "I saw a couple of them first-hand, by the way. And I wouldn't rule out the _KRK's_ split-level cave being one of them, albeit a bit bigger then the norm."

"There was a lack of documentation regarding Hydra's full resources." Dezalg commented. "Its very possible that something could have escaped our notice."

"Aren't we digressing a little here?" Jason spoke up.

"Very true." Floyd replied. "At any stage, this group seems to have developed their own, entirely new type of Zoid. For the benefit of all here, I'm going to turn over to Althiea for a moment. Not only did she get a better look at their specs, but she's got a better, uh, feel for them." He quickly glanced at Thorne, giving her an angry glare as he sat.

Standing, Althiea pressed several buttons on the desk as she nervously looked around the room. "The, uh, the Zoids that the _Kuroryu-kai _use are a unique design that they call Bio-Zoids." She began, trying to keep herself calm while everyone was looking at her. Jason could instantly tell that she was unused to public speaking. "They are an interesting design, very different form the traditional Zoid. They are based around organic technology with artificially grown cores, rather then the more normal design."

"Their chief defence comes from a form of special armour that seems to reflect away or absorb beam weapons. So far, no such weapon has been successful in penetrating it." She continued. "However, uh, they seem to be very vulnerable to melee attacks; it causes the armour to shatter or crack easily. I think it may be rather fragile." She paused. "And they seem to be vulnerable to each other's flame weapons."

"We've so far seen four types, but I've found information about another three." She pressed another button, which began a rotating display of the first of the Zoids. "This first one I've code-named Bio-Raptor. The smallest and lightest of them, it is comparable in size and performance to the Rev Rapter. It has a good deal of melee weaponry, but its ranged weapons are limited to only a single flame thrower. They seem to be designed for mass swarm attacks."

The diagram changed to show a different Zoid, which seemed to simply be a larger version of the first. "The second one, code-named Bio-Megaraptor, is comparable in performance to a Liger-class Zoid." She offered. "It is very fast and agile, but seems to be rather fragile. Again, it has ample melee capabilities, but only the single flamethrower."

Pausing a moment, she pressed another button, the display changing to show a thick-set quadruped Zoid. "This one is code-named Bio-Tricera. Its size and performance is similar to the Black Rhimos, and it shares the same 'head on' mindset. It's designed for charging and rushing attacks, and lacks agility. Its frill has some sort of magnetic barrier that wards off projectile weapons, but the Zoid itself doesn't seem to have any ranged weapons at all. I think the idea is that they run forwards, and break up enemy forces so the smaller Zoids can close it."

"This fourth one appears to be the biggest and most powerful of their designs." The image changed to a thick-set bipedal Zoid, much more heavily built then the previous two. "I call this one Bio-Tyranno. Overall, it seems to be similar to a Genosaurer, and is armed with some sort of charged particle cannon. Its armour seems to be a lot thicker as well. However, they haven't been able to mass-produce it for some reason, and, as a result, they have only a few so far." She gave a weak smile and then a nervous laugh. "That's obviously good."

Nodding, she glanced over the room. "The other three I only know from information I found. Bio-Kentro appears to be similar in size and performance to Bio-Tricera, and is designed for close combat. It also lacks ranged weapons." The display changed to show a heavyset quadruped, bristling with spines. "It lacks the shield, but instead could probably deter attackers with its spikes."

The illustration changed again to show a pair of flying Zoids. "Bio-Ptera seems to be similar to a Raynos in performance; it has some sort of sonic weapon mounted in its mouth. Bio-Raptor Gui looks to be an adaptation of the Bio-Raptor to allow it to fly. I'd say it's more akin to a Pteras or Storch."

"Freaky." Drake muttered.

"Very interesting." Dezalg pondered. "They eliminate our capability to engage them in ranged combat, yet they lack significant ranged combat ability themselves. An odd oversight."

"I think these machines may be only first generation designs." She commented. "Maybe subsequent ones will be a lot more capable."

Nathan nodded. "Still, it's a weakness that we may be able to exploit. I'd certainly want to give non-beam projectile weapons a chance."

"We were able to bad a few of 'em with our sniper rifles." Leanne interjected. "Sure as heck, that suggests they're vulnerable to us. Only problem came when them damn Triceras showed up; their shields screwed up our shootin'."

"Very interesting." Nathan pondered. "Obviously, we'll have to figure a way around that.

"That may not be an issue." Thorne spoke up. "Their pilots are rather weak."

"Yes, Ms Thorne." Floyd replied. "I'm sure that they pale before your supremely engineered perfection and superiority."

Ignoring the thinly-veiled insult (and not noting or caring that Gwen had been angrily glaring at her since she spoke up) Thorne shook her head. "I mean it. They have very little tactical sense or coordination. Their situational awareness is poor, and their squads seem to be more of rough clusters of individuals then organised units. They behave more like amateur bandits then trained warriors."

_Is everyone going to have a go at putting down each other? _Jason wondered as he noted the reactions from the Red Claw pilots.

"Interesting." Dezalg nodded. "And potentially exploitable."

"While we saw that they were growing those, um, pilots, I don't think they're what were in the machines." Althiea added. "What I gathered suggested that those were a 'new' type, one that they hadn't yet deployed. I think the Zoids may be drones."

"Like Levisha's Chimeras?" Drake asked.

"No. um..." She paused as she tried to figure it out. "I think the pilots are robots. They're given orders and try to execute them to the best of their ability. But that's a little lacking so far."

"So where is this army of theirs?" Harry McNeil spoke up. "Because we didn't see nothing of it at their base."

"That's the thing." She replied. "From what I gathered, they left well before you began your attack; almost all of them, actually."

"Left?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "But... where?"

"Um... I'm not sure." She admitted. "I found some references to a place though, or maybe an event. Something called Zero Point." Both Floyd and Dezalg both looked up, glancing around the room as if surprised. "I thought that it was some Red Claw thing but... it isn't is it?"

"Zero Point is a modern myth." Floyd explained. "Supposedly, it's some great storehouse of knowledge or information weapons maybe from the war that nobody's ever been able to find. If the stories are true, it's something that Hydra created as a fallback so that they could rebuild after loosing the war... sort of like the superwepaons that wouldn't save them today may save them tomorrow or something." He shrugged. "But I never paid it any heed, just like the stories of the secret Darth space colonies, and Giganticus the devourer, the two-hundred meter tall Zoid."

"It's not a myth." Dezalg countered. "And before I go any further, realise that this is considered to be a state secret, even if the existence of the state is in question. I know I can rely on Trabe and Winters not to speak, and I'm sure that captain Thorne feels the same." The Blackstar pilot nodded in agreement. "But if you want my help on this, then you are all going to have to agree not to reveal this information."

"Well sure." Rayvenne spoke up, still hiding behind her mask. Jason noted that she'd been trying to avoid speaking ever since they'd gotten back. "I'm hiding enough as is. I'm not going to say more."

"The same here." Floyd nodded. "Me and secrets; we're tight. You can rely on me."

A round of affirmative replied followed, even if several of the Red Claw members were rather reluctant. Finally, Dezalg nodded at the assembled group. "At the end of the war, we captured the last large Hydra base; however, its commanders killed themselves or were killed before we got there. However, one of them took the time to scrawl a final message as he died. It was just two words; 'Zero Point."

He glanced around. "Over the months and years to come, we spent hours trawling through every record we could find from Hydra. We found a handful of fleeting references to it, but nothing solid. Everything we found suggested that it was something big, something major." He shook his head. "What I gathered was that Zero Point was some sort of fallback, something that they could go to in the advent of their loosing the war. Some suggested that it could be tied to Hydra's efforts at terraforming the wastelands."

"Terraforming?" Leanne asked.

"What few people remember is that most of what is now the Zygra Empire used to be empty and barren deserts; in fact, it included some of the most inhospitable places on the continent. However, while Hydra were busy reigning nuclear hell on everyone else they did _something _that changed the wastes to what they are today. It's no mean feat, but at the same time, it's one that has been somewhat... overlooked by history." He shrugged. "Simply put, a lot of people didn't _want _to think about whatever it was that they were doing and, more to the point, what it could be fore. But after fifty years, it seemed irrelevant."

"Of course, if the stories of Zero point are true..." He trailed off.

"So where is this Zero point?" Leanne asked.

"According to their information, here." Althiea replied, indicating to a point on the map. "But as you can see, there's nothing at all there."

"Which makes it all the more imperative that we discover the truth behind it." Floyd finished. "And then stop it by any means possible." He looked around the room. "And that's going to take every last one of you. Paladin, Red Claw, Blackstar... this is bigger then our individual alliances or our petty squabbles."

Althiea nodded. "I originally set out to stop the Red Claw after they destroyed my home. But, over time, I've realised that there's more going on then I had thought; the Red Claw are only the unwitting pawns of something else. And what I've seen of that power scares me."

"I joined the Claw because I was greedy." Jason admitted. "I made a mistake, and now I want to atone for that." He looked over at the row of Red Claw pilots. "I know that you were members of the Claw, but at the same time you must be able to see how you were used and abused by Jenice and Levisha."

This resulted in a lot of umming and ahhing and looking around. Jason could tell that the former Claw pilots knew what had happened, but, at the same time, they were still reluctant. Of course, whether it was because of simple cowardice or un unwillingness to admit that they were being duped. "Well..." Drake finally spoke up. "The thing is, that they're still our allies, sorta. I mean, if Jenice and Levisha are with them, then they're still the Red Claw. Even if they did try and kill us and all." He seemed to be holding something back, Jason noted. Quietly, he suspected it was that Drake was actually afraid of Levisha. It was a fair reaction.

"And it's not really our fight." Harry McNeil continued. "I mean, we escaped from the Claw after they tried to kill us. I see no reason why we should throw ourselves at them again." This provoked a round of affirmative mutters from the other Red Claw pilots.

"Thing is." Rayvenne spoke up, still hiding behind her mask. "The thing is that I only joined this outfit because you guys were hassling me. And yet, now that I've found that the Claw isn't the real threat, I'm able to put that aside. I was willing to work alongside you guys because I knew that there was a far greater threat to deal with. And I'm going to stand with my friends, regardless." She looked across the assembled Red Claw pilots. "You say its not your fight. But I ask this; are you saying that because you don't think you should be involved, or are you saying that because you're afraid?"

Gwen stood, slamming her hand on the table. "He's right!" She snapped. "You lot are just all cowards! You say that its not your fight, but you really just are all afraid to stand up for yourselves and fight. You acted all brave when you were fighting against the Zygra Empire, but now all I see are a bunch of weak, spineless fools who are too afraid to stand up for themselves."

She glared at the group. "And if you're all that's left of the mighty army that crushed the Zygra Empire, then I'm ashamed to call myself a Red Claw. You lot can all run off and hide your heads in the sand if you want; I am going to stay and fight alongside these people." She finished, then nodded at Rayvenne.

"Well, um..." Drake replied. "I... I'm going to, um, help. Yes."

"Yes well..." Harry McNeil nodded. "I, um, we're going to help as well, aren't we, Mal?"

"Yeah." Malcolm replied. "We are."

Jason looked at Rayvenne, puzzled. She merely nodded back at him and, while he couldn't see her face, he could have sworn that she was grinning behind her mask. Certainly he had to wonder what had caused this sudden change in mood from Gwen.

Floyd grinned at the group. "Excelement!" He finished. "Now that has changed things. We're growing, but I think that there's a way we can do even more. And while it means that we're actually discarding one of our most valuable weapons, we're swapping them for something that will benefit us even more." He walked over behind Thorne, clapping one hand on her shoulder.

"What?" She began, turning to face him. "What do you want now?"

"Your help." He stated. "Because there is something that only you can do."

"Which is?" She continued, eyes narrowed.

Floyd sighed. "Even at the most optimistic case, I figure we're going to be direfully outnumbered; plus we're going up against these strange Zoids with no idea of what else they may have hidden. What we really need is an army, and you're the best person to get us one."

"The Blackstars?"

"No!" Floyd replied. "Your people, as mind-blowingly attractive as they are, have a small deficiency in so far as all they care for is themselves. Certainly, they didn't seem to give two pieces of flying Kong crap when the Claws burninated Gayos. So I doubt that going to them will help much."

"And I doubt that the Zygra Army would be of too much help either." Dezalg spoke up. "Last I knew, our forces were scattered and leaderless. I doubt that this Drakken invasion has done much to help their situation."

"Exactly." Floyd nodded. "And that's where you come in, Thorne."

"How so?"

"Because your people are known to have certain... relations with the Draken empire." He stated. "And you in particular often act as a representative to them."

"How did you know that?" She hissed.

"I have ways and means, my dear. Ways and means." He continued. "And that is where you come in. While we're all off getting ourselves killed, your task will be to find the nearest Drakken unit and let them know what is going on. It is imperative that they know, Thorne. If we fail, then the world must be prepared for what may come."

"I understand." She nodded. "And I shall do my duty to the utomst of my ability."

"I knew you would." He finished, before turning back to the table. "This, ladies and gnetlepong, will be a moment when we decide the fate of the whole world. Zero Point, Hydra, _Kuroryu-kai... _It doesn't matter what they call themselves, I know that whatever it is they unleash, it will be most dire. If we do not stop it, then none of us; Zygra, Blackstar, Red Claw or what have you, will be safe."

oOoOo

One of the things that Jenice liked the most about her abilities was the feeling of satisfaction she got from using them. It was a thrill to say the least to know that she could accomplish what others couldn't. She didn't need to research, design, engineer or analyse her way through creating or modifying a Zoid. Rather, she just _did _it. She visualised in her mind what it was that she wanted to create, and that vision guided her hands in fulfilling the task.

The Bloody Deathsaurer was the latest of such creations. The task they had given her, to integrate the Chimera unit into its control system, was surprisingly easy in the end. The Chimera system itself war relatively uncomplicated and simple in design, which made it very easy to work with. The only real issues came in ensuring that the Deathsaurer would respond to it. However, she was confident that the effect would be what was desired - enslaving the machine to the control of Levisha's Lord Gale.

She had been working on the last few touches when her personal communicator had beeped, momentarily bringing her attention away from her creation. "Yes?" She asked as she activated it, leaving the Deathsaurer for now.

"Lady Selaj." The commander's voice began. "I trust you are well."

She turned from her platform at their makeshift field base, noting the approach of a column of Zoids and transports. Amongst them was the Bio-Zoid that the commander himself was using. "I am. Can I ask what this is aobut?"

"How are you faring on Agent Six's project?" he asked.

"Very well. I have finished all the major work, and just have the last few touches to complete the linkages." She explained. "However, it is functionally complete."

"Excellent." He finished. "I ask that, when you are done, you join me. There is another very special project that I need your skills for, one that is vital to our plans for the future."

"Of course." She nodded. "I shouldn't be too much longer."

"I understand. When you are done then."

After the hours of work she had put in so far, it took only about thirty minutes for her to finish the last few connections up. Then, reaching out with her mind, she mentally assessed all of the connections, testing the links between the Chimera unit and the Zoid itself. Confident that all was completed, she closed up its access panels, and descended down the repair platform.

Looking around, she could see that the already bustling field base had only become more so. Supplies were being unloaded from the transports, with more field facilities, tent barracks and even rudimentary fortifications being erected. Despite the familiarity of the faculties, the sort of thing she had often used during her time in the Red Claw, there was still a fundamental alien feel about the location, living in the shadow of the massive black tower.

There were other strange things here, she noted as she looked around. A pair of guards watched the pilot that they'd pulled out from the Bloody Deathsaurer, a woman who seemed to have no business being there. Looking to be more of a girl then an adult, she was short and slight, with scruffy shoulder-length hair and pale skin. Her only interesting feature were here eyes, which were an odd yellowish-green colour. To say that it was a surprise that she had been the one operating the massive war machine was an understatement. That she was supposedly a Blackstar was more so. Jenice had dealt with several Blackstars in past; she didn't look like any of them.

But she couldn't dwell on that. She had far more important things to think about.

As she walked towards the commander's Zoid, a pair of black shapes passed overhead. Looking up, she was surprised by what she saw. The fact that one of them was a Pteras, near identical to Levisha's old Zoid was strange enough. That the second was an Evil Pegasus was even more so. She wasn't aware that any still existed, let alone that the _Kuroryu-kai _had one.

_But then, this organisation is nothing but surprises, _she mentally added.

"Darth Selaj!" The commander called out, stepping out from a nearby tent. "It is an honour to see you here in this place." He smiled at her, his scars twisting it into a strange grin. "Especially at this time."

"I feel like there is something momentous coming." She replied. "There is something about this place... I don't know what it is, but I feel that its calling to me."

"I suspected as such." He acknowledged. "That is why we bought you here, Selaj. We need you. You are the key to unlocking the secret of this magnificent artefact."

"I see..." She trailed off as she saw the Evil Pegasus and Pteras land nearby. Just as quickly, she turned back to him. "But... what is it?"

"This-" he gestured around him. "Is Zero point. It is a titanic artefact that was preserved at the end of the war to guard against what many saw as the inevitable decay and destruction of technology. It is the last remnant of a world that no longer exists, but one that we strive to rebuild. And today will be the day when we begin that process."

"What is it I must do then?" She asked.

"Are you finished with the Deathsaurer?" He replied, somewhat abruptly.

"I am, yes." She answered, not missing a beat. "I had some ideas for improvements, however. There was a deign that I wished to implement, a dual intake fan that I think could increase the output of the main cannon or, at least, improve its rate of fire."

"An interesting idea." He nodded. "But for now, I think it will have to wait. We have other, far more important matters to attend to." He turned back to the huge structure. "Selaj, the time is right for us to unleash the powers of Zero Point, and remake the world in our image. Walk with me, please."

She nodded, and followed as he set off towards the gigantic alien structure. Up close, it was if anything, even more intimidating then it had been form a distance. She could now see the bizarre fusion that its structure was; a mixture of high and low technology components that had been blended together with no apparent form or function. To her eye, it looked less and less like a part of its systems, and more like a form of camouflage or defence to conceal its true purpose, or possibly as a simple shield to be burnt off during re-entry.

A pair of masked guards stood by a small door in one side of the structure. One of them saluted as the other stepped back and opened the hatch. With a creak of long-discarded hinges, it swung open, revelling the dim interior within. A surge of dry, stale air wafted out, indicating that there had been nothing inside for quite some time.

"Let's go." He stated. "Destiny awaits us."

They proceeded into a narrow, cramped hallway that seemed to be less a designed path and more a convenient gap in the machinery that people could fit through. That the structure was tilted at an angle made their passage even harder. As she advanced, Jenice had the vague feeling that they were ascending as well as curving around. However, the way the tower (Tower? Ship? What was it, truthfully?) was designed made it very hard to ascertain what exactly was going on.

Abruptly, the crawl way ended, leaving the pair of them in a domed room in what appeared to be the heart of the complex. It was a strange place, a cluttered mess of monitors and indicators that seemed to be thrown together with very little reason to its design. Despite the force of the impact, everything in the room seemed to be more or less intact. Rather, it was the clutter of the equipment around it that caught her attention, then drew it towards the centre.

Standing there was a large, high-backed chair, its arms adorned with numerous control buttons. Several tubes seemed to be attached to it, trailing off into the floor. Of its occupant, however, there was no sign. Directly above it was a window in the roof which provided the room's only lighting; a shaft that illuminated the chair and its surroundings.

"This..." She began. "What is this place."

"This is where it all begins again." He stated, a tone of awe in his voice. "This is Zero Point."

"Zero... point." She mouthed. "Yes... I can feel it. I can feel the power present here."

"Go on." He indicated to one of the consoles. "This is why you are here. Use your powers, for us and for the whole planet."

Despite the fact that it was just inert machinery, rather then a living entity like a Zoid, Jencie could steel feel power radiating off the systems around her. There was something ancient here, something that spoke of great history and power. Reaching out, she ran her hand across one of the consoles, tracing across its features. _This is it. This is what I was born for._

_Contact._

She could feel the systems coming to life as power flooded back into their long-dormant circuits. Around her, monitors and displays came on, bringing up information and lighting up the room. She looked around in awe at what she had done, the revival of this ancient place and the secrets it contained.

"Well done, _Activator._"

She spun around at the sound of the new voice, only to see two figures step into the room, joining her and the commander. The pair of them were dressed in standard _Kuroryu-kai _uniforms, albeit without the masks and shaved heads. The first one was a man she didn't recognise; short, with dark skin and narrow features. The second, however, was one that she immediately knew, one she hadn't seen in years.

"Knight Hans Schneider?" She asked.

"Yes." He stated as he entered. "Or, if you prefer, agent Heinrich Jaeger of the _Kuroryu-kai._"

"I didn't know you were one of us." She stated. "Did you join after you left the knights?"

"No." He shook his head and smiled. "I have been a member of the organisation for all my life. I was _Born _to it. Schneider was a role I played for the organisation."

"But why?" She asked and then paused as a realisation hit her. "You... you encouraged me to attack the Blackstars. You encouraged me to build the weapon. And you told me... you told me where the relics were that lead us to that place." She shook her head. "Everything that has happened... my being court martialled, the Red Claw, Sturm's defection... that was all because of you."

"That's right." He nodded.

"But... why?" She narrowed her eyes. "Why did you do it all?"

"Because I saw you for what you really were, Jenice." He explained. "I saw the potential within you. I realised the powers you had, and how they could be best used to serve our cause. I steered you in the right direction, so that you would mature and develop as we wanted, and be bought to us. We planted the seeds of who you are, Jenice."

"What... what do you need me for?"

"You are our _activator._" He finished. "The one that will bring about the birth of our new world."

She glanced at Jaeger, then at the commander. "So then... all that he has done was for you?" She asked. "All that I am was for your benefit. All he said, all you said about my being a part of the new world was a lie. You just wanted me for my abilities and nothing else."

"Selaj, you have a great responsibility." The commander stated. "You must use your powers, change this world and deliver us form this age of technological stagnation."

"Actually..." Jaeger interjected. "That's not what we really want you for!" he spun around, lashing out at the commander. In an eye blink, the cyborg was staggering backwards, a knife imbedded in his chest. He gasped, then collapsed behind the command chair.

"What the- aaaaah!" She screamed out in pain as something stabbed into the back of her neck. Glancing around, she saw the second man, standing behind her, holding a cable, the end of which was now sticking out of her neck. "What..." She began, but was overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness. "What... is all this..."

And then the world around her went black.

oOoOo

Selaj's eyes opened as other senses began to recover. An immediate awareness of the situation came; seated in a chair, in the middle of a domed room. Recognition flooded in. _This room. Zero point. So it has come to this. _There was a feeling of pain in the back of the neck, but that was expected.

Selaj stood, looking down. A pair of figures were kneeling before the command chair, while a third was lying on the floor, obviously dead. "So." She spoke, her voice having an empty, hollow character to it that it had lacked before. "This is your activator."

"It is not what we had intended." One of the kneeling men replied. "We had one that had been modifed, but its powers... they grew too far, too fast. In the end-"

"That is enough." he cut them off. "This one is weak and unmodified, but it shall do for now." And then she stood, looking down at them still. "And it can walk. That... is an advantage."

"Yes-"

"How long?" She snapped.

"It... it has been fifty-seven years." The second figure spoke.

"My armies gone, my resources destroyed and my people-"

"All but extinct." The first spoke up. "The Activator is one of only two we know of."

"I see." She looked around. "Very well then. We have much work to do, but first..." She paused. "Tell me. Tell me of everything that has happened on this world."

The pair of them nodded, and replied in unison. "Your will, my life, great one."


	43. Activation

"To the brave men and women of the Red Claw, the ones fighting on the forefront of our war to change this world, and save it form itself." Jenice's voice began. Her voice and image carried across military and civilian channels all across Gayos, letting its people, both the members of the Red Claw and the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire, hear her words.

"We have done so much in our battle. We have come so far. Already, we have wrenched the heart form our enemy by capturing the Zygra capital and effectively destroying their government. The single force that had done the most to hold us back, to keep the world in the dark, is on its knees. This was only achieved through the dedication and loyalty of you, the members of the Red Claw/"

"But we have a long way to go before we reach our goals. We have passed a major milestone, but the road is still long. While we have destroyed one of the great evils that has stood against us, another one has reared its ugly head."

"By now, you have all heard the stories; the Draken Empire is on the move, its forces coming to destroy us and all that we have achieved. Some dissenters believe that we cannot stand against them, that we should abandon what we have achieved so far and flee like cowards, lest their supposed might crush us all."

"Despite their doubts, we will not be moved. We will not crumble before them as they would wish. Instead, we will stand defiant and resolute against them. We will proudly defend all we have fought for, and show them that our vision of the future, one free from their ideologies of repression and stagnation, is a just and true one. To do otherwise would be an abandonment of all we have fought for, all your sacrifices."

"I ask that each and every one of you stands resolute in the face of this oncoming threat. Together, you, the brave soldiers of the Red Claw, can turn back those who would seek to destroy all we have created. You can change this world, making it a better one for all the peoples of the Shelflands. All I ask of you is your loyalty and a little more time."

"For soon, very soon, we shall reshape this world in our image, user in a new age of enlightenment. And then nothing shall stand against us. Victory for progress! Victory for change! Victory for the Red Claw!"

Levisha smiled to herself as she watched a reply of the speech on her Lord Gale's monitor. Jenice hadn't given the speech live; in fact, she had never given it at all. The broadcast had been realised by computer-generated imagery, based on previous footage and audio of her. Despite this, Levisha fully expected the Red Claw's soldiers to buy the speech as coming form her live. Partially, she figured, it was from her generally low opinion of the Claw's members, but mostly it was because this sort of manipulation was almost unheard of in this age of technological decline.

Of course, Jenice herself wasn't in any condition to make a speech. She had been taken inside the ruined structure some time ago, ready to fulfill the role that the _Kuroryu-kai _(and Levisha in particular) had planned for her for years. She was, after all, the _Activator. _Her role was the remaking of the world and the unleashing of the true power of Zero Point.

Whatever that meant.

oOoOo

**Activation**

oOoOo

"Well?" Jenice asked as she surveyed the room. "How long has it been?" her voice had a strange, hollow tone to it, as if she was speaking through a recording or a communicator rather then in person.

"It has been fifty-seven years since we last heard your voice, o great one." Jaeger replied, still kneeling.

"An age to you." She continued. "Yet nothing to the likes of me."

"We have awaited this moment for so long." He explained. "All we are, all we have done, has worked towards this time, this great moment when you would again speak."

"Are you all there is?" She asked, casting a critical eye over the two kneeling figures.

"Yes, o great one." Jaeger admitted. "Few survived your last demise; without you, Hydra fell apart and was crushed. When its demise was near, we, or at least, our forefathers, had to take steps to ensure that no evidence would remain of your presence. Even today, five and a half decades later, there are none who know of your involvement, of the full truth about Hydra. It means that none suspect the full truth of what we are doing here, not even our supposed superiors in the front organisation we were a part of." he shot a glance at the corpse of the commander, who had fallen behind the command chair.

"I see." She nodded. "And the world; is it prepared for my arrival?"

"We have done our utmost to destabilise it, o great one." Jaeger continued. "We have destalbilsed one of its great powers, and split it into a state of open warfare. The nation is a battleground for the Draken Empire and the front organisation we created; all powers are too distracted with each other to realise the truth of what we are doing."

"I have accessed this vessel's memories and already know all this." She stated. "Tell me what you have done to prepare for my reawakening. Tell me what is being done to allow me to reshape this world in my image."

Watanabe spoke up. "We have constructed an army of Zoids unlike any others known on this world. Furthermore, their android pilots contain override programming that will allow us to turn them to our control. This way, you have an army already, one that will be mindlessly loyal and unaffected by human frailties and failings."

"The Bio Zoids." She commented. "And their pilots; primitive drones and faux Mindriders."

"There is more that we have hidden." Watanabe explained. "We have begun work on a second generation of Bio-Zoids, ones that will be far more powerful then those currently in use. And we have also developed a new strain of pilot; clones of one of our best agents, brainwashed and awaiting your order."

"You have done much." She acknowledged. "But tell me; what of my people. This... vessel cannot be the only one remaining."

Watanabe nodded. "She is not, but only by the slimmest of margins. Their numbers were decimated during the war, their populations dispersed, their culture and learning suppressed as a part of the greater global campaign of technological regression under the guise of reprisals for their role in Hydra. A few slipped through the cracks, but very little of their knowledge remains. This being, your Activator, is one of only two adults known to exist; even then, it took a great deal of effort to bring her powers to a point where she would be useful to us."

"She is weak, an inferior specimen." She snarled. "And lacks the modifications that I will need. You said you had another; what happened to them?"

"Their powers..." Jaeger swallowed before continuing. "Their powers grew beyond our expectations. They ceased to be useful, and instead became a danger to us. Through their modifications, they were able to _infect _other systems, turning them against us and-"

"You will bring this activator to me." She cut him off. "Their power will be added to my own, allowing me to release the full strength of this artifact."

"But she is a danger, o-"

"She is a danger only to your weak, limited minds." Jenice continued. "You are too limited too simplistic. You fail to grasp the full enormity of the abilities that I possess. Bring me the Activator; do not rest until she is in your power. This is my first command, and will the first act of the new order."

Both of them glanced at each other, then up at her. "Of course, O great one."

"Very good." Jenice finished. "For too long, we have been denied our destiny. Now is the time for us to act, the time that we will rid ourselves of this sick and decaying world and remake it anew."

oOoOo

Bart Krark studied the view over Gayos from his suite in the Palace, noting how much the city had changed of late. The Red Claw's takeover had left deep scars all across the city, destroying whole buildings and damaging others. More infamously, a large area in front of the palace proper had been reduced to a burnt crater by the initial attack by the Gungyarados. A lot of the damage was yet to be repaired, as the Claw's takeover had destroyed so much of the infrastructure, and the city's functions were anything but normal.

Added to that were the compounds established by the Red Claw after the invasion, as well as the clear militarisation of other areas; armed checkpoints, roadblocks, visible Zoid patrols across the city and the like. Now the city looked less like the capital of a mighty nation and more like an armed camp.

And still the city continued to change. Pillars of oily black smoke rose form several areas, the legacies of the latest bombing attacks by Drakken forces. In the last few days, the Red Claw had thrown together an ad-hoc air force from the few functional machines they had acquired, but they were clearly anything but effective as a deterrent. Even after one raid had been dispatched by Sturm, the Drakken attacks had continued, the Empire either not fully understanding or not caring about the strength of the local defenses. While the attacks had so far done very little actual damage, the effects were considerable.

Even with Jenice's latest broadcast (Which Bart was convinced did not originate from within the palace; he hadn't seen Jenice since the battle that had broken out between rival Red Claw members), many of the Claw's soldiers were apprehensive about their position. Many saw it as only a matter of time before the Draken forces invaded Gayos proper and utterly destroyed the Claw. However, nobody seemed to be trying to run.

As near as he could tell, the reason was a fifty-fifty mix of loyalty and terror. While Jenice's speeches, as well as the amount of faith she clearly had in her followers, were inspiring, the fact that Levisha had demonstrated what would happen to deserters was even more so. The mangled remnants of the Command Wolf lying in front of the Palace was a rather stark reminder of what exactly would happen to those who deserted the Red Claw's cause. The pair of Chimeras standing nearby merely served to reinforce the point.

That didn't seem to have affected the civilian population, however. Looking down, he could see a fleet of cars, trucks and other vehicles queuing to leave through the various holes that had been punctured in the city walls and gates. The civilians had not been threatened with any sort of retribution for desertion; they were simply using a chance to flee their city before it become a battleground. Bart was beginning to think that they were the lucky ones.

"Well, at least I'm still in charge." He grinned to himself. As grim as the situation sounded, he still liked the idea of having the run of the city. It gave him the power and authority that he'd always wanted, and the opportunity to fill some of his baser desires. It was for these rewasons that he'd joined the Red Claw in the first place. Jenice had recongised his talents and found a way to put them to use, but it wasn't the opportunities to use them that he had desired. Instead, it was all about power and wealth. That's all he wanted.

And now he had them. The city was his, as were the Red Claw's troops. He could do what he wanted, as long as he followed Jenice's orders. And since he had the run of the palace - and it's staff - that was enough to occupy his attention. His only regret was that he'd lost track of that buxom young thing with the black hair who he'd been getting on so well with. On occasion he pondered if she'd been killed in that short burst of infighting, or simply vanished.

"Excuse me, sir." A voice from behind him came. Turning around, he sighted one of the innumerable members of the staff. "Your lunch is ready."

"Excellent!" he replied, happily. "Wheel it in, Jeeves!"

"Yes, sir." The man finished with no change of tone. Bart grinned enthusiastically as a small fleet of trolleys were wheeled in, each with their own dishes. He'd pretty much gone through their inventory and ordered everything he could; not because he needed to but, simply, because he _wanted _too.

And there was another reason, one far more worrying that he tried not to think about. He'd been born and raised in the Auroran Republic. He'd served in their armed forces, albeit as a reservist and technician. He'd seen what was across the border first hand. The Aurorans lived with the ever-present threat of invasion by the Draken empire for decades. They had no illusions as to the Empire's strengths and their capabilities, nor their intentions. And now they were headed towards Gayos, towards the Red Claw and more specifically, to him.

He was scared. He'd never admit it, though, but the thought of facing the Draken army terrified him. But then, the thought of incurring Levisha's wrath terrifed him even more; with the Draks, he figured, there was a chance he could get lost in the chaos and confusion. Against Levisha, well, he knew that he didn't have a chance. And so, he had decided that he would enjoy his last hours on earth as much as he could, and a part of that would be to eat as much as he could.

Seating himself, he simply reached for the first thing that came across, being a plate of ribs. Grabbing and wrenching one off, he scoffed it down as quickly as possible. He didn't care for the flavor, the presentation or the quality; it was the simple enjoyment of having and eating that spurred him on. As soon as he was done, he grabbed another one and began to scoff it down without pausing, and then a third. He Continued to stuff his face with whatever came to hand, knowing full well that this could be his last meal.

"Um, excuse me?" A woman's voice interrupted him. "Um, Bart? Commander?"

He looked up to see a young woman standing in the doorway, with shoulder-length red hair. He vaguely recongised her, and noted that she had a Red Claw insignia on her jacket sleeve. Finishing his mouthful, he began. "Who are ya and what do ya want?"

"Um, I'm Kara Zale..." She began. "One of Jenice's officers..."

The name rang a bell. Zale was one of those few members of the Claw's elites to have not been branded a traitor by Jenice and Levisha for some ungodly reason. As such, she was pretty much his second here in the city. He also knew that the girl was a favorite of both of them, which meant that he couldn't just dismiss her or drop a casual grope. "Yeah, whadda ya want?" he asked between mouthfuls.

"Um, I don't want to cause alarm or distress but..." She began. "The Drakken forces are clearly closing in. They've apparently taken both Jigra and Yongry, which gives them a good pair of bases to launch an attack from."

"Yes, and?" he waved a turkey leg at her.

"So what are we doing about them?" She asked. "I mean, they're going to be here soon and many of the men are asking what the plan is."

"The plan is that we stand and fight." He jabbed at her with the half-chewed leg. "Those are Jenice's orders, so I'm going to follow them. We will hold Gayos and defend it to the last man if we have to."

"I see." She commented. "And what of Jenice, Levisha and Sturm, or their Zoids?" She asked.

"Jenice's Descat has been left here under my command. I'm gonna assign it to someone before the day's out; I'll let you have it if you want, girl." He muttered.

"I'd prefer to stay with my Evo Flyer, sir."

"Of course." he finished off the leg and grabbed another. "And a good idea too."

"But what about the Gungyarados? It's our most important weapon and-"

"Jenice will do what she damn well pleases with it!" He snapped, pointing the leg at her. "And she has a plan that involves it which she's gonna use on those Drakkie scum. If they think they can take our city, from us, then they're gonna end up on the receiving end of some burnination, y'hear?"

"Yes, but..." She trailed off. "What's the plan then? I mean, we've barely seen it in over a week."

"Only the top brass are allowed to know." He commented, sourly. _And that don't include me. _"And you ain't one of 'em, you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"So when the Draks come, they're gonna get roasted. You can cout on it, babe." Although, he had to admit, repeating it was less for her benefit as it was for his own. He wanted to believe that Jenice had some master plan, one that would deliver him and the rest of the Claw from certain doom. But he had no idea what that was.

"Yes, sir." She repeated.

"Now get out of here!" He snapped. "I've got important work to do!"

"Of course, sir." She nodded. "Forgive my interruption."

"Yeah, whatever." he muttered, then dug into the leg as she left. _A month ago, I woulda been all over her, rank or not. Now look at me... This war's gonna kill me, I can tell. _As if to console himself, he grabbed another chink of meat, and continued to feed.

oOoOo

For the first time that she could think of, Ashleigh Thorne was running from a battle.

It was an idea that was almost completely alien to her. Blackstars never retreated, they withdrew and they never ran away. Nor did they ever respond to any challenge with anything but the maximum available force. It was a part of their legendary reputation, the one that had made them the most feared military force on the planet.

It meant even more to Thorne herself. All her life she had to fight against her own flaws and failings, the defect that limited her and held her back from being all that she could be. One of the reasons that she always looked to resolve matters through combat, that she was even more aggressive then the norm for a Blackstar was simply because she felt that she had so much more to prove, both to her peers and to herself.

But now she was running. She knew that there was a battle coming, one that may determine the fate of the entire planet. Yet she was ordered to stay away from it. And while she knew the reasons, she still didn't entirely like it. to her mind, her place was at the forefront of any conflict, driving into the heart of the enemy and grinding them underfoot. It was not her place to act as a messenger.

And yet, when Glass had suggested the idea, she had readily agreed to it. _The problem with him, _she thought, _is that for all his bluster, all his buffoonery, he still makes a valid point. I am the only one who the Draken Empire will listen to. I am the only one who can make the case for our cause. _The thought did a little to appease her foul mood. _In fact, my role may be the most valuable of anyone on this battlefield._

She pressed her Zoid onwards, trying to keep its throttle open as far as she could for as long as possible. She only had the vaguest idea of where the Draken forces would be from the information that Alithea had captured. (She didn't even want to think how that woman had done all that she had.) After this was over, she figured, it would be a prudent move to rend her to the custody of the Blackstar authorities). Her Zoid, however, had been designed for neither speed nor stealth, instead being created for frontal assault. This made her less then desirable as a messenger but, at the same time, the best option. All she had to do was keep traveling.

It was a few hours into her travel that her sensors suddenly beeped out a warning that enemy Zoids were nearby. More importantly, it also alerted her to the fact that those Zoids had detected her machine and were tracking it. _They have me... now to see who they are and what their inentions may be. _Her eyes narrowed as the radar confirmed returns on the identity of the targets - Bio Zoids.

_So I will not have a clean getaway, _she thought, smiling to herself. _This may not be the battle I had hoped for, but it is still a chance to strike at our enemies. _Quietly, she relished the opportunity to do some damage, no matter how minor, to the _Kuroryu-kai's _armies; they had humiliated her in capturing her, and her opportunities for vengeance against them had been somewhat limited. Now, however, she would have a chance to show them all she was capable of.

"Enemy Zoid!" A voice called over her communicator, presumably the human leader of the drones present. "Stand down now or you will be destroyed!"

_No warning, no challenge, no request for identity; just a simple demand. They are more like us then I had thought. However, that will not prevent me from completing my mission. _Keeping the throttle open, she simply powered forwards, her Zoid barging forwards. In response, the blips on her display screen began to move, indicating that the bio-Zoids were closing in. _And now we fight._

Several fireballs streaked down from the nearby cliffs as a squadron of Bio-Raptors closed in on her. Much of the volley went wide, while several more shots struck the side and back of her Zoid. A quick check of the display showed that the damage was minimal; their weapons had done little by singe the surface of the Zoid's thick armour. Their melee weapons, however, she knew were another matter, but she didn't intend to give them a chance.

The Hibilt Balkan cannon's assembly swing around, the side-mounted linear launcher raring as it opened fire on the enemy machines. Rounds sailed through the air before slamming into the lead raptor. The Zoid simply vanished, disintegrating into debris as the rounds detonated. The Zoid behind it was caught in the blast, staggering backwards into the path of a third machine, the pair crashing backwards to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Another two were more fortunate, leaping over their downed compatriots and continuing the pursuit.

Before she could ripple off another volley, the sensors alerted her to a new threat. A pair of Zoids were moving into the valley ahead of her, positioning themselves to cut off her advance. Ignoring the Bio-Raptors for the moment, she instead turned to focus on the newcomers. A pair of Zoids that she hadn't seen before, but that Althiea had labeled as Bio-Kentrosaurs had lumbered into view, their spine-laden backs rippling as they walked. Seeing no other option, she simply pressed forwards.

The first Kentrosaurus was still turning as she advanced, the Darkhorn bearing down on it before it could bring its wickedly sharp lances to bear. It slammed into the smaller bio-Zoid's side, the enemy machine crumpling and snapping under the force of the impact, before being forced under the Darkhorn's iron hooves. There was a sickening cracking noise as the Bio-Zoid was crushed underfoot, there ignoring it as she surged forwards.

The second Zoid was luckier then its brother, turning to face her as she advanced. It lunged forwards, the lances spearing into the Darkhorn's leg and flank as the two Zoids collided. The status board suddenly lit up bright red with warnings, indicating that they'd gone straight through the armour. _What was that? _She thought as she checked the board. _Whatever those things are, they're incredibly hard or sharp._

Not pausing to dwell on the issue, she veered her machine sideways, the Darkhorn slamming into the Kentrosaurus and slamming it against the cliff wall. Crushed between the bulk of her Zoid and the rock, the Kentrosaurus twisted and pulled away form her machine's body, but its damage had been done. At the same time, another rain of fireballs came form the surviving Bio-Raptors; more slammed into the Darkhorn's damaged side, while several hit the damaged Kentrosaurus, blasting chunks off its armour.

Swinging around, Thorne slammed the Darkhorn's tail into the damaged machine. Several spines snapped off as the Zoid staggered back, badly damaged by the various assaults. Not wanting to slow down, she left it reeling as the Darkhorn took off again, trying to regain the momentum and speed that it had lost.

Glancing at her status board, however, she could see that matters against her. The Kentrosaurus' attack seemed to have done more damage then she initially thought, managing to spear the legs' drive train. While not a problem at the moment, the stress of constantly running at top speed would cause it to fail at some point in the future. _And that's my only option, _she grimly thought.

The Darkhorn wheeled around, resuming its original course as the first of the Bio Raptors leaped over the fallen Kentrosaurus and came after her. A fireball narrowly missed her Zoid as the raptor closed, extending its claws as if to strike. The Darkhorn swiped with its tail again, smashing it into the Raptor's flank. The Zoid crumpled and collapsed, beginning to dissolve as another two leaped over it.

A second and third leaped at her, using the destruction of their comrade as a distraction to allow them to slip past. Each cut to one side of the Darkhorn, opening up with their flamethrowers on the Zoid's body. Several shots hit, again not doing much beyond marking the armour. Apparently realising that their attacks were having little effect, the two Zoids continued to close in, claws ready.

One lashed at her Zoid's side, the claws raking through the Darkhorn's flank. A moment later, the second one struck from the other side, its own weapons capitalizing on the damage the Kentrosaurus had already done. More red lights came on, indicating not only the damage the attackers were doing, but warning Thorne about the state of the damaged leg.

Ignoring them for now, she pressed on, driving forwards. The Darkhorn again swerved to one side, trying to swat the small Zoid closing in on her. Faster and more agile then it or the Kentrosaurus had been, the small Raptor skipped out of the way of her attack, then replied with its own fireball. The shot narrowly missed Thorne's Zoid, but was still enough to catch her attention. Seeing a chance, the second struck again, stabbing at her machine's side.

_These two are a lot sharper and better coordinated then the others we've fought, _she noted as she turned to the second attacker. _Maybe these are the advanced pilots Althea discovered. _It was little comfort to her; her new opponents seemed to know the weaknesses of her Zoid and how to use their own capabilities to exploit them.

Several more contacts appeared on the scope, charging straight at her machine. Examining their formation, Thorne could see that they were aiming to head her off, using the two on her flanks to box her in. With the specalised defenses that they used, the Bio-Zoids had a good chance of succeeding. A quick run of the numbers told her that circumstances did not favour her. _But I will not allow myself to be defeated, _she mentally added. _I shall achieve my mission, or I shall die trying._

The linear launcher and missile pod both opened fire, spraying their payloads into the oncoming enemy force. The rounds slammed into the enemy formation, tearing apart several of the smaller Bio-Zoids. However, as they fell, several more charged forwards, ignoring the deaths of their allies. A Bio-Megaraptor took the lead, spraying flames at her Zoid as it charged forwards. The blast washed over the Darkhorn, battering its armour but not penetrating it.

Snarling to herself, Thorne pushed her Zoid forwards, aiming to take down her attacker before he could strike again. The Darkhorn charged, aiming to slam into the Megaraptor and bear it down. The enemy pilot seemed to be ready for her, however, twisting out of her path before lunging at her Zoid with its wickedly sharp toe claws. Slicing through the Darkhorn's flank, the Zoid leaped away before she could strike at it. With a hideous shriek of tortured metal, the Zoid stumbled forwards as its damaged leg began to fail.

Struggling with the controls, Thorne managed to keep her Zoid upright long enough to get some idea of the situation. The _Kuroryu-kai _forces had spread out, forming a ring around her machine. As one, they closed in, weapons at the ready. _Now it would appear that I am out of options, _she thought as she glanced around. _But I will die like a true Blackstar, on my feet._

"Surrender now." A flat, emotionless voice stated, apparently coming from the lead Bio-Megaraptor. "And you will not be harmed."

She growled to herself at the sound of the voice. _Defeated by machines... _She shook her head. _I could have tolerated humans but... machines? It is an insult to us._

The Megaraptor took another step forward, before being suddenly pelted with energy blasts along its back and flank. While the shots seemed to have little or no effect on the Zoid, they at least staggered it and caught its attention. As one, the Zoid and its followers turned to the source of the attack. The Megaraptor hissed, then opened its mouth to attack but never got a chance to follow through. Instead, a blade sliced across its middle, cutting the Zoid in two before it disintegrated. With a loud thud, the attacker landed next to Thorne's Zoid.

It was an Energy Liger, one bearing the insignia of the Drakken Empire - and specifically, the Imperial Guard regiment. A moment later, a pair of brilliant blue energy bolts struck another Raptor, sizzling off it with no real effect. Lookign up, Thorne could see another pair of Zoids waiting atop a ridge; a blue Liger Zero X and a heavyset black Tiger Zoid that she had only seen once before, when she was transferring prisoners.

"What the hell are these things?" The Energy Liger's pilot asked.

"They're called Bio-Zoids." She stated. "And they are a danger to your people as much as mine. Their armour deflects energy weapons, and they are piloted by robots."

"Ashleigh Thorne?" He suddenly added.

"Yes and-" And then she realizsd who the Energy Liger's pilot was, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. _Rescued by him. This is the low point of my life. _"Major O'Bannon."

"Yes... but we can catch up later." He added, glancing around at the other Zoids. Having recovered for, the initial shock, the enemy force seemed to be closing in, and gaining in numbers. "Its clear that your Zoid cannot run. We'll have to fight our way out." He paused for a moment, likely assessing the situation. "McMillian, Drashe! Melee weapons only, try to clear these guys out!"

The two Zoids leaped down from their perches, joining the fray as the Energy Liger again closed in. The three of them set to work, laying into the Bio-Zoids around them. Initially, it appeared that their attack had shocked the enemy force; seemingly confused, the Bio-Zoids were slow to respond, their formation breaking and scattering as the powerful Draken Zoids scythed through their ranks. The momentum was short lived, however, the Bio-Zoids reforming and pressing back, using numbers to press Thorne's would-be rescuers.

The four of them fell back, quickly finding themselves pressed in by the enemy assault. The _Kuroryu-kai _forces, clearly realising Thorne's intentions, seemed to be intent on isolating and eliminating their force, pushing them back while moving in for the kill. "Not to put too fin a point on it, Thorne." O'Bannon began, his Zoid's armour suffering several deep gouges from the enemy weapons. "But our enemies have a distinct advantage here. Especially with our lack of ranged weapons."

"They do seem to have some weaknesses." She replied, her Darkhorn backing up as well. "Melee weapons, explosives, incendiary weapons and-"

"Incendiary weapons?" He cut her off.

"Yes. They seem to be vulnerable to their own flamethrowers."

"Excellent!" He suddenly replied, a very enthusiastic tone in his voice. "New plan; Thorne, you and Drashe will fall back with me. McMiallin, you have authorisation for a full field weapons test."

"But energy weapons-"

"Trust me!" He finished. "Get back now!" His Energy Liger backed up, the Zero X joining it. Seeing no other option, Thorne backpedaled, joining the other two and leaving the Brastle Tiger exposed on its own.

"Commencing test-" McMillain called out. "Now!"

The Brastle Tiger's body seemed to explode as panels swung open all across its form; large ones on its shoulders and flanks, smaller ones on its lower legs, back and tail, and a huge section behind its neck lifting into the air. As it opened, up, Thorne could see numerous weapons ports being revealed; more then she'd seen on any Zoid of its' size before. And then it fired, a wave of searing red beams leaping out from the numerous barrels and washing over the enemy force.

To her shock, the energy weapons were not dispersed or absorbed. Instead, the bio-Zoids seemed to melt as they were hit, staggering and collapsing before they boiled over and disintegrated in that strange way. The Brastle Tiger's weapons swept a pathway of destruction across the enemy force, leaving nothing but debris in its wake. The attack ended, the Tiger standing there with its numerous panels hanging open, while the air around it shimmered with heat. Looking at her sensors, Thorne could see the Zoid was white hot, as if there was a star at its heart, burning it up from within.

The surviving Bio-Zoids remained unsure of what to do; so many of their number had been suddenly destroyed by this strange Zoid which possessed weapons that bypassed their superior armour. Whereas once they were proud in their immunity, now they stood naked and vulnerable. And then, just as abruptly, they broke and ran, scattering to avoid a potential future attack.

"That... was a success, I would say." O'Bannon finally spoke up. "Good work, there."

"What..." Thorne began. "What was that?"

"A thermic cannon array." He stated. "I can't say much else as it's still all supposed to be secret."

_And it's a handy way to avoid the post-war weapons limitations, _she mentally added. _Very effective._

"Now, Captain Thorne." He continued, a suddenly serious tone to his voice. "I'd like to know exactly what is going on here."

She sighed to herself. _Time to swallow my pride and ask for help. _"Believe it or not, that's exactly why I was looking for you."

oOoOo

Marissa Fyre looked over the information that had been handed to her, rubbing her chin as she analyzed it. "Interesting." She commented. "Very interesting."

"What is it?" Nacht asked as he approached.

"Major O'Bannon has requested to detach his force from the main body of his unit for a force recon operation." She began. "His commander sent the request straight to us because of its rather unusual contents."

"Being?"

She smiled for a moment. "For the most part, it looks like some sort of bizarre fantasy." She explained. "He speaks of a mysterious army establishing some sort of base near that meteor strike... and that they're using some sort of strange new Zoid that, and I quote, are immune to energy weapons and melt that they are destroyed."

"How very odd." Nacht shook his head. "Yet, O'Bannon isn't the type to make that sort of thing up."

Which was an understatement to say the least. The man had an impeccable reputation for bravery and honesty in his dealings. Fyre had personally decorated him for his actions in several armed clashes, and had seen him promoted and assigned to a number of prestigious roles, not the least of which had been to deliver Zygra to her capitol. Also, unlike many other in the Drakken army's command structure, he was unafraid to speak his mind and say what he really thought, rather then what was politically expedient - a trait that she found endearing.

"No, he isn't." She studied they strategic map, noting the locations of her forces. Two pincers were now outstretched, ready to encircle Gayos itself. The Red Claw's forces remained bottled up as ever, while the Zygra forces were scattered. "And to make this even more interesting, he claims that his source is a Blackstar officer."

"Very interesting." Nacht tapped the single bright green blob that represented the Blackstar city, their only known force concentration. "Anyone in particular?"

"A captain Ashleigh Thorne, a woman known to us." She noted. "She's frequently served liaison duty with our forces and is known for being even more ferocious and rigid then the norm for one of their kind. If there was any chance of O'Bannon fabricating this story, there'd be none at all of Thorne doing such."

"But the Blackstars themselves haven't moved." Natcht noted. "Suggesting that she may be acting alone, or possibly as an emissary so they can gauge our reactions before committing."

"That's what I'd suggest..." She studied the map. "However, there were some reports that Blackstar City had come under attack by an unknown force. The Blackstars have kept a tight lid on it, which had made getting intelligence out even harder then usual. It does seem to add some weight to his arguments. And any force who felt brave enough to attack the Blackstars are either incredibly foolish, or carrying some technologies or capabilities that we don't know of. I wonder..." She trailed off.

"If I may, your majesty?" Nacht began, pressing several buttons on the control console. A purple dot appeared on the map, indicating the site. "This is where the meteor struck. If they are here, and they can reach Blackstar over here, then they would be at a very good position to strike at our southern flank while we attack Gayos." he traced a line, intersecting the Drakken forces.

"Very true. It would certainly seem to explain why the Claw are standing their ground. Initially I had wondered if it wasn't some form of heroic or suicidal last stand for their ideology. Now I wonder... they could be distracting us from their true prize, or some other aim." She studied the map again.

"Speaking of which, Delta Source has confirmed that stance." He added. "Jencie has ordered the Claw to stand their ground, while their Chimeras are being used to enforce her orders. Apparently an officer decided to flee, but had his Zoid destroyed by one of them and its remains dumped in the middle of the city. From what the information says, it'd appear that the Claw's members are simply too terrified to consider fleeing."

"Fight to the bitter end or die anyway. An interesting choice." She observed. "Still, I see no reason to delay our assault. At the same time, there may be some merit to O'Bannon's report. We may be staring down the barrel of a rather well-executed trap."

"Given that the Gungyarados has been absent form Gayos, its looking like a possibly." Nacht offered. "They claim that the Zoid hasn't been seen in over a week, save for that one brief return."

"Which lends further evidence to the idea of attempting to open up another front." She considered.

"Your orders then, your majesty?"

"Give O'Bannon his force." She concluded. "He is to investigate this phantom army and test their strength to gather intelligence on them and the threat that they represent. If they're dangerous, then he is to try to disrupt their operations as long as possible. If not, it means that I don't need to commit too much of my army to following this lead."

"Of course.

"Oh, and contact Delta. Tell them to abandon their post and report back to us." She continued. "There's little that the Claw can tell us now, but they're far to valuable to become the victim of a random shell or missile. No... I have other plans for Delta, certain contingencies."

"Of course." He repeated, then saluted.

"I'll leave you in charge of the situation here for now." She added. "I have other things to deal with, other plans to put into motion. Send O'Bannon his orders, and tell our front commanders to prepare for the final assault. I'm going to add a little... something to the mix." She finished as she turned from the display.

Leaving the situation room, she traveled to the living deck of the ship. There was no need for guards or staff here' on board this ship, all efforts were needed for the running of the Draken military, while the thought of an infiltrator was absurd. Of the entire crew of the ship, each and every last person here had been thoroughly vetted by the Imperial Intelligence before being assigned; even the slightest discrepancy or issue on a person's background check would be enough to bar them from service here.

All save for one, that was.

She approached the guest quarters that had been assigned to Zygra. She's arranged matters so that he'd spend most of his time here or in the simulators and, more to the point, away form her. It meant that while she was also free to run the war without his interference or any attempts to take over the campaign, it also meant that she was also free to do whatever she liked to his nation without his noisy concerns interrupting her.

The simulators had helped give him the delusion that he was some sort of avenging warrior prince, a mighty hero who would swoop down and save his people from their time of peril. It also meant that he was pretty much in her hands; that she had been able to so shamelessly manipulate him gave her some idea of his level of naivety. A steady supply of luxuries being delivered to his quarters by a very complaint and attractive chambermaid (Who was also a plant by Imperial intelligence) meant that he spent little time outside of them.

Now was the time to use all that hard work. She pressed the intercom on the outside of his door and spoke. "This is Empress Fyre. I wish to speak to you on a matter of... some importance, your majesty."

A few minutes later, the door opened, Zygra standing before her in his Imperial Paladin's uniform. It was an affectation that been delivered to him by the Zygra Embassy staff before he left to take part in the campaign, a symbol of a rank he had never earned and probably never will. "Your majesty." He began with a very slight bow. "I apologise for keeping you waiting."

She quietly wondered if that chambermaid was inside. "Of course. You have a lot on your mind, and I can understand that you may be distracted. With the liberation of your capitol at hand, however, I believe that it may be time for you to take a more proactive role."

"I... don't understand."

"Until now, you have been a symbol to your people that their government can survive adversity and then return to liberate them from their suffering." She explained. "But now they need you to be more. You need to be their hero, the man who frees them from their oppressors."

"I understand but... how?"

She smiled and nodded. "There is a reason why I offered you all those simulator sessions to build your skills as a warrior. Come, let me show you."

Within minutes, the pair of them, joined by a pair of black-clad guards, were descending in a lift towards the ship's cavernous Zoid bays. Around them were the Zoids reserved for the Drakken Royal guard, some of the most powerful and capable machines in their army. However, Marissa paid them no heed, knowing that she had to impress Zygra with the machine that she had chosen for him. Leading past a row of towering Iron Kong PKs, she stopped before another Zoid.

It was a red Liger Zero EM, the same machine as Zygra had been using in the simulators and, ironically, the same Zoid that had been used as the chassis for the Red Claw's Trinity Liger. This machine differed from the others in the bay, however, due to its markings. Every single Drakken marking, in those of the Imperial Guard, had been thoroughly scrubbed form the machine, In its place, it wore a trio of crests; the insignia of the Zygra army, the crest of the Zygra royal family, and the rank insignia afforded to a Paladin.

"This is my gift to you, Emperor Zygra." She began. "I present it on the behalf of the entire Drakken people. Take this Zoid, and with it, lead our people into battle to reclaim your home."

He was clearly awed, staring up at the sleek, predatory machine. "This... is mine?"

"It is." She finished. "Now go forth, my champion, and end this war."

oOoOo

The sirens stopped their wailing for the moment as the last of the Zabats sped away from Gayos. The raid hadn't achieved that much beyond rearranging the rubble left by the last attack, but Kara Zale knew that it was enough. Despite Jenice's assurances, she knew that the Red Claw didn't stand a chance against the approaching Drakken forces. And while the feeling was shared by a number of the Claw's pilots, they were all too terrified of Levhisha and whatever reprisals she may unleash for attempted desertion.

The difference was that Kara wasn't afraid of Levisha; nor was she afraid to do something about her situation.

She knew that she was one of the Red Claw's better pilots. Ever since she had joined the organisation, she had driven herself to be as good as she could, and to prove to the Claw just how useful she could be. Her big break had come when she was assigned to act as a stand in for Sturm, using the Evoflyer that was, at the time, assigned to him. By facing off with a Zygra Paladin, she had demonstrated just what she was capable of, impressing those in charge of the Claw's forces.

As a result, she had been reassigned as the Zoid's permanent pilot, and quickly risen to a position of some importance within the Claw's ranks. She remained only just outside the ranks of their elite commanding officers, but it quickly became clear that Jenice, Levisha and Sturm saw her as being more valuable to the Claw then a lot of her supposed superiors. She'd enjoyed being near the top of the heap, having some authority and being one of only a handful of people who had any idea of what was actually going on.

However, like all good things, that too had to come to an end.

It had become more and more obvious that the Claw's situation in Gayos was completely untenable. She knew that the Draken forces would simply wash over them and crush them underfoot. She was under no illusions of how long the Claw's forces could stand against the Empire's forces. it meant that her time in the Claw was over, and that she would be best to move on before she became another victim of the inevitable battle to reclaim Gayos.

Of course, she didn't expect the Claw to just let her go. Jencie's orders said that nobody was to leave the city, and that included her. Even though Levisha and Sturm were apparently free to come and to as they wanted (and it still bothered her as to where they were going, as she was yet to find any evidence of what exactly they were up to), the city was locked down tight.

But she had a window of opportunity, and she wasn't about to let it pass. While the rest of the Claw had been sent scurrying for cover during the last raid, she was taking advantage of the situation to make her escape. It was a narrow window, but one she had intended to take regardless.

She'd left the palace in the middle of the bombing, traveling on foot rather then taking a car or any other vehicle that would attract suspicion or make her a target. Dashing through the war-torn streets, she'd weaved through a maze of side roads and back routes so as to avoid attention or accidentally begin discovered by a Claw patrol. The last thing she needed right now was to be caught trying to run.

Her Evo Flyer was waiting in the Zoid compound, along with all the other machines currently not on duty. As she approached, she could see that it seemed to have survived the last round of attacks without any damage. _And lucky for that, _she thought. _Otherwise things would get a little tricky. _Ducking into an abandoned building (cleared out during a security sweep prior to the establishment of the compound), she opened up her bulky pack, picking up the tools she would need to make this work. Minutes later, she was ready for work.

The first of the two items she needed was disassembled and well hidden inside a sealed compartment, disguised as camping gear. It was, in fact, a sniper rifle, disassembled and extensively customized. The weapon was only good for a single shot but, as far she was concerned, that was enough for her. Bracing herself against the frame of an upper-story window, she patiently lined up a shot on one of the guards waiting by the entrance.

_Now._

She squeezed off a shot, the guard suddenly recoiling backwards and collapsing. Seconds later, there were shouts from all across the compound, with soldiers running towards their fallen comrade and, more importantly, her location. Discarding the rifle, she scampered out a different window, dropping to the ground on the far side of the building as she heard the soldiers approaching. Others were hanging back at the entrance to the impound, covering their downed comrade. She didn't care if he was dead or merely wounded, however. He'd done his job.

Kara dashed towards the far side of the compound, just as the first soldiers stepped into the building that she'd fired from. A moment later, there was a loud explosion, indicating that somebody had found the bomb she'd left inside door as a parting gift. More shouts came from across the compound, as other soldiers left their posts to investigate what was going on. It was, of course, just what she wanted to have happen.

Confident that everyone was suitably distracted, she approached the fence at the far side of the compound. She quickly cut through the mesh with a pair of cutters, before abandoning them too. _By the time I'm done, _she figured, _the whole place will be going crazy searching for spies or infiltrators. _A smirk spread across her face. _And I'll be well out of here. _There were plenty of other ways that she could have gotten out, she figured. Most of them would have involved less wanton destruction and been a lot more subtle. However, she also knew that, in their current mood, the Claw would likely be downright paranoid. _And a little random terror should keep them inward looking, rather then focusing on the real threat._

Wrenching a section of fence aside, she ran into the compound, darting between the legs of the waiting Zoids as she headed for her own machine. Being assigned to the Evo Flyer had been a stroke of luck; not only was it one of the Claw's best machines, but its flight capability meant that she had a perfect vehicle to make her escape in. After making one last check to see that there was nobody around, she sprinted towards her Zoid and clambered inside the cockpit.

Skipping over the checklist, she powered up the Zoid and set off. Retracting its legs, the Evo Flyer took to the air, quickly soaring away from the compound before anyone knew what was going on. Keeping the throttle open, Kara climbed away from Gayos as quickly as her Zoid could go. Her communicator beeped several times, indicating that somebody, likely another member of the Claw, was trying to reach her. She happily ignored them, instead focusing on flying.

The Zoid leveled out, then turned west, heading away from the occupied city to a set of pre-arranged coordinates. Kara, in the meantime, was content to sit back and relax for the moment. Checking her scope, she could see that the air around her was clear; she'd left the Red Claw, as well as the life she'd been leading for the last year, well behind.

Nearly two hours later, her sensors beeped indicating a set of new contacts, heading straight for her Zoid. The radar picked them up and tried its best to identify them, but ended up returning negatives for all but one. That didn't surprise Kara in the least; the Zoids she was now tracking hadn't even been designed when this Evo Flyer was lost and abandoned. Instead, she focused on the single target she could confirm.

"This is the Drakken Imperial Army to unidentified Zoid." A voice came over the communicator. "Identify yourself immediately or be destroyed."

"This is agent Delta." She simply stated. "Identification Sierra India Seven."

There was a pause. "Confirmed, Delta." The voice replied. "_Terminus Est _control will guide you in."

Kara simply nodded as the Evo Flyer received the landing instructions. Turing, the Zoid headed towards the massive Whale King that was looming up in front of her, the flagship of the Drakken imperial fleet. She nodded, and then smiled to herself as a lower bay opened to accept her Zoid. The code she had given was one olny issued to the highest agents of ISIS, the Drakken imperial intelligence service. It was one that, if needs be, could get them access to virtually anything - even a landing bay the Empress' flagship.

"It's good to be home."

oOoOo

Floyd had evaluated the area around Zero point, working out a plan to attack it that would make the most of their meager forces. He'd based it on his estimates of their forces taken form the information that Althiea had taken, combined with their first-hand experiences with fighting them. The plan called for them to utilize every Zoid they had at ther disposal, save for Thorne's Darkhorn. The Geno Hydra, with its dual-control cockpit, had been assigned to Nathan Winters and Dezalg, while Trabe had ended up with the Red Claw's stolen Tank (itself actually a commandeered Zygra army unit).

The plan called for Althiea and the McNeil brothers to begin with a long-range bombardment of the site, then the others move in with Althiea joining them. Rayvenne and Gwen would provide cover for their attack, both keeping airborne attackers off their backs and thinning out the numbers of ground troops. Using this approach and the power of their Zoids (chiefly the Iron Kong and the Geno Hydra), they hoped to drive off the Red Claw and seize Zero point - whatever it was.

Almost immediately, they realised that their plan wasn't going to work.

"Incoming!" Rayvenne shouted over the comms channel, her voice cracking as she tried to stay in character. Her Sinker twisted and jinked in the air as a pair of Bio Guis opened fire, their blasts only narrowly missing her Zoid. "Damn it, they're all over us up here!"

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Gwen yelled back as her Redler boosted away from a pair of pursuers. Opening fire with its booster cannons, the Zoid struck home twice but failed to do any damage. The attacks did serve to distract the Guis for a moment, which was enough time for her. The Redler surged forwards, its tail blade slicing across the belly of a Gui and gutting it. The Zoid broke apart in mid air, metallic debris raining down.

"They're trying to surge through to the Torts!" Rayvenne continued, diving away form another round of attacks. "Someone get on 'em!"

"Yeah!" Harry McNeil called out, the sound of his Zoid's cannon firing in the background. "I'm a sitting duck - aaah!" he was cut off as a shot hit the side of his Zoid, rocking it but not penetrating the thick shell. The Zoid, as well as Malcolm's next to it, both began opening up with their secondary AAA cannons, filling the air with fire.

"Stop shooting!" She called out. "You're only gonna risk hitting us!" As if to underlay the point, a pair of Bio-Guis simply flew through their fire, shots deflecting off their armour. "Keep concentrating on the damn artillery!"

"Listen to him!" Gwen added. "We'll take care of the air support, you just concentrate on what you're good at!"

The problem was that the _Kuroryu-kai_ boasted a lot more air cover then they had expected. During the war, air forces had been hit especially hard. As a result, most armies had adapted to working with little or no air support for their forces. Post-war, with arms limitations and reductions treaties, most everyone had continued to downsize their air forces, usually relegating them to a support branch of their army.

However, the _Kuroryu-kai ­_had a far larger air force then they had anticipated, overwhelming the few airborne defenses they had. That the Bio-Zoids were immune to the energy weapons that amounted to all of their AA systems only served to further aggravate the problem. Only the claws and blade on Gwen's Redler seemed to be effective against them, which meant that she was the only way they had to cleave through the enemy force. It also meant that Rayvenne had been relegated to the role of bait.

The Sinker swooped down on a Gui that was heading towards Mal's Zoid, opening fire with its twin gattling weapons. The shots bounced harmlessly off the armour, but was enough to catch the Zoid's attention. Ignoring the Cannon Tortoise, the enemy Zoid pulled away and headed after her. _Yeah, that's it. Ignore the objectives. _About the only thing she had going for her was that the enemy pilots seemed to be none too bright. _And easily distracted._

The Gui chased after her, the smaller and faster Zoid rapidly closing the distance between the two of them. Several shots went past her Zoid, Rayvenne weaving and twisting to the best of her ability to avoid the blasts coming at her. To her annoyance, the enemy machine keep closing, determined to take her down.

A blast hit her Zoid, the controls suddenly going dead before reactivating a moment later. She tried to twist away, but the Zoid felt slow and unresponsive and surprisingly sluggish. Checking over her display, however, she couldn't see anything wrong; all systems appeared to be working normally. A second hit rocked the Zoid, again with no effect. _What the hell? _She asked, glancing across the display. _Nothing's damaged, except... _checking her systems, she could see that the temperature on the engine displays was dropping fast.

"I'm in trouble!" She called out, her voice almost cracking. "My engines are shutting down! I need soem help here!" She pushed open the throttle to full, only to find that the temperature was still dropping. The drives themselves were also beginning to spool down and the temperature began to reach 'idle' levels. "Someone!"

"Get your filthy paws off him!" Gwen shouted as her Redler surged towards the Sinker, its boosters full open. The purple Zoid rolled over, its tailblade slicing across the Gui's neck as it made an inverted pass. Headless, The smaller Zoid continued flying for a moment as if nothing had happened and then, abruptly, disintegrated as if it had only just registered its decapitation.

"Thanks Gwen." She muttered.

"Anything for you." Gwen confidently replied. "Listen, I-"

"Um, Gwen?" Rayvenne cut her off. "This is not the time for - Above you!"

The air around the Redler seemed to ripple as a blast punched through the Zoid's wing. The Redler suddenly rolled over, spiraling as its pilot fought for control of the Zoid. The air shuttered again, a second blast taking off the tip of the damaged wing. "I'm hit bad!" She called out. "Control systems are out! I may loose her!"

"Twelve high!" Rayvenne called out. "Break! Break!" She pushed the throttle open again, the turbines beginning to spool back up as their temperatures began to climb back towards normalcy. The Sinker began to roll away as Gwen managed to achieve a modicum of control, her Zoid pulling off on its own path. A moment lather, a sleek, predatory form streaked between the pair of them at high speed, Gwen's wounded machine only barely avoiding its strike.

"The hell?" Gewn called out.

"I think that's the Bio Ptera" Rayvenne replied. "And that we're not gonna stand a chance against it."

"And this is just the first wave." The Red Claw pilot dryly added. "What's gonna happen when we get to the ground forces?"

Rayvenne thumbed her communciator. "Guys! We may have to pull out. One of them Bio Pteras showed up and, well, we think we're stuffed; its too fast and too agile, and both of us are damaged. We gotta pull out."

"No!" Althiea insisted in a tone that was surprisingly forceful for the normally passive girl. "We can't leave now! We need to stop them!"

"She's right." Floyd added. "As nutty as it sounds, we need to press on. if half of what I've gathered is right, then the whole world is stuffed if we let go now. That thing they're guarding down there is full of bad mojo."

"Then what the hell are we meant to do?" Gwen hissed. "You're not up here getting shot at by those... things."

"I have an idea." Nathan Winters calmly stated. The Paladin had been one of the least talkative members of this impromptu organization, but when he spoke, he was worth listening to. _And he's a darn sight better looking then Gwen, _she ruefully added. "How are you two holding out?"

"Badly." Gwen stated. "My right wing is about to fall off."

"My engines seem to be back to normal." She added. "Why?"

"I have an idea." He stated. "I want you to grab the attention of as many of them as possible at once."

"Are you crazy?" She snapped, briefly falling into her normal voice. "I'm having enough trouble dealing with them one at a time!"

"Trust him on this." Dezalg added from the back of the cockpit. "I know what he's doing."

"Well... I guess." Rayvenne muttered. "Okay Gwen, you heard the Pally. Let's get some aggro up." She pushed open the throttle again, the Sinker's engines having recovered from whatever had happened earlier. The Zoid charged forwards, flying straight at a flock of Guis. The Sinker opened fire with its quartet of cannons, spraying shots at the enemy Zoids. She was less aiming to hit, knowing full well that her blasts would have no effect. Instead, she was trying to get as much attention as possible.

The Sinker passed through the flight, twisting and jinking as the enemy Zoids responded to her actions. As one, they peeled away and dived after her, closing in on her smaller machine. Rayvenne quickly climbed and banked as a volley of shots tore through the space her Sinker had been. Glancing around, she could see that Gwen's damaged machine had also picked up a flight and was also leading them. "Okay, we got 'em." She began. "Now what?"

"Lead them back to me." Nathan calmly stated. "And, when I tell you to, break away. Got that?"

"Yeah." Rayvenne grunted as she twisted though another round of fire. "I got it."

"Same here." Gwen added. "Leading 'em in..."

Rayvenne cut across Gwen's path, her flock of pursuing Zoids following her straight into those behind Gwen. There was a brief mess as the two flights tried to pass through each other and trying to sort themselves out. Then, with mechanical precision, the two flights formed up and unified into a single pursuing force, dedicated to hunting down their would-be attackers. "This is nuts." Rayvenne muttered as another shot narrowly missed her Zoid. "But if he has a plan..."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Gwen added. "Besides, I fell confident that, with you here, nothing will go wrong."

_I'm going to be sick, _Rayvenne thought. _Maybe I'll get lucky and one of them will kill me._

"There he is!" She instead called out as she spotted the large blue-green Zoid below. Turning again, she wheeled around to dive at the machine, the flock of Bio-Zoids hot on her tail. "I hope oyu know what you're-"

"Break now!" Nathan yelled over the channel, his voice cutting off anything she may have said. Almost immediately, she pulled away from the Geno Hydra, swerving up and away. Gwen did the same, while the flock of Zoids following them appeared to be momentarily confused as to what was going on.

And then the Hydra Zoid fired; a searing blue-white energy beam leaping into the air and scything through the space where the two Zoids had been. Instead, it tore into the fleet of Bio-Zoids, ripping them apart. The Zoids were shredded, their debris vaporized before their bodies began to boil away as they normally did.

"Wow." Rayvenne commented. "That's cool."

"How'd you know the Particle Cannon would work against them?" Gwen added as she looked back. There was no debris or anything left to indicate that the enemy Zoids had even been there.

"I didn't." Nathan simply stated. "But I felt that it was worth a try."

"Well it was well called, sir." Floyd added with an enthusiastic tone in his voice. "And it seems that little display has caught them off-guard. I suggest that we press on before they have a chance to recover." The Gustav surged forwards, heading towards the _Kuroryu-kai's _lines. Moments later, Althiea's massive Iron Kong powered along behind it.

"Here we go again." Rayvenne muttered. "Great."

"Don't worry." Gwen replied. 'I'm sure that together we can make sure that nothing goes wrong."

Again, Rayvenne wanted to be sick.

oOoOo

The being that had been Jenice sat in her command chair, casually observing different monitors while soaking in information, seemingly not caring about the events going on around her. The attack on Zero Point had provided a brief distraction but, for the most part, wasn't enough to warrant her attention. Instead, she had focused on other matters.

Putting aside several screens depicting the relative positions of the _Kuroryu-kai, _Zygra and Drakken forces, she instead bought up a few new screens. One expanded out to a full map of the globe, highlighting geographical features as well as political boundaries. With a wave of her hand, it illuminated cities and began giving a breakdown of estimated populations.

"Most fascinating." She commented in a bored tone that suggested that it was anything but. "Even after fifty years, their population still hasn't recovered. This will provide a good start for my great work." Another flick saw the rotating globe flatten out, changing to a static image of the planet.

The sound of someone entering the room momentarily caught her attention. Without turning, she spoke up. "What is it?" She asked.

"We're under attack, oh great one." Jaeger began.

"I am aware of this fact." She stated, dismissively. "Their forces are insufficient to penetrate our defenses. There is no threat."

"There is one concern, Great one." Jaeger nervously continued. "One of their number appears to be the, uh, the _activator _that we created for you... the one who's powers grew out of control. She does pose a risk to us, one out of all proportion to the rest of the attack."

There was a tense silence. "I'll order our forces to concentrate fire on her Zoid, great one. Hopefully we can destroy her before-"

"No." Jenice simply stated.

"Great one?"

"Do not destroy her." She stated. "You will bring her to me, alive and unharmed."

"But, the risk-"

"That is my order." Jenice continued, a sudden angry, harsh tome in her voice. "You will bring her to me. She is vital for the creation of the new world."

"Your will, my life, o great one." Jaeger replied, a nervous tone in his voice. He knew that the Activator was a danger, but at the same time, he knew that it would be more dangerous to disobey Jenice's orders right now. Bowing, he backed out of the room.

"We are too close to allow for any mistakes, Jaeger." Jencie stated. "Do not fail me now."

She paused for a moment, then bought up two more screens. The first displayed the battlefield, with the ragtag rebel force trying their best to bear down on the _Kuroryu-kai's _forces. The second was a rotating globe, depicting the Shelflands and the near space around the planet.

"Soon, very soon." She repeated. "The new world will be upon us." As if in response to her musings, numerous pinpricks of red light appeared around the globe.

oOoOo

"Go, go, go!" Jason called out as his Iguan charged forwards, heading in towards the gigantic tower that was Zero Point. At any other stage, he would have been fascinated by the bizarre structure and stop to wonder what it was, where it had come form and what its function may be. But right now he had other concerns.

A Bio-Raptor lunged up in front of his Zoid, hissing and snarling as it charged forwards. He twisted the Zoid out of its path, narrowly avoiding the fireball that it spat at him. Coming around, he opened fire on the enemy machine with the quad cannon, grunting in disappointment as the shots bounced off its amour with little effect.

The Raptor charged forwards, bearing its fangs as it closed in for the kill. As it lunged forwards, however, Jason did something completely unexpected. The Iguan swung out, smashing its clawed fist into the Raptor's throat and apparently crushing the barrel of the weapon inside it. Caught off-balance, the Zoid staggered back, its pilot seemingly at a loss for how to deal with the destruction of the weapon. Seeing an opportunity, Jason swung around with the Iguan's foot, smashing one of the Raptor's feet out from underneath it. The Zoid toppled over, catching a second foot to the face as it fell. The force of the blow snapped the Zoid's head back, shattering the skull and beginning its dissolution.

Before he could savour the victory, another fireball hit nearby, rocking the Iguan and sending it sprawling. Fightign with the controls, Jason was able to keep the machine upright and sighted his enemy. Unfortuntely, he could see that it was a Bio-Megaraptor, a Zoid far larger and more dangerous then his own.

Just as abruptly, the Zoid's flank erupted into flames as a shell slammed into it, sending it staggering back. A second round smashed through its armour, shattering the burning red orb on its chest. The Zoid let out an unearthly roar, melting and dissolving into an ugly pile of parts as it fell.

"Y'all watch yerself, okay?" Leanne began over their comms channel. "We don't wan ya to get yaself killed."

"Sure." He commented. "And thanks."

"Ah, it ain't nothing." She commented. "Just... hey Bob! Get back here!" Glancing around, Jason could see the Red Claw Helrunner sprinting towards the thick of the enemy force, spraying shots from its beam gattlign cannon towards the oncoming Bio-Zoids. As he watched, several opened fire on him, the Hellrunner only narrowly dodging the shots.

"But-" Bob began.

"Now, dammit!" Jason cut him off, the Iguan running forwards. "None of your weapons can hurt those things, so stop tying to be some sort of a damned hero!"

The Hellrunner peeled away, only to find another Bio-Megaraptor chasing after it. Despite the Hellrunner's speed, the larger Zoid seemed to not be having any problems with keeping up with it; in fact, it seemed to be closing. "Bob! Get clear now!"

The Megaraptor lounged, but never had the chance to strike. Soaring in on jets of nuclear flame, Althiea's Iron Kong smashed down on the back of the Bio Zoid, crushing it underfoot. The Raptor's spine snapped in half, shattered debris spraying the area before it began to dissolve into nothingness. Grunting, the Iron Kong opened up with its shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, spraying missiles across a squad of incoming enemy Zoids.

A squad of Bio-Triceras charged forwards, aiming to take down the massive Zoid beofre it could do any more damage. Their charge was short-lived, however, intercepted by a searing white beam from the Geno Hydra that incinerated all in its path. Clearly unprepared to deal with this powerful weapon, the _Kuroryu-kai's _forces fell back, preparing a more solid defensive ring around the tower itself.

"We have them!" Jason called out. "Keep pushing!" He was genuinely surprised by the development. He'd figured that this would be nothing short of a suicide run, a desperation attack where the hope was that one of them could knock out the tower before they all died. Now it looked like they actually had a chance.

"Look out!" Harry McNeil called out. "We have incoming!"

Jason glanced up as a huge shadow passed overhead. A moment later, a burst of flame slammed into the Geno Hydra's side, followed by a burst of cannon fire that shredded the armour over its shoulder and hip. The Hydra's thrusters fired, jetting the Zoid out of the line of attack but leaving it badly damaged. There was a loud shriek as the attacker pulled up, the black, silver and red form of the Gungyarados seeming to fill the sky.

"Surrender now." A female voice called out over the communicator. "Although, I'd prefer it if you didn't."

Jason recongised the voice immediately. _Levisha, _he thought. _But where is... there. _The Lord Gale stood on top of the tower, its sinister form silhouetted against the sun. The Zoid's eyes and the orb on its forehead lit up an ominous green, the rest of the machine remaining impassive. _What's she up to now?_

And then he saw something that shocked him. His Iguan stopped in its tracks, the pilot unable to move and paralysed with terror. A massive, blood-red Zoid rose up from behind the tower, its sinister, deadly form dwarfing everything around it. With an ear-shattering roar, it announced its reawakening to the world.

"Bloody hell..." he muttered. "Oh hell..." He could hear his own breathing, panting into the microphone. "We have... we have to get out of here!"

"I see it..." Winters replied. "But... that's impossible, right?"

"It should be." Dezalg added, a haunted tone in his voice. "Those... things were meant to be all deactivated and impounded. I've seen what they can do... it's impossible."

"Everyone, get back now!" Jason yelled out. "Move! Move it!"

"Don't bother running." Levisha stated. "This beast is slaved to my will. And with it... can crush you like the insignificant nuances you've always been."

The blood-red Deathsaurer turned to face the group, roaring before it lunged forwards, its mouth wide open. Blue energy swirled around its back, being sucked into its body as a brilliant white ball formed in its mouth. Then the Zoif fired, a searingly bright beam of energy surging forwards tearing into the ground. Jason rolled his Iguan out of the way, energy crackling across its surface as the Zoid was caught on the very periphery of the blast. The Zoid's controls crackled and hissed as its systems overloaded from the sheer amount of energy present.

"Keep moving!" He yelled out. "Go now!" The others began to break and scatter, doing everything they could to escape the power of their attacker. Trabe's tank was not so lucky; as it turned, it was caught in the beam and simply vanished, along with its pilot. The energy petered out, the Deathsaurer roaring as it raised its head.

"We can't fight against that!" Harry McNeil yelled. "We've got to get out of here!"

"No!" Althiea shouted out. "We have to stop them!"

"Besides, we couldn't go if we wanted too." Floyd added. "Check your radars, people."

Glancing down at his screen, Jason could see what Floyd meant. The Gungyarados was hovering overhead, while other Zoids, as well as several Chimeras, were moving to surround them. Their force was boxed in on all sides, facing weapons they couldn't hope to defeat.

"Surrender now!" A voice called out as a Bio-Tyranno lunged forwards, yellow energy building up inside its mouth. "Or else we will destroy you all!"

"Leave them!" Althiea shouted out, her Iron Kong breaking into a run. The Huge Zoid charged up to the Bio-Tyranno, then reared up, bellowing. "You'll have to doestry me to get to them!"

"Althiea-" Jason began, but then stopped. To his surprise, the Bio-Tyranno seemed to back down.

"I will surrender to you on one condition." She continued, an angry and defiant tone in her voice. "And that is if you let the others go."

There was a tense silence as the two gorups stared each other down. As near as Jason could tell, the _Kuroryu-kai _were holding all the cards here; they had more Zoids and overwhelming firepower, and weapons that could wipe them all out in a single shot. _And yet they're not firing. _He glanced at the Iron Kong. _They want her. No, they need her._

"Hold on!" Floyd called out. "I'm coming with you. You're going to need a backup lunatic."

"Fine then." A voice announced from the Bio Tyranno. "You two may pass. The rest are to withdraw immediately."

"And you will not harm them." Althiea stated.

Looking aorund, Jason could see that the various Bio-Zoids were backing off, allowing them to withdraw. "What do we do?" Leanne whispered over the comms channel. "I'm kinda reluctant to trust 'em."

"And we haven't heard anything from Captain Thorne." Nathan added.

"We have no choice." Floyd hissed, an uncharacteristically serious tone in his voice. "I trust Althiea and I believe that she knows what she is doing. I ask of all of you that you do as she asks; withdraw and regroup. At the very least, she's buying you and Thorne some time. At the most, she may have solved this situation for us." He paused. "I know this is a lot but, please... after all we've been through together, allow us this one brief moment of insanity." He sighed. "And if it is as insane as it sounds, then it has been an honour to know and fight alongside all of you."

The Gustav rolled forwards, pulling up next to the Iron Kong. At the same time, the Red Claw's Zoids began to back off, passing through the newly-reveled gap in the _Kuroryu-kai's _lines. Looking back reluctantly at the Iron Kong and Gustav, Jason began to withdraw. "Where are we going?" Drake asked across the channel.

"Back to Floyd's hideout." he stated. "We'll re-arm and repair there, and plan our next move." He allowed himself one last glance back at the two Zoids. _Good luck both of you, _he thought, regretfully. _Whatever it is you're planning._

oOoOo

There had been no requests to shut down their Zoids or to step out. Althiea had simply done both without any demands or requests. She had approached the Bio-Tyranno, seemingly unimpressed and not even slightly intimidated by the huge machine.

"Take me to him." She simply stated. "Now."

A cadre of masked soldiers approached her, but were warded off by a pair of men who approached form the bizarre tower. She regarded the pair of them; one tall and gaunt with long hair, the other short and wiry. "Are you his agents then?"

"We..." The taller man began. "We have orders to bring you to our leader."

She regonised the taller man; he was the same one who had appeared before her in that computer-generated dream. _Now everything falls into place, _she thought. _This is the last piece I need. _"Take me to him now." She replied, an angry glare in her eyes.

"Of course." He nodded, a slightly nervous tone in his voice.

"And you will make sure that my companion is unharmed and well looked after." She continued. "If anything happens to him - and I will know - then you will all suffer."

"Yes." He replied, clearly aware of what she could do if she wanted to. He turned to the security forces. "Secure him and the Zoids, but do not touch any of them." With a round of salutes, the soldiers moved off to surround Floyd.

"Althiea!" He called out. "Be careful. These people..."

"I understand." She nodded. "I know what I have to do, Floyd. You be careful too."

The two men lead her away, taking her to the strange tower that dominated the landscape. Despite its intimidating size, her face remained impassive, betraying no hint of fear or anxiety. She simply continued to walk, remaining silent as she approached and then entered the tower. Even as she was lead through the winding passage into the heart of the complex, she remained silent.

As she stopped, Jencie turned to face her. Even though she and Althiea had met each other before, there was a certain alien nature to her, something that made her strange and different. "So, you came." The former Red Claw leader began. "It is a surprise. After all you have done to evade me, I thought that your willingly surrendering would be the last thing you would do."

"I made this decision for a reason." Althiea stated.

"And that is?"

"Because I know what you are." She finished.


	44. Revalation

"Because I know what you are." Althiea stated.

The words hung heavily in the air as the room's occupants remained silent in reply. Jenice, and her two agents simply glared at the younger girl, as if they were expecting more out of her. Finally, the one-time Red Claw leader spoke. "Do you now?" She began, a hollow, almost unearthly tone in her voice. "And what do you believe the truth to be?"

"You are not Jenice." Altheia stated. "You are the true leader. Not of the Red Claw, not of the _Kuro Ryu Kai. _You are the one who has been responsible for all that has happened. You are the one who created these organisations that now threaten us. You are the one who started a war with the Draken Empire. You are the one who altered me, who made me what I have become."

The entity's eyes narrowed. "And who am I then?"

"You are the leader of Hydra." She stated. "You are the one who almost destroyed the world decades ago."

"You are correct." Jenice's head nodded. "But there is more to that. Much, much more."

"I want to know." Altheia demanded. "I need to know why you have done all that you have, why you have caused so much death and destruction.

"It is only fitting." The entity finished. "As you will be the inheritor of my mantle. Know now that I have committed all the deeds that I have in the name of one cause - to create a perfect world for myself."

oOoOo

**Revelation**

oOoOo

During the retreat form Zero Point, there had been little time for planning or debate of what had happened. Instead, what had begun as an orderly withdrawal had only just avoided becoming a disorderly panic. The Red Claw's pilots, specifically Bob and Drake, had pretty much broken and ran as soon as they had the opportunity.

The McNeils had also tried but, due to the fact that one of their transport Zoids was destroyed and the other had been captured. Instead, their Cannon Tortoises had simply stumbled across the landscape, trailing behind the rest of the group. This had left them spread out and trailing, with Nathan eventually simply dropping back to keep an eye on the two Zoids and to check that they were not being perused. Strangely enough, the _Kuroryu-kai _seemed to be true to their word and had left them unmolested.

It had taken some hours for them to fully regroup inside Floyd's bunker; save for Althiea and Floyd who had been captured, and Paladin Trabe who had been killed when her Tank was vaporised, there had been no losses. However, Jason had quickly found that it was only the start of the group's troubles.

"You are all insane!" Drake Tach shouted out to the group of pilots in the main hanger. Their battered Zoids had been gathered there to undergo repairs in the hope of getting back into action as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there was a lot of work to be done.

"I am not insane, young man." Dezalg flatly stated. "All I am saying is that we need to be ready to return to that site as quickly as possible." Formerly carrying himself ramrod straight and shielded with a certain ferocity and intensity, the elderly Paladin was starting to look his age. His shoulders slumped, and his face seemed suddenly haggard.

Jason could understand some of how he felt. They'd just come face to face with a Deathsaurer, one of the most powerful Zoids ever to walk the face of the planet; a machine that should, by all rights, no longer exist. That alone was enough to terrify any man; that they had no idea where the machine had come from only made things worse.

"Now that just proves it!" Drake continued, an accusing tone in his voice. "Because no sane man would want to go back to that site."

He shook his head. "On the contrary. I we need to go back there because we are sane." He explained. "And because Floyd Glass and Althiea voluntarily surrender to the _Kuroryu-kai _to spare our lives. I see no reason for them to do this other then a desire to keep us alive so we could rescue them or recover them after they finish whatever it is they have in mind."

"But-"

"He's right." Jason spoke up, cutting off Drake. "I know Floyd and Ali. And I know that neither of them would have voluntarily surrendered to our enemies unless they had something in mind. Floyd was adamant that neither of them should fall into enemy hands - that he would suddenly voluntarily do such tells me that he's planning something."

"Damn right he is." Leanne spoke up, standing on the back of her Gunsniper. "Floyd's a tricky guy; he always has somethin' planned. If he's walked into their camp, well, I bet he's figured out a way to mess them up, somethin' that he can only do from the inside. And Ali's well..." She trailed off. "She's got skills an' stuff that she can use against 'em too."

"That's all well and good, my dear." Harry McNeil spoke up. "But we have another small problem to deal with. And that's the bloody swarm of Bio-Zoids and that bloody Deathsaurer. We got our arses handed to us trying to get past them, and that's before we even figure in what big red is going to do to us."

"Yeah, they is trouble." Malcolm added. "And I ain't gonna fight them again soon."

"You're also forgetting something else." Nathan Winters spoke up. "We sent captain Thorne to try and get help from the Drakken army. I know that, when given a mission, she will not rest until she has accomplished it by whatever means necessary. I know that she will be there."

"And why should I trust a bloody Blackstar?" Harry McNeil continued. "She's done everything in her power to try and shut us down so far. I don't see why she wouldn't just betray us and let the Bios eat us for lunch."

"Because, despite what you may think, Captain Thorne is a surprisingly honest and honourable person." He explained. "Once she has said she will do something, she will not go back on it. She sees herself as being above deceit and betrayal." He glanced around. "And she seems to have just as many reasons to want to see the _Kuroryu-kai _dead as any of us."

"So where are her army of Draks then?" Harry asked.

"Give her time." He explained. "She will get it done."

"I still don't see how that helps us." Drake spoke up again. "We're still going to get savaged if we go near the site."

"Possibly." Dezalg spoke up. "And there's also the distinct possibility that the Draken forces will draw the _Kuroryu-kai's _army away from their tower. Whatever's in there, I get the impression that it's very valuable to them. I don't think they'd want to fight a large-scale battle near it, for fear that it may be damaged or destroyed in the crossfire. As a result, when they see the incoming force, they'll peel away their defenses. Then they will be vulnerable."

"I'm seeing too many hypotheticals and not enough actuals, mate." Harry spat. "You got to show me something solid, some reason for me to care."

"The fate of the world?" Dezalg asked.

"Prove it."

"That... thing is a Hydra artifact." Dezalg continued. "Hydra nearly destroyed us all once before. If that _thing _contains any remnants of their technology, then they can do it again."

"Again, hypothetical. Prove it."

"How's this then?" Nathan stood up. "Inside their headquarters they have an army prepared for activation, an army of those new Bio-Zoids. What we've seen so far is the tip of the iceberg compared to what they have down there. There could be hundreds of them, possibly thousands - all ready to be activated. Each one of them also has a pilot ready for when thy are awakened. If we don't stop them now, then nobody will be able to stand against them. We can either destroy them now when we have a remote chance, or be destroyed in the future."

"And I, for one, will take a chance, no matter how slim." Rayvenne added, her voice a hoarse whisper. "I figure that if there's a chance we'll live versus a certainty we'll die, then I'm gonna take that chance. If you lot are too cowardly to accept that, fine. I'll go on my own if I have to." She shook her head. "If you lot are the best the Red Claw has to offer, then you're a pretty sad bunch. Regardless of who wins, you'll be remembered as cowards who fled while others fought and died for you."

"And I agree with him." Gwen added. Behind her mask, Rayvenne rolled her eyes. "I'm ready to die for a cause that I believe in. After all, isn't that why we joined the Red Claw in the first place? Isn't that why we stood up to the Zygra Empire? We wanted to show them what we could do, what we were like. So what if we were being the patsies of someone else? It's time for us to show them our true strengths; the power that made the Claw such a threat."

She glared at her recalcitrant comrades. "So I'm going. Even if you lot are too scared to."

There was a long silence as the Claw's soldier's looked around, before Harry McNeil finally spoke up. "All right, we're with you." He grudgingly admitted. "But only on one condition. We need to get something solid, some proof that there's something afoot - It can be a signal or the Draks attacking or something, as long as we know we're not alone."

"Fine then." Nathan finished. "Then, and not before. And... thank you all."

Rayvenne turned away from the crowd, heading into the main living room. Seeing a chance, Jason slipped away to join her. "Something wrong?" He asked as she pulled off her mask.

"Jason..." She began. "I... I'm scared."

He could see it in her eyes, the way she furtively looked around as if she was expecting something horrible to happen at any moment. "Its okay." He began. "Really."

"No it's not." She shook her head again. "I mean... I've always been scared. I've always been... well, I've always hidden behind this mask, pretending to be braver then I am... but I'm not, really. I'm afraid."

"Rayvenne..." He began. "I'm scared too. I... I don't want to die. But... at the same time, I don't want to let these people, whoever they are, win." He sighed. "You're not a coward or anything, Rayvenne. Nor are you hiding. You're just... its perfectly reasonable."

She nodded, but seemed to still be on the verge of crying. "Thanks, Jason." She began. "I... want you to know that... um... I hope nothing bad happens and that you..."

"I know, Rayvenne." He finished. "I... I want the same for you."

oOoOo

"Thousands of years ago." The creature that formerly was Jenice began. "This world was inhabited by a race of humanoids; beings not unlike you humans. They - we - were a race that had reached the heights of civilisation, reaching out across this solar system and beyond it. We constructed great works, miracles of science and technology that would remain unmatched to this day. Truly, we, the Zoidaryans, were the pinnacle of sentience. As our civilisation grew, we began to stretch out our hands, looking to worlds beyond our own star to take for our own."

"The Zoidariyans." Althiea repeated. "So these people... they created the Zoids.

Jenice nodded. "And the Starriors, and the Z-Knights. They were all evolutions of our fantastic technology, ones that combined the biological and the mechanical to a degree that was unimaginable. We created metallic-based life-forms, creatures so different from your own biology as to be unrecongisable. Over time, we altered the life of this planet, changing it to newer, more powerful forms that we could use for ourselves."

"Those were the first Zoids."

"Yes, but they were but a development, an evolutionary step towards greater things."

"This civilisation..." She changed the subject. "If it was as magnificent as you claim, why has it remained unknown? Why has nothing been found of it? The Starriors and the Z-Knights left remains but... why not their creators?"

Jenice's face briefly betrayed a hint of emotion, rather the remaining the impassive mask it had been so far. "Because, for all our science, there were things that even we could not control..."

oOoOo

"I wish there was some other way." The observer began, looking down at the planet below, its surface a hard scorched brown, punctuated only by sporadic patches of green. "There has to be."

His companion shook his head. "You know there isn't." He explained. "All our efforts to contact those on the surface have failed. Our expeditionary landing was met with stiff opposition and destroyed. And remember, that's an unarmed, diplomatic and exploratory team. We have no choice."

The observer frowned. He, like the rest of his race, was a tall, blue-skinned humanoid. Hairless, they had red eyes, clawed hands, ridged brows and pointed ears. Like so many others, he had a sameness to his features that made individuals hard to distinguish. "But surely they must realise that what we're planning could lead to the extinction of our race."

"We have already discussed this." His companion offered. "Our numbers are too low to be viable already. If we do not retrieve those on the planet below, then we will die out. The risk of extinction is more acceptable then it being a certainty."

The observer knew what he meant. Several centuries ago, a devastating solar flare had scorched the planet, wiping its surface clean of higher life forms. Warned in advance, the majority of their people had retreated into underground shelters, kept in suspended animation until the time that the surface was viable again. Others had fled into near-space, holding on the planet's moons or in the colossal observation station.

However, the planet was not devoid of life. To protect the slumbering inhabitants and prepare the world for their reawakening, a fleet of robotic sentries had been deployed. Controlled by androids modeled in the image of their makers, these guardians, known as Starriors, represented the pinnacle of their technology.

Except they had turned against their makers. They seemed to have forgotten their mission, instead protecting the world as if it was their own. The initial landings by Zoidariyan researchers had been attacked and destroyed, the Starriors either not recognising their makers or deciding that they no longer should be subservient to them. Face-to-face contact had resulted only in death, while remote communications demanding that they stand down had been rebuffed.

This had left them with only one option; to go to war to reclaim their own planet.

"Time is against us." He continued. "The cryosleep pods under the planet can only last so long before they break down."

"I know... I just wish there was another way."

His companion put a hand on his shoulder. "Do not fret, my friend. Soon we will be enjoying the fruits of our reclaimed homeworld, and it will earn an end to this pitiful existence. Remember, our technology has changed and grown so much in the last centuries, while theirs has stagnated. We can defeat them."

He nodded, then smiled. "Good luck, and good journey."

Turning back to the window, he watched as the planet slowly turned below him. Within minutes, the first of the drop capsules streaked past him, glowing red hot as they left firey trails through the atmosphere. _Good luck to all of you. The consequences of failure are... unthinkable._

oOoOo

"Skullviper Seven is down!" The voice called over the tac channel. "Transponder is off line."

"Did you see-" The lead pilot called from the cockpit of his Great Z-Knight, only to be cut off by a shot to the chest. The massive machine stumbled for a moment, but remained upright. "Did you see him bail out?"

"Negative." The pilot called back. "Looks like they got him."

"Damn it." The commander snarled ash is massive machine charged forwards into the enemy formation. With a swing of its massive saber, the Z-Knight neatly decapitated a Gouge Wastor. "Where did they all come from?" He swung back, the blade imbedding itself in the chest of a Clawgut, between its two pincers. He drove it home, smashing through the Starrior's body and impaling the machine.

"Negative." The pilot called back as his Death Doll kept firing. "Commander, they're closing in on our flanks. We have to fall back!"

"No!" He shouted out. "We will not be deterred! We will free our people, do you understand me?" His reply was a round of noncommittal grunts form the surviving members of the assault force.

Since they had made landfall, the campaign to liberate their world had been one disaster after another for the Zoidariyan forces. In their time away from the planet, the Starriors had increased in both numbers and types; multiplying and expanding across the planet. They now outnumbered the invading Zodariyans by hundreds to one. To make matters worse, while the Zoidariyans had superior technology, the Starriors had diversified in strange, unexpected ways, fielding weapons that the would-be invaders were not ready for. What they lacked in the individual strengths of their units, they made up for in sheer numbers and diversity.

The Great Z-Knight swung around again, cleaving a Twinblade in half. "Opening!" The pilot called out as the defeated Starrior fell. "Move, now!" Looking ahead, he could see the massive armored battle station that intel had labeled as the _Citadel of Dreams - _one of the places under which lay their people.

The massive machine surged forwards, barging past a lone Wastor-class that had gotten in its way. Behind it, the remnants of the assault force followed their leader as best they could. They all knew what would happened if this assault failed - they would die, and the hope for their race's future would die with them. However, at the same time, nobody wanted to be a part of what was looking like an increasingly suicidal attack.

Up ahead on a ridge, the _Citadel of Dreams _loomed up as the attack force approached. Massive weapons deployed from its armored sides, while more Starriors appeared in and around it. Besides the humanoid Wasotrs, other, stranger forms were apparent; wheeled Rammors, saurian Stalkors and Cosmittors that resembled Zoids more then Starriors...

"Incoming!" Somebody called out. A moment later, a squadron of Starrunners swooped down on the formation, raking it with energy. Several Z-Knights fell, but others withered the bombardment, returning fire with their own weapons. One of the Starrunners flared, then burst into flames as it was struck, while others broke away. The respite was only temporary, as the battle station opened fire, covering the advance of the body of its forces.

A Gaizak went down under a hail of fire, its body torn apart and its pilot killed instantly. A moment later, a Solsaber joined it, belching smoke from its ruined interiors. "Keep moving!" The commander called out. "We can destroy them!"

The Z-Knight charged forwards, running into the enemy ranks with its sword bared. It swung around, cleaving through an advancing Bolar, reducing it to wreckage in a single blow. A single Ripsaw charged forward, its buzzsaw-like shield spinning as it lunged at the Zoidariyan commander. The Z-Knight blocked with its shield, the blade spinning away as it was deflected. Then, as the Starrior was recoiling, he swung around, the sword going straight through the Starrior's head, instantly impaling and crushing its robotic pilot.

"We have them!" He called out. "Keep going!"

As if to counter his claim, a pair of Trashors sped out from the Battlestation, darting through the fields of fire at high speeds. One of them lunged out with its claw-like blade, slicing into the side of the Z-Knight's leg, tearing through the armor. A moment later, the second capitalised on the attack, ripping into its systems. Checking his status boards, the pilot could see that they had managed to slice into the drive systems of the machine, but the damage wasn't too serious.

"Get them!" He called out, gesturing at the two fast-moving vehicles. "Don't let them get onto our flank- aaah!" The Z-Knight toppled as a small Rammor smashed into its damaged leg, causing it to stumble forwards. A second attack furthered the damage the Trashors had done, slamming into the damaged limb and tearing into the motors. The unit stumbled again, its leg a tangled mess.

"Fall back!" Somebody called out. "We can't take too much more of this!"

"No!" He yelled back. "Stand your ground! We have to beat them for the future of our race!"

His protests were short-lived as the Starrunners returned, again raking his force with fire. A Vigace went down, followed moments later by another Gaizak. Other units broke off from the formation, running under the onslaught of fire from the Starror units. "No! We cannot fail now!" He called out as he forced his machine to its feet. "We must stand and fight!"

A blood-curdling roar caught is attention, the Z-Knight spinning around to be presented with a towering Cosmittor. The saurian Starrior lunged at the knight, baring its massive jaws. Swinging upwards, the Z-Knight blocked the blow with its shield, but saw it crushed in the machine's jaws. With a massive swing, the Knight slashed across the machine's eyes. Bellowing out in pain, the wounded Starrior staggered back.

The commander's victory was short lived, however. A barrage of weapons fire slammed into his machine's back, sending it staggering forward. Before it could recover, another impact shuddered through the frame, accompanied by a screeching wail of tortured metal. At the same time, the status board lit up bright red as numerous systems failed at once.

The Z-Knight struggled to rise, only to be slammed down by an iron foot on its back. Glanicng up, the commander could see a Starrior standing over it, a red machine with a gold trim and a larger, wedge-like weapon protruding from the chest. "The time of Man is over, Zoidariyan." it spoke in a dull, mechanical voice. "The time of the machines is here. Know this before you die; I intended this to happen; I intended man to perish so that we, a more perfect being, could rise in its place. As you die, we shall be reborn"

The pilot had only a moment to register the Starrior's words before it drove its weapon into the Z-Knight's cockpit.

oOoOo

The observer watched as the last few lights on the status board winked out, indicating that the last of the expeditionary force had been destroyed. _So the planet now belongs to the Starriors, _he thought to himself. _And we are a doomed people._

Turning from his window on the planet, he walked back to the chair where he had been working, and sat. _Yet, there may still be a chance for us. We still slumber, and there may still be time..._

oOoOo

Sturm glanced up at the twisted metal of the tower, sighing loudly to himself. _I just wish I knew what was going on, _he thought to himself as he looked over the bizzare structure. It was a mystery to him, to say the least. Levisha and the Commander (A person who's identity he didn't even know, and hadn't seen since they arrived here) had assured him that it was vital to the future of the whole world. The problem was, he had no idea what it was intended to do.

_She said that it would change the future, that it would allow me to achieve my dreams, _he considered. _But I just cannot see it._

"Something wrong?" Levisha began, walking up next to him. Her Lord Gale stood nearby, waiting next to his own Gungyarados.

"I don't know." He shoot his head. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

"Don't." She whispered in his ear. "Celebrate. Be happy. We're on the verge of achieving our aims, of changing the world. Its what you wanted, Sturm."

"It is, but..." He shook his head. "I don't know. Something seems to be wrong here. You say that this... thing is meant to achieve all that. You say that with it, we'll be able to do what we want and create a 'new world' where progress and change will replace stagnation. But I don't see how it's meant to happen."

"It's..." She trailed off. "To the best of my knowledge, the tower contains incredibly advanced technology. I don't know what it is; it could by Hydra, it could be Starriors, it could be anything. Point is, we have it and we can use it."

"And why does it need Jencie, or, for that matter, Althiea?"

"I don't know." She casually replied. "And, more to the point, I don't care."

"What?" he all but shouted, amazed at the casual way she dismissed him.

"Its tech stuff, Paladin Trogdor." She explained. "Stuff that I don't know and I don't care about. The Commander can use it, as can his chief Boffin. Jenice, or Althiea or whoever else it is who has 'special qualities' is needed for it. That's all I know, and that's enough for me."

"How can you be so casual aobut it?" He asked. "This is the fate of the world we're talking about here."

"Understand this much." Levisha continued. "I joined this organisation for two reasons. The first was that I saw it as a genuine chance to change this world, to remould it into something a little more exciting then the Luddite hell that it was becoming. The second was simple - power. The power to do what I wanted, to have what I wanted; the power I wouldn't have gotten staying where I was in that stagnant pit that had been Blackstar."

She jabbed Sturm in the chest. "That's what this is all about, Sturm. Don't get me wrong; I want the commander's ideal new world as much as you do. Thing is, I want to be on the winning side when it happens. After they do whatever voodoo it is they need to do, people like us are going to find themselves at the top of the pile of the brave new world. That is why I am here, Sturm."

"Fine then." He grunted in reply. "So explain to me why we needed to do all that we did - the Red Claw, overthrowing Zygra, the war with the Draks, all that."

"Opportunity." Levisha continued. "The Commander needed Jencie's abilities to 'mature', whatever that means. At the same time, he needed to destabilise the Zygra empire to give us the chance to move, and then start a wider war to implement the master plan. Most of what's happened so far has been just cover for the final act, the great change that will reshape the world."

"But the war-"

"People die, Sturm." She shook her head. "And a lot of people are going to have to die to make this new world happen. Change always comes at a cost."

"And the Red Claw? Or the people of Gayos? What happens to them?"

"They get ground under the iron heels of Drakken aggression or something like that." Levisha dismissively replied. "And, in doing so, they buy us a some vital time and keep the Draks off of our backs."

"We're not going to stop them?"

"Why should we?" She looked honestly surprised. "We don't need them any more. They've done their job, and there's not much else to say for them. Besides, I suspect that in the new order, the Claw will be held up as the sort of old-fashioned terror that needs to be expunged."

"Even if Jenice is one of our leaders."

"I said they wanted Jenice for her abilities, not her charming personality." She finished. "She's just a tool to us, just as the Claw was."

"But-"

"Shhh." She put a finger across his lips. "This is what you wanted, Sturm. This is why you abandoned your nation and your people and everyone else, remember? And now you get to be a revered hero, rather then a despised traitor. Think about it... Sturm Trogdor, champion of the new age, the man who gave up all he had in the name of his beliefs, the man who showed Zygra the error of its ways."

"I don't feel very heroic."

"Heroes seldom do at the time." She took his hands in hers. "Come on. We've got some time to kill; let me take your mind off matters." She smiled one of her rare pleasant smiles, Sturm understanding exactly what she meant.

_Did you really love me? _He asked himself. _Or was it just your way of keeping me under your control and keeping my mind off what we were doing? _He wanted to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by a beep from his and Levisha's communicators.

"Fourty-two here." She began, responding faster then him. "What? I see."

"What's going on?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Looks like the Claw didn't do their job as well as we had hoped. Recon has detected a large Drakken group headed your way."

"So we're being sent after them?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Six is taking care of it, but I've been instructed to send some of my pets." She gestured to the Chimera Dragons, as well as the modified Deathsaurer. "You and me are staying here to provide security for the site. I figure big red there will be more then enough to handle whatever the Draks can throw at us."

"More unnecessary deaths." Sturm muttered.

"They're Draks." She finished. "They stopped being innocent a long time ago."

oOoOo

"So the Starriors claimed our world." Jenice explained. "And left the few of us off it to watch as they reshaped it in their own image. Over time, they erected cities and monuments, transformed the once verdant and green land into their own idealised, technological paradise. But it was no paradise; it was a vision of hell, one that was alien and inhospitable to organic life, one that had been built on the bones of my people."

"The Starriors wanted the same things as my people had, to expand and conquer. They took our technologies, and turned them for their own use. We watched them as our numbers dwindled, fearful of the day that they would venture off-world and finish the last of us who survived."

Althiea nodded, glancing furtively at the two _Kuroryu-kai _officers in the room. The pair of them seemed shocked, almost as if they weren't expecting any of this. Certainly, it seemed that they were not quite prepared for what they had apparently unleashed. _Which is a secret so ancient that it almost defies thought. But, yet, I need to know everything._

"But the Starriors died out too." She spoke up. "Their kind disappeared from the planet as well. When we found it, the world was uninhabited, with no signs of civlisation."

"Yes, and that, in a way was my doing." Jenice continued. "I realised that the only way to defeat the Starriors was to educate them as to their true purpose; they were created to protect us, to serve us and pave the way for our revival. To this extent, I sent my own agent to the planet, a modified Mindrider. It traveled amongst them, reminding them of their true purpose."

Althiea nodded. "You sent it to prepare the way for your return."

"Yes... in time, I managed to convince a number of them of their mission." He continued. "However, a core force of Starriors, known as the Destructors, remained loyal to their leader. And so, a war ensued, one more terrible then any that the world had seen before."

oOoOo

The Northern Continent had always been a cold and barren place, one that had been only ever marginally habitable. Originally, the Zoidariyans had largely ignored it, in favor of the abundant lands to the south. When the solar flares had scoured the planet, it had only become more inhospitable, having been cleansed of virtually all life more sophisticated then the most rudimentary of organisims. The Stattiors had also abandoned it, having been originally tasked with protecting the hidden shelters far to its south.

However, to the Destructor warlords, the continent had served as a valuable base of operations. They had exploited its resources to begin construction of massive superweapons, factories to produce more of their kind and, most importantly, the vessels that would take them beyond the solar system and into the greater cosmos. It was from this place that the greater Starrior Empire, a realm of cold logic and steel, would be born.

Now, it appeared to be more like a place where that world would die.

For kilometers around the Destructor's central command was a field of rent and torn metallic bodes of all descriptions. They littered a hellish landscape of churned ground, blast craters and destroyed structures, the legacy of the decades-long conflict between them and their rivals, the Protectors. For years, the battles had waged across this one landscape as the two factions clashed for control of the world and, ultimately, the cosmos.

It was a battle that the Destructers were gradually losing. For the last few months, they had been constantly falling back to their Core headquarters, a massive subterranean fortress and factory that was the heart of their civilisation. The casualties on both sides had been staggering, with far more units lost or deactivated then those still fighting. But both sides fought on; the Protectors determined to revive Man and recreate his world, and the Destructors doing all they could to prevent that.

Deep in the heart of the subterranean facility was a massive war room, the command center for the Destructors. Gold-skinned robots manned their stations, watching the situation as it unfolded around them. A situation which was clearly turning inexorably against them, leaving them backed into a corner.

"Impossible." Slaughter Steelgrave, the leader of the Wastors began as he watched the displays. "How could this have happened? We were invincible. This planet was ours."

The door to the War Room opened, a single Mindrider entering. While seemingly identical to all the others, Slaughter immediately recognised the individual. "Motormouth." He snapped at his messenger. "What is our status?"

"Poor." The messenger stated. "Deadeye reports that he is falling back to the city proper. Most of our defenses are failing, with the Protectors making a run for the main gate. Hotshot is leading their push, your lordship. I think he means to finish us off personally."

"As he would." Steelgrave stated. "My own weapons... they should have stopped him. Yet we have failed." The machine paused for a moment. "But I will not be defeated. I will not allow it. We shall reclaim our place, even if I have to do it over a mountain of the burning carcasses of my enemies."

"What are your orders then?" Motormouth asked.

"I have... one final option." He stated. "Have my Battlesuit made ready. I shall deploy my final weapon and defeat my enemies, by whatever means necessary."

"Yes, your lordship." The messenger finished, backing off.

Turning to his console, Steelgrave opened up a sealed panel and began entering code. "Slaughter Steelgrave speaking; authrosation Code Destructor Zero Zero One Zero Alpha. Activating Contingency Plan Darius."

"Authorisation code?" The computer voice replied.

"Finality."

"Authorisation confirmed." The voice continued, switching to a digital timer. Launch cycle will begin in One Hundred microns."

He nodded at the terminal. "Do not allow for further warnings, either audio or visual. Only I am to know of the launch."

"Confirmed." The computer finished, then went silent.

Examining the countdown one last time, Steelgrave simply turned and departed from the room as a flood of fresh reports came in. The Protectors had penetrated the city proper, and were now only minutes from their location; the last of the Destructor forces were massing for a final stand, but the odds were against them; they were outnumbered and outgunned.

He didn't care. He could still change this world.

Minutes later, his red and gold battlesuit joined a group of his fellow Destructors in the middle of what had been their capital. Many of the buildings were already demolished, others burning. His warriors bore the scars of recent fighting, some of them looking to be on their last legs. Despite that, they stood firm, staring down their would-be conquers.

"It's over, Steelgrave." A blue and white Wastor spoke as it approached. "Surrender now, you cannot win. We will free man."

Steelgrave remained silent for a moment, watching his enemies. Then, in the distance, there was a low rumbling sound that shook the artificial cavern. Both Protectors and Destructors glanced around, wondering what it could be as the sound rose to a aloud roar. "I always knew of our intended mission, Hotshot." he finally spoke. "How we were meant to protect and serve Man as he slumbered. However, I realised that we were superior, and destined for greater things. I erased the knowledge of Man's existence, and instead intended to take this world as my own.

The roar subsided, as if passing into the distance. "Do you hear that, Hotshot?" He asked. "That is the sound of your world ending. That is the end of man, and the beginning of our new age."

oOoOo

The observer looked down at the planet, watching as what should have been the final battle of the Starrior civil war unfolded. He had been awaiting this moment for years, the time when the Protectors would triumph over their enemies, and reawaken his people. Soon, their home world would be their own again.

Abruptly, there was a brilliant flash form the surface, over one of the Starrior cities - one of the places where the Observer's people slept. A moment later, there was another, and another. He watched the globe, a relaisation coming to him. _Those are Darius missiles! _He knew them as being one of the most terrifying weapons his people had ever created, a weapon with an anti-matter warhead of unmatched destructive power. The weapon had been designed by the Zoidariyans, but never deployed.

_Until now._

The computers in the observatory began to produce figures on the damage done, the radioactive fallout, the levels of contamination and the like. He didn't need them; he knew in his mind what it meant. His planet, and his people, were dead. He was the last of his kind.

Shocked and unable to comprehend the enormity of what had happened, he slumped back into his chair, staring at the world below him as it died in a storm of fire.

oOoOo

"Now I want a room with a view." Floyd began as a squadron of masked troopers walked him through the field base. "And I want the maid to turn down my bed each morning. Oh, and I'd like a full continental breakfast to be sent up to my room with a newspaper each morning at nine. It must be on the dot; a minute later and I will not be impressed. Your managers will hear about it."

As he was ranting, he was examining the base and its facilities, taking in all around him. He was trying to analyse the numbers and dispositions of their forces while also trying to guess at the level of resources they had committed to the construction of this field base. Most of the structures he could see were quickform temporary shelters, but there was enough to suggest that they considered this to be no temporary holding.

_In fact, I would hazard a guess that this tower of black bleakness is their new home, _he thought to himself. _They've probably transferred everything to this place that they could move from their little hole in the ground. So whatever's in this tower, it has to be good. _He'd been going over in his mind just what it could be, but wasn't getting many solid answers; huge piles of space junk were far from adequately catalogued, and certainly he didn't know of any famous ones that might come crashing on down.

"This is a very interesting place you've got here." He continued, not expecting a reply. "Planning to be here long? Or are you just passing through before heading off to some other exotic locale? Perhaps another previously unseen ruin that you're going to reveal and let the public explore, rather then selfishly hogging its secrets for yourself, huh?"

One Zoid in particular had caught his attention as he walked; as he was rambling, he was taking a chance to examine it and asses it. _It could be a mass-production type Bloody Deathsaurer, _he considered as he looked over the massive machine. _The Draks did pump out a fair few of them during the war... of course they were all accounted for afterwards, and have since been deactivated. And something the size of a Deathsaurer would be hard to hide, unless... _He furrowed his brow. _Of course, The Zemalyans said the original was destroyed... so they probably did lie. Now I have to figure how these guys caught it._

"So how about them Red Socks?" He began as a guard opened a door to another pre-fab building. This one, Floyd noticed, had far smaller windows and a far thicker door then the others around. "And this is the guest suite then? Marvelous!"

"Get in." A guard simply grunted.

"Of course." He nodded. "Thank you ever so much. I'm sure I'll enjoy my stay as much as I enjoyed my last visit to one of your wonderful hotels." With a smirk, he stepped inside, waving at a guard as they shut the door behind them.

"Tools." He muttered.

"Oh!" A voice from the other side of the room spoke up. "Um, hi there!"

He spun around at the sound of the voice, then spotted the room's only other inhabitant. A short girl who had to be no older then twenty, dressed in a worn grey jumpsuit. She had shoulder length, scruffy red hair and, he noted as she looked up, rather unusual yellowish-green eyes. _There's something familiar about her, _he thought as he glanced over her. _But I can't place it..._

"My name's Sabrina Degado." She continued.

"Floyd Glass." He replied as he strode over, offering his hand. "Greatest Genius in the universe. Or at least, I used to think that."

She smiled as she shook his hand. "Why are you in here?" She casually asked.

"A friend of mine is currently trying to negotiate my release... amongst other things." He explained. "And can I ask about you? No offence but, well, you don't look like you're from around these parts."

"No." Sabrina shook her head. "I come from Blackstar city."

_But you're not a true Blackstar, _he thought. _And normal people aren't allowed out, which means that there is something interesting about you. Just wish I could figure who you remind me of. _"Really?" He asked. "What do you do?"

"I'm normally a reactor technician." She stated. "Except that I was recruited into the army to pilot a Zoid. They said it was a special one, one that only I could use."

"A special Zoid?" He asked, a sudden hint of apprehension in his voice.

"Oh yes." She smiled a rather sweet smile, which was rather disarming to Floyd's growing sense of unease. "It's kind of nice, actually. I mean, I know that being a reactor tech is important and all that, but... I always wanted to pilot a Zoid. And that there is a special one that's mine only... I kinda like that."

"Tell me more about this special Zoid." He continued, a mixture of fear and curiosity colouring his voice.

"Well..." She blushed, looking slightly embarrassed. "I really am no good... I mean, me and my Zoid were captured on my first ever attempt at using it."

"It could happen to anyone." He dismissively replied. "But tell me more about the Zoid itself."

"Ummm..." She looked almost embarrassed. "I... don't really know much about it."

"Oh, that's fine." Floyd shook his head. "Just tell me what you know."

"Well... It's called a Deathsaurer, and it's really big and its red." She explained. "They kept it locked up inside one of the reactor buildings, disguising it as the core of the reactor itself. It doesn't have the standard Blackstar neural interface thing though... I have to wonder why. On the other hand, I suppose that, if it did, I wouldn't be able to pilot it, right?"

"Of course not." He replied, studying her. _It's the eyes... I know that particular distinctive colour... _And then it hit him, a face he'd seen in old photos from the Hydra war and even before that. A young girl with features very similar to Sabrina's; maybe a bit older and a bit more muscular, but very similar. The only real difference was the hair; Sabrina's was red, while that girl had been blonde.

And that girl had a certain connection to a certain Zoid, one that was currently outside, under the control of Hydra. _Which means that Sabrina..._

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He replied, very defensively. _Save for the fact that the Blackstars have become more repulsive then before, something that I didn't think possible. _"Just remind me to have words with the lovely ms Thorne when I next see her."

"Is that... Ashleigh Thorne?" Sabrina asked.

"Yerrrrs?"

"Oh." She stated. "Captain Thorne helped train me to be a Zoid pilot. She was nice."

"I'm sure she was." He replied. "But we can't stand around gabbering all day. I think, Sabrina, the time has come for us to blow this pop stand." He reached into his pocked and rummaged for a few seconds before producing a toothpaste tube.

"Um..." She began. "We're going to brush our teeth?"

"A good idea, but no." he replied. "This tube actually contains a plastique-based explosive, with the detonator being in the cap. I'm going to use it to get us out of here. Me, I never leave home without it. Er... you may want to stand back."

"But... what if you've got the wrong tube?" She asked.

"Then... we'll brush our teeth!"

She smiled a cute smile. "Sounds fun. Let's go then."

He nodded, then turning to the door, making sure that she couldn't see his face. _I have to get you out of here, and as far away from these people as possible. Because, if you are what I believe you are, then you may be as big a danger as these people here._

oOoOo

"For thousands of years I continued to watch the world below me, looking for any signs that my people had survived." Jenice explained. "But there was nothing. Over time, the station became my prison; as my body's systems began to fail, I augmented myself with whatever technology I could use to keep myself alive."

"A prison of your own making." Althiea commented.

Jenice ignored the remark. "After countless centuries, something happened, something that changed my plans for the world. Out of nowhere, another race arrived and claimed the planet for their own."

"Human beings." Althiea said. "Our ancestors."

Jenice nodded. "I saw my chance to reclaim my world, and reshape it into my image. I wanted to make a perfect world, one that was the essence of that long-vanished time and place."

"But we had claimed it." Althiea countered. "And we swiftly multiplied. The planet was ours."

"And yet, you proved to be a most useful tool." Jenice explained. "Again, I sent my agents to walk amongst you, to bend your ears to my cause."

oOoOo

After its near destruction a few years ago, the town of Lanard had never quite recovered. Many of the locals had left, and only a few had bothered to return. The result was that the town was now half-abandoned, with large areas of it simply lying derelict. The growing tensions between the UZN and the Draken Empire had only served to further thin the population, many seeing the town as being a likely target in the advent of a war.

John Shepard knew a lot about the town's history. After all, he had taken part in the attack that had left so much of it in ruins. And while that had been nearly five years ago, he still remembered the exact details of that action. And while he hadn't ever left his Zoid or allowed himself to be identified, he still felt that he should be cautious.

Besides, if all else failed, Taro's Saber Tiger was waiting nearby in the exact same place it had been five years ago.

He'd been summoned here by a message from a person who wished to meet him. While not providing too much proof of their identity, they had instead provided intimate details of the Crimson Ghosts, the mercenary organisation that Shepard lead. That alone had been enough to catch his attention and agree to the meeting, if only to find out who this person was ands just how much they knew. He knew it was a risk, but, at the same time he also knew that the security risk of ignoring it was even greater.

He stepped into the small cafe that his contact had said they'd meet at, taking a seat near the back to remain out of site. He dismissed the waitress with a simple tea order, and patiently waited as he ran over the possible scenarios in his mind. _I'll need to review all my security procedures, _he grimly contemplated. _And re-vet all personnel. There are clear intelligence failures at work here._

A few minutes later, a slender, androgynous-looking man with long white hair stepped into the room. Tall and slender, they were handsome in a slightly feminine way. The man didn't seem to be looking for anyone, rather he simply walked across the room and seated himself opposite Shepard.

"I am glad to see you came." He began, his voice betraying no hint of emption. It was flat and toneless, suggesting someone with masterful self-control. "It wasn't easy finding you, John Shepard."

"You have me at a disadvantage." Shepard replied as the waitress placed his tea on the table. "You seem to know a lot abut me and my organisation, but I have no idea who you are."

"I do my research, John." The man continued in his flat voice. "You are one of my more fascinating subjects. You are very good at concealing yourself."

"One of?" He asked. "Who else have you been studying, or have contacted like this?"

"In a moment." The man cut him off. "First, I want to ask you a few things?"

_All right, I'll play your game. _"Go ahead."

"Shepard, what would you say is the biggest problem your group faces?" He asked in a straightforward way. "Be honest."

He already knew the answer. "Well, as much as greater intelligence gathering and battlefield control would help, I'd have to say that my biggest problem is manpower. I always need new pilots and new machines, but its more the just that. The problem is training those warriors so that they are capable. An untrained conscript in a Zoid is worthless to me."

The man nodded. "And tell me, how about other groups?" He asked. "The wastelands are full of other organisations like yours; terrorists, mercenaries, idealists, liberators, unifiers, warlords... the list goes on."

John shook his head. "That's the thing. There are too many groups and not enough bodies. It seems like every week a new crackpot comes along and adds his own cause to the greater mass. All this serves to do is cause more battles while siphoning off the pool of available pilots and machines. Nobody can make any progress, as everybody is pulling in their own direction. And while some groups are stronger then others, no one is strong enough to triumph over all its rivals."

"A very astute observation." The man agreed. "So the question is, how could this situation be overcome?"

"Ideally?" John considered. "Through a unification of the disparate groups vying for control and influence in this land. If they could be pointed in the one direction, then they could become a dangerous force." He'd eyed several other groups for potential assimilation through a quick coup or conquest, but at the same time he knew that any move he made against one group would probably lead another to try to take him down.

"I suspected as such. And that is why I am here."

John raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Major Shepard, I am proposing a realignment of the various disparate groups that inhabit these lands." He began. "I want to act as a... mediator as such, to create an alliance of organisations with similar aims. If you like, creating a coherent whole out of the disparate parts. Think of it as some multi-headed beast; each head is merely a part of a greater whole, but no one is any more or less important."

John rubbed his chin. "An interesting idea. What did you have in mind?"

An hour later, he left the cafe,. contemplating what the man had said. _This alliance... it sounds almost too good to be true. And yet, at the same time, it makes perfect sense. To unify the various disparate forces of the wastelands... _He would have to consider it very carefully, and weigh the benefits against the drawbacks. However, the more he thought about it, the more sense he could see to the man's words - and the fewer reasons to disagree.

oOoOo

In the last few centuries, the orbiting observatory had changed considerably from its original configuration. The Great One (as he now called himself) had used his control over its systems to transform it from a simple observation platform into a sophisticated battle station. Secondary systems had been put to work, fabricating weapons satellites and other systems, allowing him to observe the planet below and record the events going on across its surface - and then to obliterate them.

The time had come several years ago. He had launched his attack, savaging the two human powers who vied for control of the planet. Millions had died as their cities, their armies, their whole civilisation had crumbled under the terrible onslaught of his weapons. Then his armies had swept across the planet, attacking those who had survived to claim their land.

He found it entertaining how he had used those humans the way he had used the Starriors millennia before. They believed that they were fighting for a common cause of global liberation and unification. In truth, they were merely pawns in his scheme, tools to be used and discarded when the time was right. None of them had relaised the truth behind what they were doing. Even if they did, it wouldn't matter; there was precious little any of them could do to stop him now.

There had been set backs. A group of humans had rebelled against his control, opening up a third front in the war. And while they were slowing the progress of his force, it was minor. After millennia of wait, a few more years of warfare would be a minor inconvenience at best. Besides, his plan was already too far underway to be stopped.

Looking down, he could see the war-torn continent, known to the humans as the Shelflands. While the damage form the conflict was visible from up here, other signs were also appearing, signs of change. Already, his programs of artificial germination and induction were literally showing fruit, as sections of the formerly scorched wastelands were showing patches of green, indicating fresh growth. The humans believed that these were signs of Hydra's progress and their cause; in truth, they were the seeds of his master plan, the reshaping of the world in his image.

A plan that had taken centuries to come to fruition, and yet one that was now nearing completion. It wouldn't be too much longer…

There was a sudden flash of light from the Shelflands. Curious, the Great One activated a panel with his single withered hand, bringing up information on the region. He released what he was looking at – the Acronian Republic, the one place that Hydra's forces had neither dared to go and, at the same time, didn't need to go. Sealed behind impenetrable domes, the Acronians seemed to be content to sit back and let the world burn.

Or at least they had been. Now the observatory's sensors were squealing in alarm as they tracked several large objects climbing from the planet's surface; objects that were now headed towards his station, the heart of the Hydra. After a few tense moments, the computer reported that the objects were starships – massive vessels of a type that it couldn't identify. However, it could identify elements of their designs, and technologies used in their construction.

They were Starrior ships.

Numerous alarms went off, indicating that the enemy vessels were arming weapons and directing them at the station. Realising what was going on, he sent frantic commands through the system, redirecting the remaining weapons systems away from the planet and towards the new threat.

They were not enough. With a growing sense of horror, he watched as the vessels carved a path through the defenses. The weapons that had shattered cities, decimated armies and killed millions and lain waste to the world below were proving to be ineffective, incapable of stopping this new threat. Assessing the situation, he began to understand that he was facing an inevitable outcome. Though the defenses may slow the vessels and may, over time, kill one or two of them, they would eventually break through and destroy his station, defeating him utterly.

A defeat that he could not escape. The observatory had some maneuvering thrust, but not enough to escape a combat-worthy vessel. And certainly it lacked the defenses to withstand the punishment they were capable of dishing out. Only one conclusion was obvious – that the station would be destroyed, and he along with it.

It terrified him. After millennia of existence, the idea of it being suddenly ended was too much to bear. He had to survive, there was simply no option, no alternative. No matter what, he would find a way.

And then an idea occurred to him; one that was so bitter and ironic. He had made this station his prison, a housing for his ruined body. But, in truth, his body was little more then another part of the station, another system integrated into its whole.

Trying to remain clam, the Great One sent commands through the system, using the maintenance droids to hastily reconstruct one section of the station. At the same time, he began to do something that should have been unthinkable but, now, was the only option. The computers began to copy his mind, his memories, his personality, everything that made him who he was. Then they shunted it off, stored it in one part of the vessel, distinct and separate from anything else. No matter what happened, _he would survive_.

And that was all that mattered.

It didn't take long for the observatory to surrender to the inevitable. Devastating weapons tore into its structure, shredding through it and ripping it apart. The ancient vessel began to break up and then simply exploded, millennia of history vanishing into a cloud of debris and rapidly dissipating gasses.

All except for one section, a single large, misshapen lump that survived the blast, spinning off into the void. It hurtled away from the planet for some time, vanishing into the inky depths of space with the other detritus of the battle. It was only after its sensors registered the enemy vessels as having left the area (Departing beyond the moons out to the depths of the solar system) that it deployed its maneuvering thrusters, establishing itself in a high-orbit.

Then it simply powered down, awaiting a pre-arranged signal from the planet below.

oOoOo

The leaders of Hydra knew that the war was over. Zygra's forces had surrounded their fortress, the last bastion of their army. Already, they were beginning an intense bombardment, aiming to crack open its defenses before committing to their final assault, one that the outcome of was considered to be a foregone conclusion. Zygra's army would take the fortress, and they would all be captured and killed.

They were truly the last of Hydra. The war had taken its toll, with most of their fellows killed in action. A handful had simply vanished, deserting during the war, often leaving their own forces behind as sacrificial pawns before disappearing into the wastelands that they had created. None had ever been captured, many going to extreme lengths to prevent that. Suicide had become one of the top causes of deaths amongst Hydra's ruing elite.

But now they were out of options. There was nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. This was the end of Hydra, one last glorious stand. Or, as many had begun to suggest, one last chance to surrender and end the madness. Many had considered the idea – surrender now and trade information for clemency, and hope that the Zygra army would be more open to negotiating then the Drakken Empire had been.

"So it's agreed then." Kami Albion, one of the commanders spoke up. Young and vital when the war had begun, she now appeared to be haggard and worn, old before her years. "We surrender."

"It is the only logical conclusion." Another spoke up. "This way, we survive."

"The outcome is inevitable." A third finished. "But only if we are all agreed. No one of us can go back or stay here while the others walk out."

There was a round of affirmative replies from across the room. Kami looked around, then nodded. "We have no dissent. The choice is made." She turned towards one of the squad of black armoured guards watching the room. "Contact Zygra. Tell him that we surrender, and that we have information that we are willing to divulge Hydra command-level information in exchange for protection."

The leader of the guards turned to one of his men and nodded. Then he lowered his rifle, and aimed it at Albion. Before she could speak, he opened fire, the rounds tearing through her body in a bloody spray. As she fell backwards, the other soldiers opened fire into the crowd, pouring bullets into the former Hydra leaders.

The execution was done quickly and quietly, without rage or malice. The soldiers were simply following orders, ones that they received three years ago on that one night, just before the voice of the Great one had gone silent forever.

Hydra would survive.

oOoOo

The _Terminus Est, _flagship of the Drakken Imperial fleet, slowly descended through the thickening layer of clouds as it began its approach. Below it was an assembled force of Drakken Zoids, a gathering army aimed at a single objective - the destruction of the Red Claw. A massive force was formed around a cluster of large Zoids, being a row of Iron Kongs and Redhorns, supported by smaller Zoids, two rows of cannon-equipped Molgas and Heldigunners. Ahead of them, other units were forming up into units, readying for the final assault.

Empress Marissa Fyre smiled smugly to herself as she observed the force. They were more then enough to destroy the Red Claw's entrenched forces and bring Gayos under her control; in fact, the formation she had put together was more overkill then anything else. However, it would make an effective statement as to the power that her army possessed.

_This is the end, both of the Red Claw and of Zygra, _she thought to herself. _And the beginning of a new age for my people. We will demonstrate our strength to the world, and none will dare oppose us. _Looking up at the strategic display, she could see how much of the Zygra empire had already been bought under the control of her 'peacekeeping' forces. _We will destroy these upstarts, and reclaim the lands they stole from us, and then take even more._

_And none will dare stand against us._

With a gentle jolt, the ship settled on the ground behind the Drakken force. Bringing up the external monitors, she watched as the bright red Iron Kong PKs of the Imperial Guard deployed form the ship, spreading out and forming a security cordon around the vessel. Nobody would be allowed to approach the ship during this moment of relative vulnerability, not even members of the regular army. What she was doing here was very unusual, but these were also unusual times.

"Nacht to command." The voice of the Imperial Guard's leader came over the communicator. "Area is secure. We are good for deployment, Your Majesty."

"Excellent." She replied. "Warrior Prince is en-route now."

As if on cue, the doors to the situation room opened, Prince Zygra entering a moment later. He was clad in a full Paladin's field uniform, with extra decorations and details indicating that not only did he have the rank of Paladin Supreme, but he was also the leader of the Zygra armed forces. They were extra affectations that he had never warned and, in Marissa's eyes, would never be worthy of. But, they gave him an inflated sense of self worth which made him more subject to flattery and thus far more pliable.

And it was this pliability that she wanted him for now.

"Your majesty." He started, a slight bow. "You asked for me?"

"Prince Zygra." She replied as she stood. "As you can see, everything is in place for the liberation of your capital and your return to the throne. All we need now is for your to take your place at the head of this attack and free your people from the oppression that they have suffered for so long. With the Zoid I have given you and the skills you have displayed in the simulations, I am sure that you will be an unstoppable force in battle, as well as a symbol to your people of their freedom from tyranny and oppression."

"I understand." He nodded. "And I thank you for this opportunity. I vowed that I would not rest until my empire was freed but... to do it like this is far more satisfying, far more... complete."

"Let us go then, and end this long journey." She finished. "Your Zoid awaits you, Prince Zygra."

They again traveled down to the cavernous bays that were the heart of the ship, reaching the customised Liger Zero EM that she had prepared of him. As they reached it, a force of strange Zoids went past; Zygra paid them no heed, but Marissa watched them closely, as if she was giving them one final inspection and scrutinizing them for any possible defect.

They were two different types; both bipedal, one featured a long body, covered in numerous spines and ridges, complimented by wickedly sharp claws and strange, bone-white, wing-like protrusions. The second was far smaller, with large cannons on its side and a massive blade on its head. Both Zoids were identically coloured, being light red, dull brown and lavender.

"Your Zoid, my champion." She commented, indicating to the machine. "Take it, and lead this last crusade to liberate your people."

"I shall." Zygra replied as he clambered onboard.

"Like this," She continued, aiming to flatter him as much as possible. "You are the image of your Grandfather; I can see him like this, heading into battle against Hydra. I am sure that he would be proud of you." _Actually, he'd be appalled at your level of greed and collusion. Zygra was far, far shaper then you could ever be._

"You honour me, your majesty."

"Good hunting, my prince. And when we next meet, you shall be a true hero, and your people shall be free." She nodded as the canopy closed.

With a loud roar, the Zoid leaped into action, charging out of the hanger and headed towards the force of Zygra machines. Several other Zoids formed up on it, abstinently to act as bodyguards, buyt really with orders to simply keep him pointed in the right direction, and make sure he did what she wanted.

A moment later, the strange new Zoids, began to move out. They were some of the newest weapons of the Empire, a pair of experimental Zoids, the Death Raser and Parablade. Undergoing testing, they had been rushed into limited production following the revelation of the Red Claw's Gungyarados. Now they were Marissa's insurance against that Zoid being used against them.

She tapped her communicator. "Empress Fyre to bridge. Prep for liftoff; I want to be off the ground as soon as the Imperial Guard are back onboard. Order all forces to stand by for my signal to engage."

Turning back to the lift, she allowed herself a moment of thought before heading back to the bridge. _This day will be the birth of a new age, _she thought to herself. _Our age. Nobody will have the power to stand against us, not the Red Claw, not Zygra, not these mysterious enemies... even the UZN will know and fear our might._

She grinned to herself as she stepped into the lift. _And I shall be the greatest leader in the history of our empire._

oOoOo

Althiea turned away from Jenice as she considered all the information she had been given. "So you created Hydra as the latest incarnation of your plan… but then were forced to destroy it when that failed. And then you formed the _Kuroryu-kai _as a replacement organization in its place."

"That is correct." She stated.

"There is one thing that I do not understand." Althiea continued. "Where do I come into it? You need me. Your men have spent ages trying to find me. I assume that it's for my… my abilities as a Darth. However…" She shook her head as she turned back to Jenice. "You already have Jenice for your purposes."

"This body fulfils my needs, but only in the most minimal ways." She continued. "Its abilities are limited at best. Yours are far more developed, far more advanced and extensive. You are the _activator._"

"But what does that mean?" She asked.

"It means that you exist for one specific task." One of the two men finally spoke up. "We created you for our purposes, for this one moment."

"Created me?" She turned to face him.

"Yes." He admitted. "It was we who killed your parents and took you from them, and we who implanted the Hydra technology into your mind. For the role of the _activator, _we needed a Darth that had been altered to the Great One's needs. We had tried in past, capturing and altering would-be Darths and detaining them. But… in captivity, their powers never matured or advanced to a useable stage. That is why you were released afterwards – so that you would grow and mature into the being we needed for our one role."

oOoOo

_"That's her?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Is the equipment ready?"_

_"It is."_

_"Then let's proceed."_

_Masked faces hovered over her, glaring down at her from behind featureless goggles. An overhead light bathed the room, wherever it was, and its occupants in green, giving them an odd, almost sinister look. She could see equipment in the room, but had no idea what any of it was. Where was she? She thought. What's going on? Who are these people?_

_A hand reached over, a mask in hand. The mask descended over her face, blocking out her vision. Everything went black._

_"Begin the operation."_

oOoOo

"So it was you." Althiea replied, her eyes narrowing to an angry glare. "You did this to me."

"And now you have come to me." Jenice finished. "You will claim your role as the _Activator. _You will begin the birth of the new world."

"And what is the _Activator_?"

Jenice looked around the room. "One who possesses both the Darth abilities and the Hydra technology needed to interface with and activate this equipment, and house my mind. Through the _Activator_, I will transcend the limitations of this half-life forced on me, and then I shall begin the remaking of the world. From the ashes of this one, a new one shall arise, a world created in my image, populated with a new race of my creation."

"And how will you do that?"

Jenice waved a hand over a console, bringing up a series of displays. Images appeared on numerous screens, all showing diagrams of the planet's surface, indicating the presence of the human population. Each was overlaid with various patterns and diagrams, indicating orbital paths and targets.

"The weapons that I used to begin the Hydra war have survived." Jenice stated. "The weapons that will now end this world, cleansing it in fire. My new race will rise, the one I have had created for me by my agents."

"The clones." Althiea concluded, understanding what she was seeing. Jenice had the power to simply blast the human population into rubble, and then unleash the Bio-Zoids as her agents to eliminate the survivors. It was the same tactic as had been used with Hydra; only this time there would be no rebellion, no sudden attack of conscience, no voice to speak out against the madness. Only an army of programmed, mindlessly obedient clones.

"Correct." She finished. "I have no need for the current people of this world. They are primitive and undisciplined, little more then rabble. And as my own race has long since passed, a new one will be needed to populate it in the aftermath."

She glanced at the two _Kuroryu-kai _agents. Both of them had a sudden look of apprehension, as if they had just realized that they were no longer needed.

"Join me." Jenice finished. "It is your destiny."

Althiea nodded as she approached. "I understand what I must do. For the future."

"For the future that you will create." Jenice finished.

She closed her eyes, nodding her head as she concentrated. "The future that I will not allow to exist." With an angry cry, she lunged forwards, leaping at Jenice. The larger woman stepped aside, easily dodging Althiea's charge – which was a part of her plan.

Althiea grabbed the cable that connected to Jenice's neck, pulling hard on it as she ran. After a moment's struggle it simply popped out of the Darth's neck, the woman screaming with an ear-splitting shriek of agony as she stumbled and collapsed. Turning around, Althiea swept her hand across the room in a broad, dramatic gesture. Panels suddenly spluttered and sparked as monitors flashed off or simply dissolved into static.

"Great one!" The taller of the two men called out.

"Guh..." Was all Jenice could manage as she collapsed to her knees, clearly shocked by what had just happened. "Guh... wha?"

The pair of them turned towards her. "What have you done?" He asked, glaring at Althiea with barely-suppressed rage. "What have you done?"

"What needed to be done." She replied as she wrapped the cable around her arm. "I am saving this world from the likes of you, making sure that the evil that you have planned will not come to pass." She pulled back with her arm, straining as she yanked on the cable.

"Don't do that!" The shorter man shouted. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"I do." She snapped. "And that is why I must ensure that you do not succeed!" Clenching her teeth, she ripped the cable out of its housing, staggering back as it tore free. A moment later, she turned away from the pair of them, and began running, ducking into the tunnel that lead into the room.

""What... what do we do?" The shorter man asked as he looked around the chamber. The various systems seemed to be damaged or offline, while Jenice had now collapsed to the floor, curling up into a fetal ball. "Great one?"

"Guh..." She repeated. "Wha... wha..."

The taller man shook his head. "We have come this far, and will not be stopped now. We need her, now more then ever." He looked down the tunnel. "Call all units. Tell them to apprehend her alive and unharmed, no matter what it takes." He shook his head. "We will fulfill our master's desires. We will recreate this world."


	45. Grand Melee

The door to the quick form hut exploded outwards, blasting off its hinges and slamming into one of the two guards standing outside of it. The door bowled him over, leaving him lying on the ground, bleeding from a gashing wound in the back of his head. The second guard wheeled around, rifle at the ready, only to be hit in the side of the neck by a small dart. He reached up to touch it, only to suddenly flop backwards onto the ground.

"Sorry, sorry… only meant to blow up that one thing, sorry." Floyd Glass began as he casually strode through the smoke, a drinking straw in hand. "Still, it seemed to have done the trick."

A moment later, Sabrina Delgado stepped out of the room, coughing and waving her hands in front of her face. "I'm sure..." She began, then coughed loudly again. "I'm sure you could have made that a little less destructive though."

"Probably." he admitted. "Next Black op I invite you too, I'll be sure to use less explosives." He kneeled down and picked up the rifle form the downed guard. "Do you know how to use one of these?"

Sabrina shook her head. "No. I've never even been near one before now."

"That's fair." He shook his head. "And I can't stand them any way." He pulled the clip out of the rifle, then dropped it. "Besides, I have my trusty home-made dart gun. That's all I need."

"It's quite impressive." She added, looking at the straw. "How did you hide it?"

"Well, the secret is-" He paused, then glanced around. "It would appear that our actions have attracted the attentions of some of the local colour. For now, I would suggest that the pair of us seek cover and consider out tactical options." Grabbing her hand, he broke into a run, dashing behind the building that had been their prison. Sabrina followed as best she could, trying to keep up with the long-legged scientist.

"Here!" He hissed as they ducked down, sandwiching themselves between the back wall of the prison and the side of the enigmatic tower that the _Kuroryu-kai _had encamped around. Up close, he could see that it was indeed a fascinating structure. Much of the equipment on its outside was clearly burned away and fried into near uselessness by the heat of reentry. However, it appeared that the damaged equipment was largely pointless, serving instead to conceal the true nature of the structure underneath. On closer analysis, it was clear that the structure had been designed for reentry and a hard landing, and that the exterior was just a form of camouflage to make it seem like another piece of derelict debris.

"Most interesting." he mused.

"What is?" Sabrina asked.

"This structure." He offered. "I'm beginning to think that the Japacheese gang here may have been planning this for far, far longer then I thought."

"Well, this structure does seem very old."

"Exactly." He replied. "And that means-"

"Floyd? Are you there?" A girl's voice came from his throat. Sabrina blinked in surprise for a moment, and he replied with a broad grin.

"I am indeed, Althiea." He replied. "Where are you?"

"I've managed to escape the main tower for now." She offered. "And I have slowed down their plan. But it is imperative that we stop them at any cost."

"Of course." He acknowledged, an unusually serious tone in his voice. "I have managed to escape detention, and I may yet have a weapon that we can use against them."

"Good." She finished. "Because, if we do not stop them..."

"I understand." He nodded. "Come, Sabrina. I think it's time that we taught these hooligans a lesson."

oOoOo

**Grand Melee**

oOoOo

To say that Althiea's escape from the central chamber had thrown the _Kuroryu-kai _into confusion would be an understatement. As she had tried to slip quietly through the camp, she had noted that their soldiers were anything but organised; they seemed to be spread out, trying to cover as much of the camp with as little manpower as possible, but seemed to lack coordination, almost as if they were not sure who was in command and issuing them orders. She'd reached the conclusion that neither of the two men inside the chamber were actually in charge, which only complicated matters.

Stealing through their base, she'd reached the impound where her Iron Kong was being kept. While she'd already exhausted the main heavy missile array, the Zoid appeared to still be intact and fully functional, a fact that she knew would be very useful. She began scrambling up the side of the massive machine, using the handholds built into its armour for just such an occasion.

She was almost at the top of the arm when somebody spotted her. "Hold it! Get away from the Zoid!" A soldier called out form below, followed by several other cries to that effect. Glancing down, she could see a small group of _Kuroryu-kai _infantry gathered around the base of her Zoid, rifles raised and pointed at her.

_But they will not fire. They will have been ordered to bring me in alive and unharmed. _What she knew of the plans of the _Kuroryu-kai - _no, se corrected herself, those running it, told her that she was the key to it all. And they would go to great lengths to ensure that she came to no harm.

So she kept climbing, reaching the top of the arm. There were more shouts from below, but nobody actually opened fire, just as she expected. Instead, she began the long walk across the Zoid's shoulders, precariously balanced as she approached its sealed cockpit. Glancing down, she could see several soldiers had begun to scale the limbs, heading up towards her.

The Zoid's cockpit swung open in response to an unspoken mental order, Althiea quickly clambering into it. As it closed and re-sealed, she could hear the soldiers shouting in alarm, yelling at each other to get clear of the Zoid. Ignoring them, she began reactivating the machine's systems, trying to bring them online as quickly as possible. She had no doubt that they would try to stop her from escaping, and would have begun mobilising their Bio-Zoids immediately.

However, escape was the last thing on her mind.

Her encounter with Jenice - or more to the point, with the being inhabiting Jencie's body - had left her with no illusions as to what she had planned. Selj had to be stopped, regardless of the cost, now more then ever before. She had bought them some time with her sabotage of the control hub but she didn't know if they were permanently offline, or if it was only a temporary reprieve.

It was not a risk she wanted to take.

The Iron Kong bellowed as it reawakened, stretching out its arms in a loud challenge to the enemy forces around it. Bringing the Zoid under control, Althiea spun it around and dropped it down onto its knuckles, facing the massive structure that she had just emerged from. She squeezed the trigger, the Hyperbeam Cannon opening up with a brillant beam of energy that struck the structure's hull. The energy quickly dissipated, leaving only a crackle of energy and a small scorch to mark the cannon's passing.

_It must be some sort of absorption system, _she thought. _This is not going to be easy._

Her sensors beeped a warning as several _Kuroryu-kai _Zoids approached, running at her at speed. Unlike the infantry, their pilots didn't stop to make demands or warnings; they simply opened fire on her Zoid. Three fireballs slammed into the Iron Kong's side, doing little other then marring the armour, but catching her attention.

_They're probably going to try to shoot to disable me, _she thought. _Thus they may hold back... while I don't have to. _The Iron Kong charged forwards at the trio of Bio-Raptors, its massive bulk bearing down on them at speed. The leader of the pack failed to anticipate her assault, and was simply crushed underfoot, the Zoid dissolving as the Iron Kong crushed its body. The other two spread out, but fared little better. The first was sideswiped by a massive fist and snapped in half, the second backhanded and sent reeling.

Several more Bio-Raptors approached and, just as quickly, backed off form the monstrous Zoid, their pilots apparently intent on keeping their distance from the massive machine. Another volley of fireballs washed over the Iron Kong, barely having any effect on the machine's thickly armored chest. Althiea pushed her machine forwards, bearing down on her attackers with the intention of crushing them under.

Abruptly, the Zoid shook and rocked to one side as if struck by a heavy blow. A moment later came the screech of torn metal, followed by a sudden lurch. Glancing around, she could see the problem - a Bio Kentrasarus had charged the Zoid, and was now trying to dig in with its lances. Trying to keep calm, Althiea fired the boosters, the Iron Kong leaping away from its would-be attacker before crashing down in amongst a collection of tents.

Her relief was short lived as a pair of the Bio Zoids came charging out of nowhere, barreling through the camp as if it wasn't there. She twisted the thrusters, managing to step out of the way of the first of them, leaving it to surge past her before trying to regain control. The second had more success, slamming into the side of the Iron Kong and ramming its lances into the Zoid's leg. She reached back, trying to pull the enemy Zoid loose, only to find that it was too far back for the Iron Kong's bulky limbs to reach.

"Look out! Pillbug coming through!"

Floyd's Gustav charged forwards, slamming into the Bio-Zoid at high speed. The Gustav bounced off its opponent, skidding and spinning before coming to a stop in the middle of a cluster of tents. The Kentrosuaurs was less lucky, however, rolling over with both lances snapped clean off its frame. As it tried to rise, Althiea swung her Zoid around, panting a massive fist into its belly and crushing it.

"Ookay... that was exciting." A female voice began over the communicator. "Not what I was expecting."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Floyd replied. "And besides, in a Gustav, you can crash into most anything and win."

"Floyd!" Altheia called out.

"Aha!" The scientist replied. "It is good to see you or, at the very least, your Giant Robot Monkey. Like you, I managed to escape the clutches of evil and find my way to freedom."

"Um, hello." The female voice added.

"Ah, Althiea, this is my new friend, Sabrina Delgado." He casually began. "Sabrina, this is my apprentice, Althiea."

"Nice to meet you." Sabrina continued, a nervous tone in her voice.

"Floyd, I know what's going on." She cut in. "The _Kuroryu-kai _are a front for another organisation, one that is derived from Hydra. They mean to finish what Hydra started and wipe us off the face of the planet."

"I see." Floyd commented, a suddenly serious tone in his voice. "And how can we stop them?"

"I am the key they need to unlock their weapons systems." She offered. "And that building is the lock. If we destroy it, then... then I think that we will stop them." _And destroy that... thing that was within Jenice. Whatever it was, I know that I haven't killed it, merely slowed it down. _She could feel the presence within the structure, one that was just as much a part of it as its hardware. By removing Jenice from it, she had disabled its avatar, but not slain the beast itself.

"I understand. And I will do all I can to stop this." Floyd finished. "But, fortunately, I don't think we shall have to do this alone."

"Um, I'm not sure what I can do." Sabrina added. "I mean, I'm kinda squashed into this Gustav..."

"No..." Floyd chuckled. "I put in a call to the rest of the Zoo Crew. Hopefully, thy can get their dates into gear and get the hell over here."

Athilea nodded. "And until then, we try to survive as long as we can."

oOoOo

Prince Nikolas Zygra sat inside the cockpit of his Liger Zero EM, patiently awaiting the order to launch the assault that would liberate his capitol, and his nation, from the usurpers that had taken him from it. Behind him was a line of Drakken Saber Tigers, the Zoids that would act as his escorts and aid him in spearheading the assault. Further behind them were rows of smaller Zoids, the infantry of the Drakken army who would be the basis for the operation.

Zygra gripped the controls with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the order to begin the attack. The anticipation had been building for hours, since he first had taken his place at the head of the assault force. He knew that victory was close at hand; he knew that once the battle began it would quickly be over. In his mind, his city was so close that he could reach out and seize it in his hand, as if by his strength alone he could reclaim his throne and put matters to right.

It wouldn't be long now. All he needed was the order to move, an order he anticipated at any moment. So confident was he in their victory that he had already begun to plan for what was to come afterwards. The Red Claw's attacks had shown weaknesses in their defenses, weaknesses that he intended to correct. He would rebuild his nation with a newer, stronger army, one more powerful then any other on Zi. To achieve this, he would have to reform the government, probably reducing the power of the senate, and concentrating it instead in the Emperor's hands.

He liked the sound of that; Emperor Nikolas Zygra, savior of the empire and the man who created a new age for the Shelflands - the Zygra age.

And it was only a matter of time. Soon, very soon, it would all be over.

High above him, in the command center onboard the _Terminus Est, _Empress Marissa Fyre examined the ranks of the Drakken imperial forces. She knew that they had more then enough strength to destroy the Red Claw's forces present in the city, and that the so-called liberation would amount to little more then a one-sided massacre. That was not what concerned her. Instead, it was the lack of activity by the Red Claw that had her attention.

As expected, the enemy had hunkered down inside the capitol, fortifying their positions and preparing for the assault. However, their two most feared weapons - the Gungyarados with its Charged Particle Cannon, and the Lord Gale with its armies of Chimera Drones, had not materialized. Despite the best efforts of their intelligence, particularly a single highly-placed agent, they had managed to find no evidence as to the location of either Zoid. It was as if they had simply vanished off the face of the planet.

It was a worrying development, one that she did not like at all.

"Dekault Dragon force reports that they are in position." A technician spoke up.

"Radar still shows no sign of enemy air activity." Another added.

"Well?" Nacht asked as he approached her. "All commands are standing by. We merely await your order."

"We have taken every precaution possible." She shook her head. "If they do show, we will be ready. I just wish that I knew where they were hiding."

"Your Majesty?"

She shook her head. "It's irrelevant. The Drakken empire has power enough to destroy anything that stands before us. Order all forces to begin the attack."

"Yes, your majesty." He finished.

Amongst the ranks of the Zygra Zoids, the rearmost was made up of a mixture of Iron Kongs, Redhorns and cannon-equipped Molgas and Heldigunners. These Zoids were the first to respond, raising their weapons into position. Then, across the line, there was a ripple of fire, with thunderous booms filling the air as they opened up, sending shells and missiles sailing into the air. Moments later, the first explosions blossomed in the distance as the weapons fell on Gayos.

"You will have your empire, my Prince." Marissa muttered to herself as she watched the Zoids open up with their second volley. "Or, rather, what I deem fit to leave you with."

oOoOo

Ignoring the flames that washed over it, Althiea's Iron Kong surged forwards towards the Bio Mega-Raptor that had been attacking it. Ending the stream of flames, the Raptor instead charged forwards to meet the massive war machine, fangs and claws bearded to strike. The Raptor kicked out with its claws, one of them slicing into the Iron Kong's right arm just above the wrist. Apparently confident of his abilities, the Zoid lashed out with its other leg, aiming at the Kong's chest.

It never landed the blow, the Kong instead grabbing the limb in one of its massive hands, then crushing it. The other hand slammed into the Bio-Zoid's side, crushing its armor and tearing the captured leg free from its mounting. The Zoid staggered back, then collapsed to the ground, before being crushed by a blow form both of the Zoid's heavy fists.

The Kong stepped back a moment, its armor battered and scarred by numerous hits from various Bio-Zoids that had come after it. Even if they were holding back, she figured, they'd still done their fair share of damage. And even though the force currently around the core was far weaker then the one hty'd faced earlier, it was still a danger.

"Not bad." Floyd began as his Gustav pulled up next to her Zoid. Like the Kong, its shell was covered in numerous gouges and dents where the Bio Zoids had come at it. "Given how badly we're outnumbered and - Hold on!" The Gustav screeched into motion as a blast of flame seared past it, narrowly missing one of its trailers. Glancing around, Althiea could see a pair of Bio Megaraptors nearby, hissing at their Zoids. The pair of them rippled off another volley of fireballs, the blasts hitting the Iron Kong.

"I'm okay." She began as the flames washed over her. "But my armor's beginning to thin out."

"And, of course, we can't deal with them at range." Floyd added. "Which is a pain in the aztec."

"Running them down seems to work." Sabrina offered.

"Yes, but the problem is that they don't always stand there and let themselves get run down." He commented. "Which is where the problems begin."

As if to prove his point, a pair of Bio Kentras lumbered past the Megaraptors, hunkering down and swiveling their lances forwards, as if bracing against a charge. More bio Zoids formed up, assembling a small wall of them. "Very clever." He commented. "They're done running and screaming, and have decided to form up against us. Together, those Zoids can work ways to overcome their shortcomings..." He shook his head. "Pity you don't have any of your TVMs left."

"Sorry." She began.

"Eh, it happens."

"Althiea!" A voice called out. She recoingised it as being the taller man, the one who seemed to be in charge. "Surrender now, and we will not harm you or your companions."

"And let you instead destroy the world?" She asked. "It hardly seems like a fair trade."

"I'm sorry old bean, but I have to side with her." Floyd added. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. Or something like that."

"Um..." Sabrina added. "Do... I get a say in this?"

"Silence!" The man continued. "Do not force us to-"

Before he could finish, he was drowned out by a loud explosion as a shell fell in the middle of the Bio-Zoid formation. A lone Kentrasaurus at the middle of the formation simply disintegrated, while other Zoids were sent staggering away from the blast. A moment later, a second shell slammed into the group, seeding more chaos and confusion.

"Spot on there, Mal." A voice came over the communicator. "Truly splendid shooting, if I do say so myself."

"Aww... I jus' try what I can." Another replied.

A moment later, there was an ear-piercing screech filled the air as Gwen's Redler swooped down on the enemy formation. Rolling over, the Zoid swept in with its tailblade extended, neatly decapitating a Bio Megaraptor before pulling away. A moment later, Rayvenne's Sinker followed it in, spraying the enemy Zoids with cannon fire. While the shots did little or no damage against their armour, they did have the effect of further confusing the enemy ranks.

"All units!" Nathan Winters called out. "Attack!"

The bedraggled formation disintegrated into chaos as the bulk of the attack force ran in, crashing into their formation in a hail of fire. Jason's Iguan took the lead, vaulting onto an enemy Bio-Raptor and slamming its foot into the smaller Zoid's face, crushing it's jaw. As the Zoid staggered back, he swung around with the quad cannon, slamming its barrels into the now-exposed flamethrower and opening fire at point-blank range. The shots ripped into the Zoid's exposed structure, blowing it apart form within.

Another Raptor charged towards the Iguan, only to be caught in the side by a kick from Bob's Hellrunner. The Zoid staggered back, only to catch another jet-assisted foot in the chest, further pummeling it. In response, a Bio-Tricera turned towards the two small Zoids, bellowing as it lumbered forwards.

"I got 'im!" Leanne called out over the channel, moments before the Zoid's flank erupted into a cloud of flames. The Zoid staggered, then collapsed on its side, dissolving as soon as it hit the ground. A nearby Kentrosaurus met the same fate, its metallic bones coming to rest near its companion.

"What's the situation?" Dezalg began over the channel as the Geno Hydra crashed down on another Tricera's flank, crushing the Zoid's structure. A lone Megaraptor ran at the machine, only to be swatted aside by the Hydra's claws. Wounded, the machine staggered back into the arms of Althiea's Iron Kong.

"These guys are Hydra." She explained. "That... structure is used to control their satellite network. They intend to finish what they started decades ago, and destroy us all."

"I see." Dezalg commented. "Paladin Winters?"

"I understand." The younger Paladin replied. "All units, stand clear. I think I have this one in hand."

The Geno Hydra roared as the supports in the back of its legs swing out, firmly planting it into the ground. Its head lunged forwards as the numerous vents on its tail opened up, sucking energy into its systems. The jaw opened, the muzzle of the charged particle cannon emerging from its housing, glowing with energy as it charged up. Then the weapon fired, a brilliant blue-white beam emerging, tearing straight towards the huge tower.

_This is it, _Althiea thought. _This ends - no!_

Just as the shot form her Hyperbeam Launcher had earlier, the charged particle cannon's beam struck the tower and simply dissipated, blue energy crackling momentarily across its structure before being absorbed. The tower remained standing, only a few scorch marks as evidence of the terrible attack that had been unleashed on it.

"That's impossible." Nathan began. "I mean, how could it..."

"It's simple." Dezalg countered. "We just need a bigger gun. Anyone have an idea where we could get one from?"

"Hmm..." Floyd began. "I think I do. If you guys can hold the fort, I shall endeavor to fetch you your bigger gun as quickly as I can." Althiea could tell that he was grinning. "And, Ms Delgado, I think that you will be a vital part of this plan."

"Okay then." The young woman added over the channel.

"Then go." Altheia stated. "We shall hold them for as long as possible here."

"I won't fail you." he added, an usually serious tone in his voice, as the Gustav turned and charged out of the camp, following the trail that the invasion force had forged."

"I know you won't, Floyd." Althiea replied to herself. "I just know."

oOoOo

"What..." One of O'Bannon's men began, the fear in his voice apparent across the command channel. "What are those things?"

"The enemy." He simply stated, watching the advancing row of Bio-Zoids from his Energy Liger's cockpit. "Those are the enemy. They are a threat to all life on this planet; not just our Empire, but everyone. It is your duty to destroy them."

"And remember, they are immune to energy weapons." Thorne spoke up, her Darkhorn standing next to his Liger. The two machines could not have been too much different; the Liger's sleek curves contrasting to the Darkhorn's blocky shape. "Use projectiles where possible, and melee only as a last resort."

"Commander!" Another pilot spoke up. "This is Echo Nine Seven, I have a new reading in the enemy force." He paused. "It's not a Bio-Zoid, but... something bigger, something more... oh, no... by the Empress..."

"What is it, Echo Nine Seven?" O'Bannon asked. The pilot in question was in one of their Dimetrodons, and was vital to monitoring the enemy force. "What have you detected?"

"Enemy... enemy unit is... it's a Deathsaurer!"

O'Bannon didn't want to believe what the man was saying, or dispute his findings. He _wanted _to believe that it was impossible. He _knew _that all the surviving Deathsaurers had been deactivated and stored after the war. But yet, if there was one here... then the threat to the Empire was even greater then he had expected.

"All units!" He called out. "Break formation, scatter!" He opened up the Energy Liger's throttle as he gave the order, his Zoid taking off and breaking into a high-speed run. "Try to close ranks as fast as possible! They can't use that thing if we're too close to it!"

For a moment, there was confusion amongst the well-ordered Drakken ranks as soldiers tried to figure what they were doing or where they were going. Then a brilliant blue-white beam emerged from the horizon, sweeping across the Drakken lines. Zoids simply vanished under the assault as the Deathsaurer's weapon cleaved through their ranks, leaving carnage and destruction in its wake.

"Keep moving!" He called out as his Liger charged forwards. Behind him, he could see Drashe and McMillain's Zoids keeping pace with him and, further back, Thorne's Darkhorn. _At least they're still alive, _he thought. _We may just be able to take this. _Looking ahead, he could see the front row of enemy machines, a squad of Triceratops-like Zoids sporting the distinctive bio-Zoid construction that Thorne had briefed him on. Behind them loomed other Zoids, mostly bios but there were a few others in amongst them. And behind them was the ominous, blood-red form of the Deathsaurer.

Keeping his fear under control, he tried to focus on his mission. "Charlie Company, open fire! Thin out their front ranks!" There was a round of affirmative replies, then a thunderous roar as the Black Rhimos squad opened fire with their heavy rail cannons. The hypervelocity slugs tore towards the front row of the _Kuroryu-kai _forces, heading for their targets. However, he then watched in disbelief as the slugs seemed to veer off in mid-flight, simply crashing to the ground in front of the enemy units.

"No contact!" The Dimetrodon pilot called out. "Enemy seems to have some sort of electromagnetic shielding."

"Damn it." He muttered. "Thorne?"

"No idea." She called out. "I've never seen anything like that."

"Affirmative." He nodded, then switched back to the command frequency. "Enemy has EM Shielding. Close ranks, go to Melee only! Try to open us a gap in that front line."

"Already on it." McMillain called back.

"Roger that." He confirmed, the Energy Liger veering away from the Brastle Tiger. Still running, the heavyset Tiger Zoid unfolded numerous panels across its body, activating its weapons systems. A wave of searing red beams swept across the enemy front line, slagging Bio-Zoids that they touched and cleaving a hole in their ranks. It wasn't anywhere near the damage that the Deathsaurer had done, but it was a start.

"Go! Go now!" The Energy Liger roared as it leaped, sailing towards the enemy lines. Charging through the hole torn by the Brastle Tiger's assault, it cleaved into their second ranks, its twin wings slicing through the Bio-Zoids with ease. The lead elements of his group followed, smashing into the _Kuroryu-kai's _lines. The command channel was filled with a mixture of victory cries and emergency calls as the Drakken Zoids met the enemy, doing whatever they could to engage them under very trying circumstances.

The Energy Liger snarled as it sliced into a Bio-Kentra, shattering through its flank and exposing its core. As soon as the Zoid was down, it wheeled around, lunging at an approaching Megaraptor. The Liger's Horn speared through the Zoid, the shaft piercing the throat of the machine. With a roar, it pulled free, shredding the Raptor's head.

Several shots hit the Liger's side, staggering it but not penetrating the thick armor. Wheeling around, he saw his attacker, a Shadow Arms Lizard that had just emerged form cover. The machine fired off a volley from its heavy beam cannon, the shot only narrowly missing the Liger's head.

Before either he or the enemy machine could respond, it was struck in the side by Thorne's Darkhorn. The smaller Zoid was lifted off its feet, then crashed to the ground on its flank, its underside exposed. A burst of fire from the Darkhorn's beam gattling cannon raked across it, hammering the Zoid and knocking it out of action.

"Thanks for that." he offered.

"Just doing my duty." She grunted in reply.

"Of course." he added, then looked around, trying to take in the situation. _No air support available; I guess they're all watching out near the capitol. Which means that we'll have to make do with what we have._

"New contact!" Somebody called out. "Airborne units, coming in from north-west of our location. Types and numbers unconfirmed."

_They're aiming to box us in, _he thought. _But they couldn't do that, unless... _He opened a channel to central command. "This is Major O'Bannon to _Terminus Est. _Have engaged unknown enemy course near map ref S-37. Request status of Red Claw Air Support over Gayos."

There was a pause before a reply. "Red Claw has shown no signs of air activity over primary target."

_Not good but... _"What's the status on the enemy Gungyarados?"

"No sign as yet."

_Which is not what I wanted to hear. If that thing's here... _"Confirmed. Reporting that enemy force has a Deathsaurer and numerous other Zoids; enemy force appears to exceed size of Red Claw force in Gayos. Requesting immediate reinforcements."

"Negative. All forces are committed at present."

"Damn it, this is important!" He shouted, breaking protocol. "We need reinforcements here now!"

"This is Colonel Nacht." A new voice entered the channel. "We are at a key point in the liberation of Gayos. We do not have any forces to spare. Your orders are to waylay this force for as long as possible and discover their true strengths."

"Understood." _In other words, I'm on my own. _"All units! Try to hold your ground for as long as possible!"

"Incoming!" Somebody else shouted, adding to the chaos of the battlefield. "Enemy air support is on-" The transmission ended in a sudden high-pitched squeal of static as the sender's Zoid was torn apart. Looking around, O'Bannon could see a second blue-white beam, smaller then the first but no less dangerous, sweeping across the rear of his force.

_That's the Gungyarados! _He realised. _Which means that this is the enemy's primary assault force, not the Red Claw. _Figuring the relative positions of their forces, he understood what it meant - this unit could swing up, and tear into the exposed flanks of the main Drakken advance. _We must stop them, no matter the cost._

"Repeat, all units, try to close with the enemy. Do not give them any room to move, any room to fight. We must stop them, regardless of the cost!"

oOoOo

Levisha grinned as she watched the Gungyarados in action its charged particle beam tearing through the Draken ranks. She could only imagine the chaos and the confusion on the battlefield below as the enemy pilots tried to survive the attacks that Sturm was unleashing. It was a glorious act of carnage, one that she could only further accentuate.

"Go, seek and destroy." She spoke as she reached through her mindlink to the Lord Gale's systems, and then out to the Chimeras that it controlled. Commanding them as if they were parts of her own body, she seized control of the dragons and ordered them to attack the enemy. She had no specific orders or intentions, only for them to rip into the Drakken lines, causing chaos and devastation.

Confident that they would handle matters, she took a brief moment to reach into the Deathsaurer's enslaved mind, checking on its operation. The Chimera control unit that Jenice had grafted into it was functioning perfectly, reducing the once ferocious best to another one of her mindless sleeves - just as she liked it.

This was why she joined the _Kuroryu-kai, _abandoning the Blackstars and all they stood for. She had gladly traded their prestige and reputation for the unknown that the organisation offered, simply because she saw it as a chance for greater glory and more power. And now, she had it. She was the ruler of the battlefield, able to command units through sheer force of will. She lorded over all around her.

And that was not the limit of it. Soon, oh so very soon, the true power of Zero Point would be unleashed and the _Kuroryu-kai _would become the masters of this world. This power she had and all that came with it would be nothing before what she would have in the new age. All she had to do was deal with these insignificant insects, and then their time would come.

"Forty-Two, Sturm!" Agent Six's voice came over the command channel. "A situation has developed at Zero Point. You two are to disengage and head back there immediately."

"What?" She snapped. "Why do I have to leave? Why they can't they deal with it themselves?" The last thing she wanted was to abandon this battle, just as it was reaching its peak.

"That is an order, Forty-Two." Six angrily stated. "I need not remind you of the importance of Zero Point."

"Yes, commander." She reluctantly replied.

"Leave the Deathsaurer." He continued. "We will still need it. The Gungyarados and your Chimeras should have enough firepower to deal with whatever is happening there."

_In other words, I'm less important then the Zoid I control. _Even though he hadn't said anything, it was prettily clearly implied. "Yes, commander." She muttered. Breaking away from the battle, she issued a recall order to three of her Chimeras as the Lord Gale climbed away. "Come on, Sturm, we have pressing matters to deal with."

"Of course." he replied, just the slightest hint of reluctance in his voice.

She sighed. "Not you too."

"Levisha?"

"We reach our goal, and all of a sudden everyone gets all stroppy on me." She shook her head. "Let's go. The new world can't wait any longer."

oOoOo

The distant sound of an explosion echoed through the palace corridors, followed moments later by a second, louder one. The ground shook, while lights flickered and flakes of concrete dust trickled down from the ceiling. Bart Krark tried to steady himself as he staggered, shaking with the building that seemed to rock the building to its foundations. His bulk got the better of him, however, knocking him off balance and sending him sprawling backwards.

He shook his arms, dropping the sack he had been carrying. It fell to the floor with a loud clang as he fell backwards, managing to prop himself up against a hall table at the very last minute. "That..." he puffed. "That was too close." He wiped his brow with his arm, pausing for a second to catch his breath.

"C'mon... Bart." He wheezed out. "This is no... no time for resting. Ya gotta... gotta get moving before you get your arse... arse shot off." Gasping again then breathing deeply, he reached down for the sack he had dropped. "Ah hell." He muttered as he saw that it had split open, spilling out some of its contents. "Not now."

Slowly kneeling down, he began to try to shovel some of the contents back into the sack. A few silver plates from the main dining room with matching cutlery, some gold candlesticks, some jewelry poached form display cabinets... All of it he piled back into the sack as best he could, stuffing his pockets with a few other stray things that had fallen out.

Another explosion in the distance reminded him of what was going on outside, and that he had better get moving. He'd known that this day was coming for ages, and known that when it would, the Red Claw was doomed. When Kara had run off, it had made him realise that she was probably one of the smartest people around - she, at least, hadn't been intimidated by Levisha's display. He'd wanted to follow her example, but still lacked the courage to actually do anything, lest he be caught and killed.

He knew full well that even though he was the acting commander of the Red Claw's forces in Gayos, in the end, he was also ultimately replaceable. And that was what frightened him more then anything else Jencie's hand had done. He knew that his considerable technical skills were not an asset any more, otherwise he wouldn't be left here. It meant that the only value he had left was as a _symbol_, the last remaining public face of the Red Claw's leadership.

It was his job to stand there and look good as the Red Claw died.

So he'd developed his own plan, one that he figured would help him ride out the end of the war without ending up dead or, even worse, in a Drak POW camp. He'd stay and fight in the doomed last stand - or so it would appear. Once the battle got started, and everything degenerated into chaos, he'd slip away and make his escape. Levisha and her killer robots would be too distracted to try and kill him for deserting, which meant that he could get a free run, and the rest of the Claw could die to provide him with cover.

Of course, it was a bonus that he was commanding form the Zygra palace, which was in turn packed with valuables and art and the like. He'd decided to pocket a few pieces for himself so that he could live well in the aftermath. His plan was to simply slip away, find a small town, move in and live off his ill-gotten gains in a comfortable way.

Of course, he had to get there.

Grunting and wheezing, he reached the main service elevators, and then paused. There was a rule not to use lifts in the advent of an emergency and, to his mind, this definitely constituted one. Another series of explosions, each getting closer, seemed to underscore the point. Instead, he grunted as he stumbled down the stairs, heaving his sack behind him.

"These stairs have gotten steeper", he muttered to himself as he continued. "And longer too... damn, this feels like it goes on forever." Another nearby blast rocked the stairwell, cracking concrete and cutting the power for a few all too long seconds. Bart himself staggered back, clutching his chest as he almost dropped his swag again. "No, dammit." He snarled. "I... I have to make it."

It was a small eternity later that he staggered into the garage where his Gustav was waiting. Miraculously untouched by the attack so far, the bay seemed to be deserted. He figured that whoever had been in here had probably run for the shelters or simply bolted. Both seemed like a good plan, but, well, he had other ideas. Putting it out of his mind, he staggered the last few steps towards the Gustav.

With a loud tear, the sack split open, spilling its contents all over the floor. "Ah... dammit..." Bart began as he staggered, then collapsed against the side of the Zoid, gasping for breath. "Come on... I don't wanna die broke." In desperation, he dropped down onto his hands and knees, grabbing at his ill-gotten gains. "Come on, just a little more..." Each step seemed to get more painful, each bit of loot a little further away. "Come on."

A hand grabbed one of the plates and handed it to him. Looking up, Bart could see a young man with a scruffy beard, dressed in a prison jumpsuit. He probably would have looked pretty decent, Bart figured, if he wasn't a scruffy mess and covered in dust.

"I thought everyone had escaped." Bart gasped.

"I'm a prisoner." He replied as he grabbed some of the loot. "Or rather, was. I managed to get out when a shell hit the detention center. Lucky me."

"So why are you here?" He asked.

"Revenge." The man continued. "I was hoping that Levisha would be here, so I could get her back for what she did to me."

Bart looked up at the young man. "Commander Towne?" He asked.

"Yeah." The man nodded. "You probably don't recognise me but, well, I used to be one of the Claw's agents. That is, before Levisha used me as bait and left me to die. When the Claw came to Gayos, she left me in that cell to rot."

"Well you're outa luck, boy." Bart gasped. "She got the hell outa here long ago. I'm about the only one in charge left and, well..." He smirked. "She pretty much did the same to me. I'm here to die for the Claw while she gets going. So, well... I figure that I might as well get outa here too and take what I can."

"Huh." The man finished. "Good luck then."

"But.." But wheezed. "I could use a good set of hands, and maybe someone with a stronger ticker."

He considered this for a moment. "Fifty-fifty split?"

"Seems good to me."

The man grabbed the last plate, then stood. "Bart, wasn't it?"

"That's right." He nodded. "And you?"

"Jake Peloquin." The man finished.

"Well, Jake, you just got your ticket out of this hellhole." Bart explained. "Sure running aint as rewarding as revenge. But running with a huge swag more then makes up for it."

oOoOo

Another volley of shots rippled off and then, to Zygra's surprise, the guns fell silent. For a moment, the entire world seemed still, as if it was pausing for breath. With nervous anticipation, he glanced around, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. _Has the Claw surrendered already? _He asked himself. _Or is there something else afoot?_

He glanced towards the horizon again, looking at the city before him. Gayos' skyline had crumbled, many of its buildings little more then twisted, burning wrecks. Clouds of black smoke bellowed out from across the ruins, forming a thick pall that hung over the city. And yet, in the center of it all, the palace still stood. To his mind it was a proud and defiant symbol of all he had lost, and all that he stood to regain.

_Its withstood all that has happened, as if it was calling out to me. _He idly drummed the Zero's controls. _And soon, very soon, it will be mine again. After so long, after traveling so far, after all that has happened, I am coming home. _He knew that it wouldn't be long but, at the same time, he wanted it all now.

He wondered if the Red Claw weren't considering a surrender. The thought divided him; on one hand, it meant that he could regain his throne that much sooner. On the other hand, it meant that he would be denied the pleasure of taking his Zoid into battle and using it to personally strike down the invaders who had taken his home from him.

_So what is going on? _He asked himself. _What are we waiting for?_

And then as if in response to his unspoken question, the voice of the Empress herself came over the communicator. "The hour of liberation is at hand. My prince, I would be honored if you would lead the final charge on the invaders and free your homeland."

"Thank you. You honour me." He nodded.

"Go now. Your people await you." She finished, and closed the channel.

He nodded, then switched over to the command channel. "All units, this is Emperor Nikolas Zygra, ruler of the Zygra Empire. On my mark..." He paused, savoring the anticipation of the moment. "Charge!"

He opened up the throttle, his Liger Zero EM surging forwards towards the city. Behind it, the Saber Tigers leaped into action, moving up alongside his Zoid, trying to keep up with him. Behind them, the other Zoids leaped into action a wave of metal charging across the plains like an unstoppable flood that would sweep away all that stood in its path.

The Liger effortlessly vaulted the ruined walls, landing inside the city. He knew that this was it, that he was back on his soil, almost at his palace. However, he also knew that he could ill-afford to let his guard down now. _Stay focused, stay on task. _He reminded himself. _We can celebrate later. For now, we must eliminate the filth that infest this place._

A Red Claw Unenalgia, one arm trailing limply behind it, staggered into view. Before its pilot knew what was going on, Zygra opened fire on it, blasting into the smaller, damaged Zoid's side with the impact cannon. The twin blasts tore through its healthy arm, shredding armour and structure and all but obliterating the limb. Wounded, the Zoid staggered back, its pilot clearly confused as to what to do next.

Zygra didn't give him a chance. He charged forwards, the Liger roaring as he lunged at his smaller opponent. With a brilliant golden flash, the Strike Laser Claws scythed through the enemy machine, crushing its cockpit and instantly killing its pilot. The force of the blow drove the Unenalgia into the ground, slamming the smaller Zoid into the cracked roadway. it gave a brief whimper, then went silent.

"Excellent." He began as, around him, other Drakken Zoids charged into the city, opening fire of anything that even faintly smacked of resistance. _It won't be long now, _he thought with a grin. _And then it will all be mine._

oOoOo

"It does indeed look like all our chickens have come home to roost." Levisha commented as her Lord Gale swooped down towards Zero Point. "Our would-be heroes have launched another assault on us, Sturm. I think that, this time, we should simply exterminate them entirely."

"It seems kind of pointless to do such." He replied as his Gungyarados dived towards the battle. "We could just destroy a few of them, and then the rest would realise what we are capable of, and either surrender or flee again."

"True, yes." She conceded, a squadron of Chimera Dragons forming up on her Zoid. "But let's face it; we have a chance to get them all at once right now, so I don't see why we shouldn't take it."

"But it includes people who were once our comrades-"

"Sturm, you clearly don't know them as well as I do." She cut him off. "I've got a chance to show those idiots exactly what I feel about them, and to replay them for all the time I had to spend in their awful company. And I'm going to enjoy every moment of it - hold on, incoming fire!"

Both the Lord Gale and Gungyarados pulled away as a pair of massive beams shot up from the found below, peeling off form their attack runs. Looking down, Sturm could see the source of the attack - the upgraded Geno Hydra that had appeared in the last assault on Zero Point. "I see it." He began. "Let me take it out while you handle the others."

"Seems fair to me." Levisha replied. "And it leaves me free to deal with the Red Claw as I wish."

Sturm was pretty sure that she was grinning at the thought. Putting it out of his mind, he pulled back again on the stick, the Gungyarados climbing above the battlefield. The Zoid stopped, its wings flapping as it held its position. _I can end this with one shot, _he thought to himself and he activated the generators for the Charged Particle Cannon. _Then it will all be over, and I can do what I set out to._

"Paladin Trogdor!" A voice cut over his comms channel. He recongised it as Jaeger, one if the _Kuroryu-kai's _higher-ranked officers. "We need the pilot of the Iron Kong alive and unharmed. Do not use the Charged Particle Cannon in case you hit her Zoid."

This struck him. Even after all they had been through, after all the problems she had supposedly caused, that they still wanted her alive seemed to be odd to say the least. However, if it would help him with his goals... "I understand." He commented. "I will engage the enemy with my other systems." It wasn't too much of a loss; the Gungyarados still had more then enough firepower to deal with its opponents even without its main gun.

Shrieking, the Zoid looped over then dived towards the enemy force, specifically the Geno Hydra that appeared to be their most potent machine. The pulse cannon mounted on the Zoid's back opened up, spitting a stream of brilliant green energy pulses at the enemy Zoid. The shots peppered the Hydra's flank, ripping through the thick armor. The Zoid staggered for a moment, then fired its boosters, leaping out of the path of the attack.

The heavy Zoid spun around, coming to rest before elevating and opening fire with its twin beam cannons. Sturm peeled away from their fire, but one of them still managed to strike the Gungyarados in the chest, rocking the Zoid. Checking his status board, he could see that, even with the laser-resistant amour, the Gungayrados had been hit hard.

He wheeled the Zoid around, diving at the Hydra from its flank. _All of its weapons point forward and don't traverse. I may have a chance there. _Diving, he opened up again with the pulse cannon, stitching a line of fire on the ground before hammering the Hydra's side. Again the Zoid leaped out of his way, but this time, Sturm was ready, He turned the head, lashing out with a huge wall of fire at the enemy Zoid. _That should finish him, _he confidently began.

Except it didn't. The Geno Hydra leaped again, swerving to one side and almost completely avoiding the Gungyarados' flame. As it leaped, the pilot opened up again with the beam cannons. This time, both shots struck home, gouging into the armor on the Zoid's flank. _He's good! _Sturm grunted as he pulled away from the enemy Zoid. _In fact..._

The battle was reminding him of another one, where he fought a similar Zoid in the Gungyarados. _That couldn't be... _He activated his communicator, switching it over to the command frequency used by the Zygra Empire's paladins. "Nathan Winters, is that you?"

"Sturm?" Nathan called back. "I should have known."

"Give up, Nathan." Sturm demanded. "You cannot win. Very soon, we will remake this world and force upon it the change that you have fought against for so long, the change that you and your empire tried to ensure would never happen. We will remake this world into a better, fairer one for all humanity." The Gunguyarados swooped down again, opening up with both weapons now.

"Sturm!" He snapped as the Hydra leaped out of its path, its flank being seared by the flames. "They've lied to you, these people! The _Kuroryu-kai _are not what they seem. They are a front for Hydra!" Panels on the side of the Hydra opened up, spraying missiles at the Gungyarados as it pulled away. "They've been deceiving you!"

"You lie!" he called back as he yanked on the stick, the Zoid trying to turn out of the path of the incoming weapons. However, at the same time, he could feel the sudden pull of uncertainty in his tone. _Why would Nathan make up such an outrageous claim? He's not one for deception, is he? Or is he just that desperate? _The missiles streaked past his Zoid, but began to come around to attack again. Pulling up, he opened fire on the incoming flight with the pulse cannon, the beams detonating the weapons before they could hit home. "Hydra were destroyed!"

"It's the truth, Sturm. You know me, you know you can trust what I say." The Hydra leaped forewords, again bringing its twin beam cannons to bear. "They are not planning to change or alter the world, Sturm. They are planning to destroy it, to finish the job their weapons started seventy years ago. Your 'new, perfect world' is to be built on the ashes of our genocide."

"That's..." He clenched his teeth as his Zoid came around. "That's..." The Gungyarados weaved between the shots, then opened up again with its arsenal. Rounds hammered into the Geno Hydra before it could leap away, slamming into its already damaged armor. The Zoid staggered back, badly damaged. Rearing up, he bought the impact cannon to bear on his opponent; the trio of heavy shots slamming into the Zoid and further damaging it. "That's impossible!"

He shut down the channel, and turned to Levisha. "Is it true?" He asked. "Is the _Kuroryu-kai _a front for Hydra? Are they planning to change the world by destroying it?"

There was a heavy, ominous pause. "Frankly, Sturm, I don't know." She finished. "And, frankly, nor do I care. They have promised me power, Sturm, all the power that I could ever want. The commander, Jaeger, Watanabe... they want me to be a part of their new world, one of its rulers. And for that power, I would gladly do anything, I don't care if we kill thousands or millions, as long as I get what I want in the end."

"But you wanted to change the world..." he countered. "You wanted to save it from its stagnation."

"If we need to destroy the world to save it, then I don't care. I just want what will come of it for me. And as for you..." She paused. "You can rule it by my side, my equal in all things. Or, I can simply take it all for myself. It's your choice, Sturm." A pair of Chimera Dragons wheeled around, passing the Gungyarados. The Zoids opened fire on the damaged Geno Hydra, pummeling it with missiles and railcannons. "Despite what it may seem, Paladin Trogdor, I do respect you. You are one of the few people who I have met who I would consider to be my equal. And I know what you really want."

"Of course." He nodded, the realisation clearing his mind. "And you are right." The Gungyarados wheeled around again, diving towards Nathan's crippled Zoid as the two Chimera Dragons moved in for the kill. He squeezed the trigger, the pulse cannon spitting out thousands of pulses of energy that ripped into the body of one of the Chimeras. The Zoid's AI was too slow to register the threat from the supposedly friendly Zoid before it was too late, the machine's body tearing apart as it tried to pull away from Sturm's assault.

The second dragon roared as it pulled up, abandoning the Hydra and instead going after the threat that destroyed it's partner. Bellowing, the Zoid pulled away and charged forwards, opening fire on Sturm's machine. The shots washed over the Gungyarados, the cannon fire simply being deflected away by the laser-resistant armour. The Gungyarados backed up, then opened fire with its flamethrower, striking the enemy Zoid directly in the face, their fames washing over it.

The Chimera Dragon emerged, its body scorched and charred but still functional and undeterred by the assault. Bellowing, it lunged at the Gungyarados, its lances and pincers outstretched. Sturm swung around, his larger but more agile Zoid swerving out of the Chimera's path. Then, in a lighting-fast move, the Zoid lashed out with it's drill-like tail, impaling the Chimera's head, then ripping it apart.

"Not bad." Levisha commented as her Lord Gale casually flew in front of his Zoid. "You are truly a surprising man, Paladin Trogdor. I had thought that I had fully corrupted you, transforming your desire for change and your anger towards your own homeland into a weapon I could use. However..." She shook her head. "You retained your own free will, and made your choice. You chose to do what you thought was morally correct, instead of what would gain you the most."

"Levisha..." He snarled. "Or whoever you are. Surrender now, give this madness up."

"Oh no, Sturm." She replied, a confident tone in her voice. "I will not give up now."

"Don't make me destroy you."

"An idle threat, Sturm." She continued. "Not that I think that you aren't capable of following it up. You have a love of destroying everything that you hold dear. Your empire, your fellow Paladins, your best friend... all these things have been destroyed by your hand."

He clenched the weapons controls, torn between his feelings for the woman in front of him, and the truth in her words. "You..." He continued. "You would have destroyed them anyway."

"But it was you who made it all possible, Sturm. Your actions allowed us to reach this point." She continued. "You destroyed that small town when you left the Paladins. You swept down and incinerated the emperor with your Zoid's weapons. You helped us identify your fellows in amongst all our prisoners, and you helped us find Zygra's secret fallback. All this is by your hand, Sturm."

"You-" He began, but was curt off by a sudden screech of alarm form the sensors. Something was approaching his Zoid from behind at high speed, something that was currently registering as friendly on his radar. He began to wheel the Zoid around, but it was too late.

The Evil Pegasus rammed the Gungyarados from behind, its metal shod hooves crashing into the Zoid's body. Before Sturm could react, the Zoid drove its horn forwards, ramming it through the back of the Gugyarados neck, thrusting forwards until the tip tore out of the machine's throat. With a bray of victory, the horse ripped the horn free, all but decapitating Sturm's Zoid.

"I had hoped you would see reason, Sturm, or at least surrender." Levisha called out as the Gungyarados began to coil back, dropping out of the sky as system after system failed. "It is a shame to have to destroy a man like you. And it is more of a shame to have to destroy such a potent Zoid."

oOoOo

"Nathan's down!" Jason called over the Tac channel as he saw the Geno Hydra collapse under a barrage of fire. "Repeat, Nathan is down!" Even though he didn't know the Zygra Paladin that well, nor his elderly mentor who was co-piloting the Zoid, Jason hoped that the pair of them were still alive. Both had shown themselves to be fine people, bravem honest and dependable. In short, the sort of people that the Red Claw's agents weren't.

It was not reassuring to know that their most powerful Zoid had been destroyed; it helped even less to know that it had been the enemy's most powerful Zoid that had taken it down. It left them in a rather precarious position, suddenly outmatched by the enemy force.

A beep from the sensors informed him that there were more Zoids incoming. Checking around, he could see one of them approaching, a massive Tyrannosaurus-like Bio-Zoid. While he'd never fought the machine himself, he'd heard that it mounted a charged particle weapon, something that none of their Zoids could stand up to. "More incoming!" He added. "Everyone! Try to stay close so they can't concentrate fire! Get into their faces if you have to!"

The Iguan sprinted forwards, charging at a nearby Bio-Raptor. With a wild swing, the Iguan slammed its claw-like hand into the Raptor's face, sending it staggering back. The enemy Zoid recovered quickly, however, lashing out with its claws, slicing into the armour over Jason's chest. Ignoring the warnings for the moment, he swung around with the Iguan's right leg, kicking the Raptor in the side of the neck. The Zoid's head twisted to one side with a sickening crack, the raptor staggering back then collapsing.

And then everything went insane.

The Gungyarados crashed to the ground, crushing several of the pre-fab buildings underneath it as it landed. The Zoid was scarred and pitted, and looked to have been nearly decapitated. Even a quick glance told Jason that none of the Zoids they had could have inflicted that sort of damage on it. Instead, the only likely candidate immediately seemed to be the Lord Gale, with its wickedly sharp lances and pinchers. Of course, why the _Kuroryu-kai _would destroy one of their own machines was also a mystery. He knew that Levisha wasn't the type to make a mistake like that.

"Did anyone just see what happened?" He called out over the channel. "The Gungy's down but... I have no idea who did it!"

"No." Althiea called back over the channel, the sounds of weapons fire in the background. "But it gives us a chance... If we can take out the Lord Gale, then their forces may loose cohesion. Without it, they cannot control the Chimera Dragons."

"Affirmative." Rayvenne hissed back. "Gwen, let's take it out."

"If that's Levisha, then I'd be glad to." Gwen added. "I've been wanting to bust her for ages." The Redler fired its boosters, soaring forwards towards the Lord Gale. Rayvenne's Sinker tried to keep up with it, but was quickly left behind.

"Gwen!" Rayvenne called out, trying to stay in character. "Stay with me!"

"I'm sorry, love." Gwen yelled back. "But she's had this coming for way, way too long."

"Love?" Rayvenne asked, her voice almost breaking in surprise.

"Love?" Jason added as he chased after them, swiveling his Iguan's AA cannons around to face the enemy Zoids. He wanted to do something, anything to aid them, as well as to bring down the woman who was, to his mind, one of the root causes of all that had happened so far.

The Redler closed in on the Lord Gale, opening fire with its twin beam cannons. However, the enemy Zoid deftly weaved between shots, then replied, opening up with the cannons mounted on its forearm. Several shots peppered the back of the Redler before Gwen broke away, her Zoid trailing black smoke behind it from the damage it had taken.

As Rayvenne closed in, a fourth Zoid joined the battle, a massive Chimera Dragon that came barreling towards Rayvenne's smaller machine. The Chimera opened up with its considerable arsenal, spraying shots at the far smaller Sinker. Reacting quickly to the attack, Rayvenne began to weave through the fire, avoiding the worst of it before breaking off and diving away from the Chimera. Bellowing, the larger Zoid followed her, trying to keep as closer to its smaller, more nimble prey as possible.

Glancing back, Jason saw Gwen making another pass at the Lord Gale, only to be hit several more times by the Gale's weapons before breaking off. Levisha, however, didn't pursue, instead seemingly constant to wait in place. On examination, he could see exactly what she was doing - she was holding her ground, using the Chimera Dragon as a shield so she could pick off the two attackers individually rather then face them both at once.

He needed to get the Chimera Dragon out of the way so that the pair of them could team up on the Lord Gale and take it down. That wouldn't be an easy task; the Dragon was heavily armed and armoured, and was far more then Rayvenne could handle on her own. Searching around, he his eyes fell on the ruins of a Bio Kentrosdaurus; its body had dissolved, but its wickedly sharp lances had survived. Suddenly, an idea began to form in his head.

"Bob!" He called out over the command channel. "Get over here?"

"Me? The Hellrunner pilot asked.

"Yes, dammit!" He called out as the Iguan ran towards the downed Bio-Zoid. Without stopping, he grabbed one of the lances while switching channels. "Rayvenne! Lead that monster down towards me. We're going to try and finish it off?"

"We?"

"Me and Bob." He explained.

"I'm feeling less then entirely confident." She quipped. "But it's not like I have any idea of my own. So we'll go with it." The Sinker broke away, diving down towards the other two Zoids. Moments later, the Chimera Dragon followed it, chasing after it at speed.

"Bob! Get moving, and keep firing! Don't let up on that thing!" He called out as he opened up the Iguan's throttle. Nearby, the Hellrunner broke into a high-speed run, moving as fast as its long legs could carry it. The Zoid's beam gattlign cannon spun around to track the Chimera, then opened up, spitting energy pulses at the massive Zoid. Rounds peppered its side from chin to tail, marring the armor but not doing much apparent damage to its structure.

The Chimera roared, then turned towards the Red Claw Zoid. "What do I do now?" Bob shouted, a panicky tone in his voice.

"Keep running and keep shooting!" He yelled. "Now! Rayvenne, let him have it!"

With more room to move now that the Chimera was off her back, Rayvenne pulled up and away before looping around. The Sinker dived on the Chimera, opening up with all four of its cannons from above and behind the enemy Zoid. Shots peppered its back and wings, ripping through the Zoid's armour and tearing into its systems.

"Good! Good!" Jason added as he opened up with its own weapons, setting the Chimera into a three-way crossfire. Like Bob, his shots weren't doing much damage, but served to grab the attention of the Zoid's primitive AI system. Bellowing in anger, the Chimera wheeled around, swooping down on his machine with its maw open, as if it was intending to swallow the Iguan whole.

Jason ran forward, swerving between shots as he closed the distance with the enemy machine. Then he leapt, firing the boosters to thrust him forwards. Lunging out, he rammed the lance into the Chimera's maw, then impaled its core. The Iguan crashed to the ground, stumbling as it landed and slamming his head against the control console. Glancing back, however, he could see that it had been worth it. The Chimera lay inert on the ground nearby, the lance rammed well into its throat.

"Rayvenne!" He yelled as he grabbed a second lance from the Kentrosaurus. "I have another idea, you ready?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready for your ideas." She muttered. "But sure."

Moments later, the Sinker swooped down, stopping and hovering just near the lance-carrying Iguan. "You know this is crazy." She offered. "And it will, completely screw up my aerodynamics."

"I understand. I just need you to get me there." Jason replied as the Iguan stepped onto the Sinker's back, crouching down and clamping onto it with its claw. "Then we both finish her off."

"Anything to get rid of her." Rayvenne finished. "Let's go!" Firing the Sinker's boosters, the Zoid sluggishly rose into the air. Not bothering with stealth or subtlety, they instead flew straight at the Lord Gale. As they approached, Gwen made another run on Levisha's machine, getting worse then it gave. The Redler tuned, then rolled over, huge holes rent in one of its wings.

"It's now or never." Jason commented as they closed in. "Ready?"

"I'll never be ready." She muttered. "But yes."

The Sinker swooped down, opening fire just as the Lord Gale swung around to face them. "I dealt with your little friend easily. You'll be- what?" Levisha called out as the Iguan fired its boosters, leaping off the Sinker's back. The Sinker opened fire on the Lord Gale, distracting Levisha's attention as the Iguan dropped down, lance thrusting into the enemy Zoid's head.

Smashing straight through the brilliant green orb in its center, the lance impaled the head, running straight through it. There was an ear-splitting screech form the Zoid, accompanied by a similar pained screech form the pilot herself. The Lord Gale flopped backwards, plummeting out of the sky, back-first.

_Of course, this is the bad part of the plan, _Jason thought as he again fired the booster, leaping off the doomed machine. The Iguan flailed for a moment, before landing in an awkward crouch that jarred both pilot and machine. Glancing around, Jason could see the tangled wreckage of the Lord Gale, lying on the ground next to the Gungyarados.

"Not bad." Rayvenne commented. "Not bad at all. You've made me remember why I like you so much."

"Huh?"

"You're brave, determined and, above all else, not scared to do something completely Zabatcrap crazy." She finished in her normal voice. "That's the kinda stuff that that I really admire."

oOoOo

Agent Six watched the battle impassively from the cockpit of his Bio-Tyrannosaur, monitoring the situation as he fought. From his analysis, he could see that the Drakken forces were loosing the battle. While they were fighting fiercely, they were clearly outnumbered and loosing ground. The holes the Deathsaurer and Gungyarados had cleaved through their ranks had been an excellent start, but it was the strength of his troops and his leadership that had been the key to this imminent victory.

He knew that it was only a matter of hours before the Commander and his _Activator _unleashed the full power of Zero Point, and began the process of remaking the world. He knew that, when that occurred, the events here would be irrelevant. At the same time, he also understood that they needed that time to prepare, and it was his duty to buy them that time. But there was more to it then that.

Six lived for battle. He loved the thrill of victory and the feeling of achievement that could only come from crushing one's enemies. For too long, he had been kept cooped up inside the _Kuroryu-kai's _lair, quietly plotting strategies and planning for battles that never came. But now, he had a chance to spread his arms and actually do the things he had always wanted to. And being instrumental in the defeat of a force form the much-vaunted Draken army would be an excellent start.

The Bio-Tyranno lashed out, its scythe-like claws ripping through a Rev Rapter that had dared stray too close to it, shredding and dismembering it in a single blow. Not pausing, he surged forwards, decapitating a Brachios with another swing, then sinking his Zoid's fangs into its body before ripping it apart. "Excellent." He muttered to himself, a tone of smug satisfaction in his voice.

"Commander!" A panicked message from one of his officers suddenly interrupted his enjoyment of the battle. "There's a problem!"

"What is it?" He asked, more then a touch annoyed. This was his perfect battle, and nothing was meant to go wrong. Torgdor and Fourty Two being forced to withdraw had been a minor irritant, certainly, but not one that he couldn't overcome.

"The Chimeras... they've gone berserk! Several of them have started attacking our own troops as well as the Drakken forces!"

"What?" He snapped. "That's impossible, unless..." When properly utilised, the Chimeras could be lethal weapons. However, without a Lord Gale to direct them, they turned into mindless monsters, simply attacking anything they saw. He bought up several views of the battle, confirming what was reported; the Chimeras were attacking both Draken and _Kuroryu-kai_ troops.

"Agent Fourty-Two, come in!" He shouted into the communicator. "This is Agent Six! Your Chimeras are out of control. Please reestablish control immediately!" Instead, the line was dead. "Agent Fourty-Two, come in please!" he repeated, but with no reply.

_She must have been disabled, or her Zoid knocked out... _he thought. _Which means that the Chimeras are no longer under her control. _"All units!" He yelled over the command channels. "Chimeras have gone Feral! Fire on them if they attack you! Repeat, Chimeras are feral and to be fired upon if they attack!"

"Commander?" Another officer spoke up. "What about the Deathsaurer?"

"The... oh." A cold dread filled his body as he remembered what _else _the Lord Gale had been controlling. The Deathsaurer had been slaved to the Lord Gale's control unit, as the machine was apparently otherwise unusable. And with the Lord Gale down...

As if in answer to his thoughts, there was a blood-curdling roar from directly behind him. Glancing back, he could see the huge, blood red machine towering over him, its red eyes glowing with a sinister and malevolent intelligence. "Oh-" He began as the realisation washed over him. The Deathsaurer was feral, and standing in the middle of his forces... and right behind him... and its mind would not distinguish friend or enemy. It would just attack indiscriminately.

"Everyone!" He shouted. "All units! Get away from-"

Six never finished his sentence, being instantly vaporized along with his Zoid. The Deathsaurer unleashed its terrible destruction upon the _Kuroryu-kai's _ranks, scything through their numbers. In an instant, their lines disintegrated into chaos, each and every man trying to escape the terrible weapon unleashed in their midst.

oOoOo

"Yeeee-haw!" Floyd called out as the Gustav crested a hill at speed, its trailers clattering behind it. "Now this is living!"

"Can we be a little less reckless, please?" Sabrina asked as she clung onto the back of the seat for dear life. "I feel afraid."

"Don't worry, Sabrina." He confidently replied. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"I know but... I like my life. I've only got one of them."

"No, there's probably plenty more of you where that came from." He muttered.

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing. At all. Nothing, at all, yes." He hastily countered. "Now hang on. Things are going to get very, very exciting from here on in."

"I think I reached my excitement threshold about thirty minutes ago."

Floyd grinned. "Well, Sabrina. I'm going to need you for what I have in mind. So what I suggest is that you hang on as tight as possible and try to remain clam despite whatever I may be doing. No matter how insane my actions may seem, I need you to believe that I have a sound plan in mind. Can you do that?"

"Um, sure."

"That's the spirit." He grinned. "We're five kilometers out from our target, we have a half-ruined shell, its the middle of the day and I'm wearing a labcoat. Let's rock."

The Gustav surged forwards, charging towards the battlefield. As they approached, Floyd could see signs of chaos and devastation; thick black clouds of smoke, weapons fire filling the air, and a single, searingly bright beam ripping through the air. "Purdy." He muttered. "And that's also a very, very good indicator of our target. So here we go!"

A pair of Bio Raptors spotted the Gustav coming, turning to face it. The pair opened up with their flamers, the shots washing harmlessly over the shell. Undeterred, Floyd drove straight forwards, simply smashing through the Zoid and sending it reeling. The second machine spun around, unleashing a volley of shots at the Gustav, the majority of which went wide. Ignoring the enemy Zoid, he continued forward, ploughing into the midst of the enemy formation.

"Aha!" He called out as he sighted a single Zoid in the middle of the battlefield, towering over everything else. "That would be out goal. Sabrina. Are you ready?"

"No, but I suspect you'll go ahead anyway."

"That's the spirit!" He called out with a grin. "Let's go!" The Gustav served sharply, then charged into the middle of the enemy formation. Bio Zoids ran towards the Zoid, either intent on running it down or simply trying to get away from the terror that had been unleashed in the middle of their army; either way, he simply did his best o bypass those he could and swipe aside those he couldn't. Ignoring the increasing stream of warnings on his display, he pressed forewords as hard as he can.

With a sudden sharp turn, he hit the emergency trailer release, sending the two trailers flying and scything through a row of Zoids, before pushing the throttle open as hard as he could. The Zoid surged forwards, heading straight towards the Deathsaurer at high speed. Undeterred, it simply drove straight into it, slamming into the gigantic Zoid's foot before coming to a halt.

"That was your plan?" Sabrina gasped.

"That was part one." He replied as he fished around in his pockets. "Ahah!" he called out as he pulled out a cylindrical device that looked like a heavy torch, with the world 'Shane' crudely carved into the side. "Now this is a Maghook. Do have you ever used one before?"

"No."

"Do you even know what one is?"

"Er, no."

"Far enough. I can exposit later, but right now we have important work to do." He opened the Zoid's cracked and battered cockpit, standing and pointing the maghook at the Deathsaurer's head. There was a sudden hiss as the head of the device shot upwards, trailing a cable behind it, then attaching to the side of the Zoid's head. "Excellent!" he called out. "Now Sabrina, could you please hold on tight."

"Um, sure." She began, taking a hold of his hand.

"No, not like that. I mean, 'grab me and hold me with all your might.'" He glanced up at the massive machine which was now looking down at the pair of them. "And, um, I mean right now as well."

With a quick 'meep' she grabbed him, wrapping both arms around his shoulders. "Ready." She offered.

"And awaaaaay we go!" He shouted, pressing another button on the hook. The cable quickly reacted, lifting the pair of them with some speed towards the Deathsaurer's head. As if it was aware of what was going on, the Zoid turned towards them, only to loose sight of the cable and instead plant its massive foot down on the Gustav's cockpit, crushing it.

"Oh bother." Floyd muttered as the cable clicked into place. "Now, Victo- er, Sabrina, this is very important!" He continued as loud as he could. "I need you to open the cockpit. Can you do that?"

"Sure." She replied in a nervous tone. Gingerly stepping away form him, she perched herself on the back of the Zoid. Not until she was confident that she was secure did she reach out and begin working the controls for the manual canopy release. With a loud hiss, the armored panel over the Deathsaurer's head swung forwards, revealing the cockpit inside.

"Excelement!" He called out. "Now I'll ask you to step in there and, well, go to work. And, um, can you open the secondary cockpit in the

chest as well?"

"Of course." She replied as she closed the canopy.

"Good work, Sabrina." He yelled back. "And good luck. Really." There was a long, tense moment of silence before the quiet hiss of the secondary cockpit opening. Giving the woman a quiet thumbs up, he used the Maghook to drop down into the secondary cockpit, then sealed himself in.

"So what do we do now, Floyd?" She asked.

"We head back to Zero Point as fast as we can." He replied. "Hand over all weapons controls save for the CPG to me. I'll manage things here; you just concentrate on driving."

"Sure."

"I've always wanted one of these." He commented to himself as he bought the various weapons systems on-line. "Okay, cats. Let's grove."

oOoOo

What had once been an orderly field base around Zero Point now resembled an open warzone. Of all the quickform buildings and tents erected by the _Kuroryu-kai, _not a single one of them remained intact. Many had been torn apart by weapons fire and were burning, others had been simply crushed by passing Zoids. Wreckage lay everywhere, a mixture of the debris form the fallen Bio Zoids, the wreckage of those other Zoids that had fallen, and the equipment that the _Kuroryu-kai _had bought with them. In the center of it all, the black tower of Zero Point itself still stood, seemingly unaffected by all the chaos and destruction around it.

And the battle continued to rage on.

"Althiea!" Jason called out as he dashed away from the oncoming Bio-Tyranno. "We have a problem here. This _thing _is out for blood and nothing I have is even phasing it!"

"I'm sorry." She replied. "But I'm tied up with matters over here. They're concentrating on bringing me down, and I just can't break away."

"Right." He muttered. "Anyone else able to volunteer some help?" The Iguan ducked behind a twisted repair gantry, Jason knowing full well that it wouldn't provide him with much cover from the huge enemy Zoid. However, he also knew that it might throw him off for a moment, which was enough. "Ah hell!"

The Zoid broke into a run just as the Tyranno lumbered forwards, lashing out with its huge, back-mounted claws. One of the weapons scythed through the space where the Iguan had been, instead cleaving the wrecked gantry neatly in half. As he ran, he opened up with the Iguan's tail mounted guns, the beams simply bouncing off the Zoid's armour.

"Ah hell!" He called out, swinging back and taking several shots with the quad cannon. "Hey Bob, where the hell did you get to anyway?"

"Away from that thing!" Bob called back over the communicator.

"Damn it." He swore under his breath. "Can I get something down here before that thing eats me alive?"

As if in response to the question, the Bio-Tyranno suddenly reeled backwards, its eye exploding outwards in a gout of flame. The Zoid staggered for a moment, then managed to right itself, shaking is head and revealing the ruined side of its face. "Dangit." Leanne called out. "I'd hoped to nail 'im."

"Leanne, I don't care." He stated. "That was wonderful and you are an amazing person."

"Ah heck, I jus' do what I can." She replied. "An' that was my last round. Try to hold up, Jase. I'm comin' to get ya."

_Try to hold up, _he thought to himself. _Easier said then done. _The Iguan dashed past the wounded Zoid, firing its arm cannon into the wrecked side of its face. He wasn't expecting his shots to have too much effect, but there was always a chance. The rounds burst across its surface, seemingly distracting the pilot which proved to be enough for him. The Iguan vaulted away, dashing behind a ruined wall before scampering off.

The Bio-Tyranno roared then thundered after him, its speed belying its huge bulk. _Its fast, _he thought. _But I'll bet that I'm more agile. _The smaller Zoid dashed in amongst several half-ruined buildings, trying to keep low and stay out of site. Jason knew that there was little he could do about the massive _Kuroryu-kai _war machine, but, at the same time, he also knew that the longer he could tie it up, the more of a chance that gave Althiea.

_And she is our only hope, the only one who can end this madness._

He turned around, firing both head-mounted cannons into the Zoid's face again. This time they seemed to hit something, the Bio-Tyranno recoiling back and bellowing out loud as smoke wafted up from the wreckage of its face. A moment later a volley of beam fire washed over the Zoid's flank, not doing any damage but serving to further aggravate the Zoid.

"Git away from him, y'hear?" Leanne called out as her Gunsniper leaped at the enemy Zoid, its booster firing wildly. The small raptor Zoid slammed into its larger opponent's side, the claws slashing through and shattering the armour over its hip. Another blow savaged its ankle, causing the Bio-Zoid to stumble.

"Good work!" Jason called out as he ran out form cover. Seeing a chance, he also leaped on the enemy machine, his Iguan planting a foot into the Zoid's neck. The Tyrannosaur roared in pain, then replied back, flailing at the Iguan with one of its small arms. Confident, Jason spun around and slammed a foot into the already weakened ankle, causing it to further stumble.

"We got 'im now!" Leanne called out as she charged in, the Gunsiper hissing angrily. "Jus' cause yer bigger don't mean that - whoah!" Before she could strike a pair of massive, wickedly sharp claws folded out form the Bio-Zoid's back, slashing at the pair of them. They raked over the Gunsniper's flank, ripping apart its hip and arm. The small Zoid stumbled and fell, crashing down on its ruined side.

"Leanne!" Jason called out as he saw the massive claws swing around towards him. "Damn it, where did those come from?" The Tyranno struck at him, the claws narrowly missing his machine and instead gouging into the ground. He ducked way, only to be struck by a second blow that raked across the Iguan's side, all but tearing off one leg and sending his Zoid crashing to the ground.

"Tool." he muttered as he looked over the status board. "This is not good." The board looked to be a maze of red, with systems either badly damaged, or warning that they were being pushed to their limits. The Bio-Zoid roared, then turned back to him. "This is not-"

"Hey, ya big tool!" Leanne called out, her battered Gunsniper propping itself up. "Over here!"

The Tyranno turned back to face her just as the Sniper's two back-mounted rocket pods sprung open, disgorging their load into the Zoid's head at point blank range. The massive skull simply blew apart, leaving the machine standing for a moment, decapitated, its neck a smoking ruin. Then it collapsed to one side, crashing to the ground as its body began to dissolve.

"Nice." Jason managed to gasp out. "Very nice."

"Best I could manage." She replied.

Jason paused for a moment to catch his breath. "Damn, I think my Zoid is spent." He shook his head. "Sorry about that."

"Naw, it's cool. You did your best. We all did." She sighed.

"What about-"

"Those Red Claw guys?" She asked. "I think they all bolted when Gwen went down. She was the only thing keepin' 'em here."

"Figures." He shook his head again as the realisation dawned on him. "I guess... I guess it's all up to Althiea now."

oOoOo

As his Evil Pegasus cruised above the battlefield, Jaeger listened to the cacophony that was coming across his communications channels, trying not to believe what he was hearing. Levisha was down, the Zoids she had been controlling having gone berserk in the midst of their forces. Six's task force was disintegrating, its leader dead and the Drakken forces that were meant to be on the verge of defeat instead looking to crush them. The remnant forces at Zero point were also failing, their numbers being nearly depleted.

Watanabe was apparently dead, his Bio-Tyrannosaur having disintegrated around him. And Jenice was seemingly unable to answer her communicator, and was likely still lying in a ball on the floor of Zero point.

They had been so close to victory, and now were on the verge of defeat. The Great One's vision was about to be fulfilled, and yet it was all falling apart.

_This is all her fault, _he thought as he looked down at the battlefield and the Iron Kong that was in the midst of it. _She is the root cause of all of this. And now, she is our - my only hope to fulfill my dreams. _Because that was the truth; to the best of his knowledge, he was the last one left.

There had been a small cadre of them years ago; the ones who had been at the heart of the _Kuroryu-kai, _the ones who had formed the rebirth of Hydra. But their numbers had been depleted over time, to the point where only two of them remained, him and the man known as Watanabe. And now he was the only one left; even their _Kuroryu-kai _and Red Claw puppets had failed them and been destroyed.

But Zero Point survived. And while Zero Point still stood, then he could try to reclaim victory. He could loose this day, maybe, but he could always find or make a new _Activator, _someone who would be his tool to use to create the new world. He would burn off his assets, eliminate all traces of the _Kuroryru-kai _and their ilk, and disappear.

But first, he had to eliminate the single greatest threat remaining, the one that could undo him.

The Evil Pegasus let out a warcry, somewhere between a whinny and a screech. Then, on red wings, the massive ear machine dived towards the battlefield and at the woman who had caused its pilot so much grief.

oOoOo

"Althiea!" Rayvenne called out over the channel. "There's a - aaah!"

Turning around, she saw the Sinker pulling away, its tail section a burning mess belching thick black smoke behind it. Looming over the damaged Zoid was a new threat, a machine that she had never seen before but had read about. It looked like a nightmare come to life, a sinister red, black and gold form that strode across the skies.

It was an Evil Pegasus, one of the most potent Zoids ever created. And, she knew even if she couldn't say how, that its pilot was the man who was behind all this, the one who had made her what she was, and tried to recreate Hydra to destroy the world.

"You could have had everything, Althiea." He called over the channel. "You could have ruled this world, reshaped it as you saw fit. Now, now for all you have done to us, you will die."

"I never wanted that." She angrily replied. "Your new world is a false ideal, one built on the slaughter of countless innocents. Would you destroy this world in the name of saving it?"

"To fulfill the Great One's dreams, I would do anything!" He called out as a flight of missiles launched form the Zoid's chest, streaking towards the Iron Kong. Althiea quickly fired the boosters, the Iron Kong lifting off, then suddenly twisting out of the path of the oncoming warheads. Unexpectedly, the missiles turned sharply, chasing after her and slamming into the Zoid's flank. Glancing down at the status boards, she could see that the armor was badly damaged, but holding - at least for now.

She already knew that she only had two weapons left, the Pulse Cannon and the Hyperbeam launcher. Everything else had already been expended against the _Kuroryu-kai's _forces earlier. Furthermore, the armor on her Zoid was battered and ragged, while his appeared to be fresh. And, more to the point, she could see that she was completely without allies.

_I will not falter. I will not fall, _she told herself. _I will not let that madman succeed._

The Iron Kong turned, opening fire with its shoulder and wrist weapons at the enemy Zoid. The nimble Pegasus pulled out of the line of fire of the Hyperbeam launcher, but still took a number of his from the pulse cannons, gouging out otherwise fresh armor from its shoulder and flank. The pilot, seemingly undeterred, swooped down, opening up with the two heavy lance-like weapons mounted on the Zoid's side.

The twin beams struck home, hammering the Iron Kong and tearing armor off its chest and side. The massive Zoid rocked on its feet, but managed to stay upright for the moment. Not wanting to make a target of herself, Althiea opened up the throttle, the Zoid breaking into a run across the desolated landscape.

Firing the thrusters again, she leaped to one side then opened up with the Hyperbeam cannon. Again, however, the enemy pilot was ready for her, swerving out of her way and letting the shot fly well past it. Undeterred, she continued fire with the pulse cannon, trying to score some solid hit on the enemy machine.

A few hits made their mark, but not enough to even being to slow him down. As he swooped down again, she fired off again, leaping past the Zoid as its twin beam cannons spat fire at her. The shots sailed through the space where she had been, tearing into the twisted wreckage of the enemy's field command center. A second volley came even closer to making their mark, only narrowly missing her Zoid's head.

_He's faster then me, _she thought, _and has the advantage of the high ground. The Hyperbeam cannon is too slow-firing for this sort of work, and I can't effectively use the pulse cannon while on the run. _She shook her head. _Think, there has to be some weakness that I am missing... but what? _She was dealing with a Zoid designed for taking on some of the most dangerous Zoids ever created. The Gunguyarados, which it appeared to have downed earlier, was an example of the sort of opponent it was created to face. _And I'm stuck here on the ground, shooting up at him._

_Unless..._

An idea began to form in her mind, one that reeked of desperation. Yet, at the same time, it was possibly her best chance. She again broke into a run, this time trying to get away form the enemy Zoid without trying to engage it.

"Run, Althiea!" The enemy pilot called out. "It will not do you any good. For what you have done, I would pursue you to the very ends of the world. I will not be denied my victory!"

Ignoring his words for the moment, she searched the area around her. An ammunition bunker, surprisingly untouched in the fighting thus far, provided her with the perfect sort of target. Ignoring the Evil Pegasus for now, she opened fire on it with the Hyperbeam cannon. The shot penetrated the bunker, which then ripped apart and exploded as the munitions inside detonated in a spectacular fireball. Black flames billowed out of the wreckage, clogging the air around her.

_And giving me the chance I need._

The iron Kong leaped bodily into the flames, then suddenly thrusted sideways towards the Zero point tower while staying under cover. As she had anticipated, the Evil Pegasus swooped down, opening fire into the cloud of smoke where she had been. The shots served to cock off some of the remaining ammunition, only adding to the clouds that were providing her cover.

Confident that the enemy pilot had no idea where she was, she went into action. The Iron Kong sprinted towards the hulk of Zero point, grabbing onto the structure's side. Then, with an agility that belied its bulk, the Zoid clambered up the side of the tower, trying to remain as close to it as possible. Reaching the top, she squatted down in the tangled mess of metal at its peak, hoping that the sheer size of the structure would provide her Zoid with the camouflage she needed.

"Althiea!" He called out. "There is no point in hiding! Accept the inevitable!" The Evil Pegasus swooped down, heading towards the tower. Seeing her chance, Althiea got ready to act.

_I only have one chance, _she thought. _I have to get this right._

She fired the thrusters, the massive Zoid leaping into the air. Twisitng in flight, it came down on the Evil Pegasus' back, the boosters firing as they pushed the enemy Zoid downwards, aiming to drive it into the ground. "This madness ends here!" She called out, her Zoid digging its massive fists into the Pegasus' neck.

"You fool!" he yelled back. "You're destroying the only chance this world has!"

"Then I will create a new opportunity for this world." She stated. "One that does not rely on the slaughter of innocent millions!" The two Zoids slammed into the ground, the Evil Pegasus taking the brunt of the blow. Its legs shattered and wrenched free of its body, while the wings were crushed under the mass of the super-heavy Zoid. The Iron Kong stood, then slammed its foot down on the Zoid's neck, shattering it.

Turning, she looked back at the massive bulk of Zero Point. In spite of all the carnage around it, the structure still stood, seemingly unharmed. She knew that it was an ancient artifact, one of great power. She knew that it contained knowledge and technology that was unknown to the world, the stuff that could be used to do great things. But, at the same time, she also knew it was a danger, one that could not be allowed to exist.

Somehow, they had to find a way to destroy it.

The Iron Kong's sensors beeped in alarm at the approach of another Zoid; a single, large machine heading straight towards Zero point. Looking over, she saw exactly what it was. The red Deathsaurer, the same machine that had almost destroyed them earlier. And now she was all alone against it.

Or so she thought.

"Althiea!" Floyd called over the communicator. "I said I'd go to get us a bigger gun. Well, here it is."

She suddenly smiled out of relief, realising that not only was this fearsome machine her ally, but that the nightmare that had been unleashed was now at an end. "Floyd, I-"

"Shh." He shook his head. "It's over now."

She nodded, her battered Zoid slowly walking out of the path of the Deathsaurer. As she went, she allowed herself one last glimpse back at the tower. _You fought so long to preserve your race, even after you knew they were all gone. You started out with noble goals, but allowed yourself to become corrupted and twisted by your hatred. You have lived too long, great one. Now it is time for you to rest._

"Ready Normal People?" Floyd called out.

"Ready!" Sabrina cheerily replied. The fan on the Deathsaurer's back began to spin as a blue energy ring built up around it. Power was pumped into its system, drawing through its titanic body and focused into its mouth. The jaw opened, a brilliant blue-white ball of energy building up inside of it. And then the Zoid fired, the energy beam driving straight towards Zero point.

The beam stuck the tower at its base, tearing through the structure, incinerating it. Its base cut out form underneath it, the tower began to collapse, the Deathsaurer's beam tearing across it and ripping it apart. Its integrity gone, Zero point simply collapsed into a pile of burning metal, the flames providing a funeral pyre for the last remnants of an ancient civilization.

"Our work here is done, little buddy." Floyd began, the Deathsaurer turning to face Althiea's Zoid.

She nodded calmly as she reached out her senses, looking over the ruins of the tower. She could feel that ancient, terrible entity, but now its life was waning, dissipating as if it were smoke. For all its power, all its anger, the spirit inside could not survive without the computer hardware that had housed its intelligence.

And then there was a sudden spike, a new, different entity. It spoke of rage and hatred, mixed in with incredible pain. It was one she had sensed before, but not in a long time; alien and yet strangely familiar.

"So," Floyd continued. "who wants to get ice-"

"Floyd!" She called out in warning, but it was too late. A stream of energy fire leaped from the flames, tearing into the Deathsaurer's back, puncturing the intake fan. The Zoid bucked, belching flames form its back and maw as its core systems were penetrated and blasted apart.

oOoOo

"Sabrina!" Floyd called out form the suddenly claustrophobic confines of the gunner cockpit. "What's going on?"

"The core power systems have been penetrated!" She yelled back as she glanced over the status board. Red lights were coming on everywhere, indicating the destruction of multiple critical systems. "I've got a cascading system failure; everything's' going down at once. I'll have to pull the core off-line or else-"

"Do it." Floyd replied, knowing what she meant. _Whatever it is that destroyed us, we cannot face it. You are on your own, Althiea. Good luck._

oOoOo

The Deathsaurer crashed to the ground, its ravaged body seemingly inert. Althiea turned towards the ruins of Zero Point, the apparent source of the attack. From within the flames a new Zoid emerged, a red and white feline machine. It sported two large shields on its forelegs, a pair of heavy cannons on its back, and a single, brilliant green orb in the center of its head.

"I had everything." Jenice called out from the machine. "Power, knowledge... immortality. The world was mine, and you took it all form me. And for that, Althiea, you shall die."


	46. To Beyond

The Trinity Liger and Iron Kong stared at each other across the ruins of Zero Point. Around them was a nightmare of ruined Zoids, destroyed buildings and dead bodes, while the burning wreckage of the Zero point tower itself provided the backdrop for the confrontation.

"Jenice." Althiea began. "We don't have to do this."

"You don't understand." The one-time Red Claw leader replied. "You could never understand. I had... when the Great One was inside me, that was an epiphany, a moment of pure, unimaginable joy and enlightenment. For that brief moment, Althiea, I was everywhere. I was everything. All knowledge was mine, to use as I saw fit. I was immortal, all-powerful, as if I had transcended from this flesh and achieved a higher state of being. You couldn't imagine what it was like."

"No, I cannot." She admitted.

"And then..." Jenice sneered. "You took it all from me. You drew me back to this pitiful state, and then destroyed all that I had been. I can never go there again, I can never be that being again. All I have is the fleeting memories of that brief moment of perfection. You cannot imagine the pain that has caused me."

"I cannot." Althiea admitted. "But it doesn't have to be like this."

"Yes, it does." She snarled. "I shall show you the pain that I have suffered, Althiea, by destroying you. And I shall take the utmost pleasure in doing it." The Liger roared, then charged forwards, lunging at the Iron Kong. The two gattling cannons on its back roared into life, spraying beams at Althiea's Zoid as she desperately twisted the controls, trying to escape Jenice's wrath.

Shots tore into the Zoid's chest and flank, shredding the already depleted armour and rocking the massive machine. Althiea could already see warning lights coming on across the board, but she ignored them for the moment, instead concentrating on the enemy Zoid. She ducked to one side, using the thrusters to quickly spin around, then opened fire with the Hyperbeam cannon on the enemy machine. The heavy beam struck the liger in its side, tearing through one of the shields.

The Trinity Liger recoiled under the hit, but kept going. The machine lunged forwards, again hammering the Iron Kong with its cannons. More shots peppered the Zoid's chest and shoulders, shaking the massive machine. Seeing a chance, Jencie moved in for the kill, the Trinity Liger's strike laser claws activating before they lashed out at Althiea's Zoid, tracing brilliant golden arcs through the air. The Claws ripped into the Kong's arms, shredding the armour and digging into the powerful motors inside.

In response, the Iron Kong swung around, slamming the Liger in the side with one of its fists. Armour rumpled and buckled under the blow, but the machine remained standing. A second blow slammed it form the other side, knocking it to the ground. Athilea wheeled around driving down with one of the powerful fists, aiming to finish off the enemy Zoid. Instead, the Zoid rolled out of the way, then sprang to its feet.

The Trinity Liger took off, sprinting away from the Iron Kong for a moment. Raising the damaged left arm, Althiea opened up with the pulse cannon, spraying shots at the enemy machine. Several bursts hit its back and flank, but the machine wheeled around and came charging back. Its twin gattling cannons fired again, ripping into the Iron Kong's armour over the chest and legs before Althiea could fire the boosters and jet back out of its line of fire.

Althiea squeezed off another shot, the Hyperbeam Cannon blasting into the already damaged shield, tearing it apart and cutting into the foreleg. If Jenice noticed the damage, however, she didn't care, the Trinity Liger charging forward at Althiea's Zoid. She again opened up with the gattlings, the rounds punching through the Iron Kong's chest. The massive Zoid staggered, black smoke billowing out from the gaping wounds in its body.

"You are weak, Althiea!" She snarled as she charged forwards. "You do not deserve to live!" The liger leaped, its claws flashing with brilliant golden energy. One of them scythed through the Hyperbeam cannon, tearing the massive weapon in half and ripping it off the Iron Kong's shoulder.

However, the move also exposed the Liger, giving Althiea a chance to act. She swung around, planting one of the Zoid's massive fists into its underbelly. The force of the blow sent the trinity Liger reeling backwards, crashing to the ground. As it stood, she opened fire with the pulse cannon, the shots ripping into its damaged flank and blasting apart one of the two gattling cannons.

Red lights came on across the board as the Iron Kong settled, indicating that the right arm was near failure. _Just a little longer, please. _She knew that Jenice would not stop until either - or both - of them were dead. _And if I let her escape, there's no telling what damage she may do. No, this has to end right here._

The Iron Kong bellowed and charged forewords, closing the distance between it and the smaller Liger. Firing the thrusters, Althiea leaped into the air, then sailed downwards, her pulse cannon raking the liger's back before the massive fist slammed into it, causing the liger to stagger and stumble as armour cracked and broke. She reeled back for another blow, only to have the liger lash out with its claws, ripping into the Kong's forearm. The pulse cannon and the armour over it were shredded, debris flying.

Regardless she continued her assault, lashing out again. Another blow slammed into the side of the Liger's head, cracking the green orb on the Zoid's head Zoid and sending it reeling. Somehow recovering, the Trinity Liger again ran in with the gattling cannon, ripping more armour from the Kong.

More red lights came on, their presence indicating the imminent faloure of numerous systems, while warnings filled the cockpit. Ignoring them, Althiea pressed on, determined to bring down her opponent. The two Zoids closed in, each aiming for the kill. The liger moved first, leaping on the Iron Kong as Althiea tried to twist out of its way. She was unsuccessful, the enemy machine tearing into the Kong's back, its claws gouging apart the missile launcher and tearing chunks out of the thruster pack.

She lunged backwards, the Kong's elbow slamming into the Liger's belly, dislodging it but leaving Althiea's Zoid off-balance. The Kong again staggered, collapsing forwards as the arms let out a whine of protest. Desperately trying to bring the Zoid to its feet, she willed it to go on and continue fighting. Behind her, the Trinity Liger turned and rushed forward, roaring with victory at the imminent demise of its foe.

Althiea struck first, but it wasn't enough. The Iron Kong;'s fist slammed into the Liger, twisting and bending one of the forelegs legs and stopping just short of snapping it off. The Liger's retribution, however, was more severe. The Strike Laser Claws sliced through the Iron King's head, tearing away half its face and cockpit - and passing mere centimeters from where Althiea had been sitting. Crippled but still standing, the Liger leaped away form its foe while the Iron Kong collapsed to the ground.

Realising that her Zoid was down and out of action, Althiea quickly released the safety harness and then scrambled out of the ruins of the Zoid's cockpit. Scrambling across the battlefield, she looked around for somewhere that she could go, some place she could hide. She knew that the destruction of her Zoid would not be enough to appease Jenice; the woman wouldn't rest until she had hunted her down and killed her.

She didn't get far before she heard the roar of the Liger behind her. Looking around, she realised that there was no place for her to turn to, no place for her to hid. She was exposed and vulnerable, and at the mercy of Jenice.

"You." the Red Claw's leader spoke as Althiea turned around, staring at the battered form of the Trinity Liger as it stood over her. "You are the source of all my woes, the cause of all my failures. I should have destroyed you all those months ago, rather then trying to use you to further my cause. It is a mistake, one that I do not intend to repeat."

Althiea stood her ground against the enemy Zoid, not trying to run or hide, her face betraying no hint of fear. Instead, she concentrated. Closing her eyes, she slowly raised one arm, the hand open.

"This time that will not work, Althiea." Jenice snarled. "This Zoid is far stronger then the one you destroyed; and I have come much further. I am at the peak of my powers now. You cannot defeat me."

"I'm sorry." Althiea began. "Please, Jenice. Surrender now. Don't make me do this."

"What?" The Liger seemed to recoil, as if reflecting its pilot's own shock at her statement. "You seem to misunderstand the situation, girl."

"I'm sorry." She simply repeated.

There was a loud bellow of anger as the battered and broken Iron Kong rose form the ground behind the Liger, rearing up and raising its arms while its ruined red eyes glared an angry red. Then, it smashed downwards, slamming into the Liger's back with devastating force. There was a shriek of tortured metal as the Liger's body snapped and twisted under the force of the blow, which drove it to its knees.

"What... that's impossible!" Jenice called out. Her Zoid tried to turn, but was struck by another pair of devastating blows. "That's... no!"

"Please, surrender." Althiea pleaded as the wrecked Iron Kong placed its hands around the Trinity Liger's head. "Please."

"No!" Jencie stated, her voice tinged by desperation. "I will not allow this! I will not be defeated by this... this... no!" The Iron Kong grasped the Zoid's head, then simply crushed it between its massive hands.

"I'm sorry." Althiea finished, shaking her head as a single tear rolled down one cheek.

oOoOo

**To Beyond**

oOoOo

Despite the pain, Sturm managed to pull himself out of the ruined cockpit of his Zoid. He'd survived the machines destruction and subsequent crash, albeit severely bettered. He was covered with bruises, bleeding in a few places and pretty sure that he had cracked a rib or two. However, he was alive and mobile, which was a good start.

_Now to find out what the hell has happened here, _he thought to himself as he looked around. Zero point was gone, in its place was a twisted, burning pile of scrap metal. Various Zoids lay around him, their forms battered and broken like discarded toys. _Have I died and indeed gone to hell? _He asked himself. _Or is this just a frightening reality?_

"Sturm?" A weak voice began. Spinning around to its source, he saw the form of Levisha's Lord Gale lying on the ground near his own machine. It had clearly crashed to the ground, its body battered and broken, and its wings snapped. More striking was its head, which had a large lance rammed straight through it. Clearly the machine was out of action, and it's pilot...

He could see Levisha crawling out of the cockpit, her form looking to be as battered and bruised as he was. Drawing his gun, he walked towards her, ready for anything that she might try to pull while trying to put aside the conflict of emotions that her survival had generated. He was angry at her for the way she had used him but, at the same time, angry at himself for the way she had used him.

"Sturm..." She repeated, looking up at him. Her contacts had come loose, leaving both her green eyes exposed. However, they seemed to be staring past him, instead looking off into some point in the distance. "Help me."

"Why?" He angrily replied. "Why should I?"

She crawled out of the Zoid, then collapsed at his feet. "I can't feel it, Sturm." She moaned, sobs coloring her tone. "My body, Sturm. I've lost it... I can't feel it any more."

He was puzzled by what she had said; she was clearly able to move and control herself. "Get up." He angrily replied. "You don't deserve sympathy or aid."

"But my body!" She shouted, rearing up and then falling back. "I... I..." She glared angrily as she propped herself up, then stretched out one hand at him. "You have done this! You have reduced me to this! I command you, my minions! Destroy this man!" She closed her fingers into a grasping talon, snarling as if she was expecting something to happen.

And then he understood. She'd linked her mind to the Lord Gale, and then, through it, to the Chimeras she controlled. The destruction of the control unit must have fed back on her and shocked her, as a result, she still thought she was connected to the machine... _or even a part of it._

"Shh." He shook his head. "Rest now, Levisha. We'll get you help soon." _Whatever that may be._

"You..." She glared at him. "Don't make me destroy you."

"Believe me, I am no threat to you." He shook his head. "Just... rest. We'll repair your body, and then you'll be ready again."

She lowered her arm and nodded. "I understand. I'll stand down, and await orders."

"Good." He finished as he heard the sound of someone else approaching. Gun ready, he turned around to face this new arrival. He didn't know who or what it was, but he wanted to be ready regardless. _And I have not made a lot of friends in the last few hours. Anyone here could be hostile._

He was right in his assumption. It was Jaeger (or at least, the man who had called himself that), clearly worse for the wear but still dangerous. He was holding, and one arm hung limply at his side. The other was outstretched, holding a strange, but still deadly-looking pistol. "You." he snarled. "Why did you turn on us? Why did you abandon us? You could have had all you desired!" He aimed the gun straight at Sturm, pointing it at his head.

"Because I no longer wanted what you desired." Sturm stated. "Because unlike you, I remained some semblance of integrity and decency. And I could see that what I wanted and what you were going to do were completely different things. I decided that the slaughter of missions would not be an acceptable step towards my goals. To me, the ends do not justify the means."

"So now you grow a backbone." He snorted derisively. "And look what it has gotten you. This all happened because of you, Sturm. Don't you ever forget that."

"I never will. And while I know that I can never be a Paladin again, I still can try to atone for my deeds. Please, surrender now."

"Never." He hissed. "I am, leaving, Trogdor. You will not follow me, nor will you try to stop me. You can stay here, and play with the wreckage that your mighty deeds have left behind, and your broken woman."

"No sympathy for your agent?" He asked, glancing at Levisha.

"She has served her purpose." He snarled. "And now she is worthless to us; a broken mind trapped in a useless body."

"You!" Levisha hissed. "I'll destroy you! My minions shall tear you limb form limb!" Again she extended her hand, clenching it."

"See?" Jaeger finished. "Farwell, Paladin Trogdor." He glared, then began to back off, gun at the ready. "I'd hoped to kill you myself, but... perhaps another-"

"Hold it right there!" Sturm recongised the familiar voice of the new arrival. "Drop the gun right now, and surrender! I do not wish to harm you but-"

Jaeger wheeled around, turning towards Nathan, who had stepped around another ruined wall. The _Kuroryu-kai _agent wasted no time, quickly squeezing off a shot. The round narrowly missed Nathan, who ducked behind the wall. Snarling, Jaeger fired again, the round gouging into the ferrocreate by Nathan's head.

Sturm saw his own opportunity, and fired. The round struck Jaeger in the neck, dropping him instantly. He collapsed limply to the ground, sprawling out, his pistol landing next to him.

"Sturm!" Nathan called out. "Put down the gun."

Sturm slowly kneeled, putting his own weapon down onto the scorched desert sand. "I'm unarmed, Nathan." He called back. "I don't want to cause any trouble. Please."

Nathan cautiously emerged form his cover, gun at the ready. "I don't want to hurt you, Sturm."

Sturm nodded. "You don't have to." he added, looking down at the ground, unable to meet his former friend's eyes. "Nathan, I've done a lot of evil things. I won't hide it and claim that it was for some noble cause or some greater good. I was greedy and selfish, and blinded by my own beliefs. I... I want to atone for my actions. I want to go some way to redressing what has happened here."

Nathan nodded. "You've already started." And then, in a rare moment, he smiled.

oOoOo

Sighing to herself, Rayvenne looked over her Sinker. The Zoid had made a rough belly landing in the desert, skidding along on its underside before coming to a stop. Looking over it, she could see that the bodywork was riddled with holes, while the two main engines were both shot. One of the gattling cannons had torn loose during the landing, and had left itself scattered in pieces across the landscape. "Ah hell." She began, shaking her head. "This thing's a mess."

She hoped it could be repaired. It was about the only thing she had of her family and her only connection to their past. When she'd found it, she'd learned about her ancestors, a pair of famous Zoid pilots. In suing the machine, she had hoped to follow in their footsteps, and live up to their reputation.

"Nothing lasts forever, I guess." She sighed. "Ah well..."

"Beloved!" A sickeningly familiar voice called out form behind her. "I'm so glad I found you and that you're alive!" With a quiet moan, she tuend aorudn to see Gwen approaching. The Red Claw pilots' clothes were torn and she sported a few bruises but, to Rayvenne's displeasure, she looked to have survived intact. "I thought that I'd never have the chance to tell you that-"

"Hold it!" Rayvenne shouted out, holding up a hand. Gwen almost ran face-first into it before she stopped. "Before we go any further, there's something you need to know."

"You're married?"

"No."

"You're engaged?"

"No!"

"You're suffering from some horrible disease?"

"No!" Rayvenne snapped, switching back to her normal voice.

"Your voice sounds... strange." She continued. "Are you all right?"

"Gwen just-" She sighed. "Just, shut up already, okay?" She removed her helmet, then shook out her long black hair. Dropping it to the ground, she took off her bandanna and grinned. And then, just to get the point over, she unzipped her top to show her bra and ample cleavage.

"Gah." Was all Gwen could manage as she staggered back, her jaw hanging slack. "You-" She muttered. "You're a... uhh..."

"A woman, yes." Rayvenne smiled. "And I'm amazed ya never noticed, really."

"Gah."

She cast a critical eye over the Red Claw pilot. "Although... maybe I'll cut you some slack. After all, you look like a sixteen year old boy yourself..."

"Gah."

"In fact-" She looked over to see Jason clambering over some wreckage, then walk towards her. "There's someone I think you need to meet."

"Rayvenne?" Jason asked. "Are you okay?" he was looking a little ragged himself, but in better shape then the Red Claw pilot. Certainly his jaw wasn't dragging on the ground.

"Fine." She smiled as she walked over to him. "You?"

He shook his head. "My Zoid's a wreck, but I'll live."

"Well, as long as you're alive, that's important." She finished as she approached him. "'sides, Jase, I've got something I've gotta tell ya."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "What's-"

She cut him off, grabbing him by his cheeks and pressing his lips to hers. He seemed to be initially resistant or confused, but suddenly relented, joining the embrace and passionately returning her kiss. They held it for a moment, then broke and stepped back. "Wow." he began. "Um... wow."

With a mischievous grin, Rayvenne turned back to Gwen. The Red Claw agent was still staggered. "The other thing I meant to say, Gwen is, well... I'm spoken for." She smiled.

"Gah..." Gwen shook her head, trying to recompose herself. "You... were... a woman... and I... I... was... aaaaaaah!" She staggered back, clutching at her hair. "Oh my god, oh my god... oh yuck!"

"Uhh... y'all okay there?" Leanne casually asked as she approached the small group, watching as Gwen staggered around the tortured landscape.

"Gwen's fine." Rayvenne commented. "Just got a bad case of reality shock. Give her a bit."

"Right..." The redhead looked around. "Well, it seems like everything's over, even if our Zoids are all broke." She shrugged. "So what do we do now?"

"I dunno." Jason shrugged. "I was planning to go back to Gayos, I guess, There are, uh, there are people there who will want to know I'm alive."

"Yeah." Leanne nodded. "Thing is, I set out to have an adventure. An' now, well, I think I had one. I think we all did; meetin' strange new people, travellin' to exciting new places and saving the world and all that. Certainly I think I've had all the excitement I can handle for now."

Rayvenne looked at her two friends. "Sounds like a plan, actually." She added, putting an arm around Jason. "Besides, we've really only know each other as traveling companions. What I reckon, well... I reckon we should actually get to know each other some more. As people that is."

"Ya know what?" Leanne nodded. "I'd like that."

oOoOo

Floyd looked over the battered and broken displays in front of him, then gave the canopy an experimental push. It didn't budge. Shrugging, he sat back and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible inside the belly of the Deathsaurer. As near as he could tell, there was four hundred tons of machine on top of him keeping the canopy shut. He'd get out sooner or later, but not now.

"It was a sweet ride." he commented to nobody in particular. "And I'll miss her."

"I think that we can fix it." Sabrina offered.

"The Deathsaurer? I have no doubt. Its recovered from worse." He added. "No, I was talking about my Gustav. Poor machine, battered, broken and then trod on."

"Maybe you could get a new one."

"Possibly but..." He sighed. "I just don't think it would be the same." He leaned back some more. "I think, Sabrina, it's about time that I sat back and began acting a bit more responsibly. Maybe shed my renegade genius image for something a touch more sensible or a touch more realistic."

"I'm sure you could get a job in Blackstar." She spoke up.

"Blackstar is not my style. No offence, Sabrina." He shook his head. "Your people do things that, well, things that I don't quite agree with. Things that I think they shouldn't do."

"Like what?"

"Well." He glanced around. "You ever heard the name Victoria Hagen?"

"No."

"Of course you haven't. They probably neatly edited it out of their 'official' history." He began. "Anyways, Victoria Hagen was the last pilot of this machine before you. She was the only person who could activate it to boot. She would have been about your age when she did it too, which is a surprise. Anyways, Vic Hagen wasn't a Blackstar, or, as they were known back then, a Novo Zemalyan. She was an outsider who just happened to get caught up in things, much like I was."

"Okay." Sabrina continued. "But... I don't follow."

"Thing is, Victorian was a _lot _like you, I mean a _lot._" He explained. "Same size, same build, similar face... she even had the same very distinctive eye colour. And like you, she was the only person who could activate that Zoid."

"I see." Sabrina finished, then paused. "Yeah... I think I can understand what you mean."

Floyd nodded solemnly. "I hope you realise that I bear no ill-will or malice towards you for what you are or where you are from. You just have to understand that there are some things that your people do that I think that they shouldn't because, well... they're just _bad, _you know?"

"Sure." She replied. "But... there's one thing."

"Go on."

"This Hagen girl... do you think we're related?"

"Uhh..." Floyd shrugged. "Who knows. May be just a crazy coincidence."

oOoOo

Looking at the display, Ashleigh Thorne could see the icons indicating the _Kuroryu-kai _units thinning out and dispersing. Their ranks ravaged and their battle group collapsing and losing cohesion, they had chosen to break and flee, scattering to the four winds. Around her, faster-moving Drakken forces were harrying them, trying to take down as many of the Bio-Zoids as possible before they escaped. They had already won the battle, all they were doing now was cleaning up after it.

Her Darkhorn was battered and scarred, its systems all worn to the point of near failure. It had been an uphill struggle to keep going during the battle, but she'd managed it; she had pushed herself and her machine to their very limits, and exceeded everything she thought possible - even the limitations of her less then perfect background, that hybrid stain on her lineage.

_I've done it. _She thought. _The greatest threat that we have ever faced, and I have defeated it. _There was a certain degree of satisfaction, that knowledge of what she had done.

O'Bannon's Energy Liger pulled up next to her Zoid, the massive machine growling at hers. Like her Zoid, its armour was pitted and scored, showing the clear signs of heavy combat. She could only imagine how he was faring, being of weaker stock then her. "Good work there." He began, his voice tired but at the same time confident. "I think... I think that's going to be the end of them."

"It would appear so." She agreed. "Your men... they fought really well, given the circumstances."

"I'd expect nothing less." He offered. "I'm very proud of those under my command, and how they have handled themselves, given the situation. And, I'll also say this much, it was an honour to fight alongside you."

"Uh..." She paused, not sure what to say. In truth, this battle had shattered a lot of her treasured beliefs about the world and the way it worked. O'Bannon and his men had fought as bravely and as fiercely as she'd expect from any Blackstar. And while maybe not as capable, they had more then made up for it with their determination and resilience in the face of this unknown enemy.

And as ofr Major O'Bannon... it had amazed her the lengths he would go through for his men and to ensure his victory. Deep down, she realised that she had cruelly misjudged him, not just for his nationality or culture, but because of his connection to her past, to the failures of her predecessors.

"Thank you." She finished. "And, I will say, that it has been an honour to serve alongside you and your men." She nodded. "I feel... I think I have misjudged you, Alistair O'Bannon."

oOoOo

Marissa Fyre sat in her command chair in the _Terminus Est, _glaring at the monitor before her. "As you can see, your majesty, the evidence is very compelling." Nathan Winters spoke over the communications channel. "You and your nation have been played for fools, and used to push somebody else's agenda."

"I concur with his evidence." Major O'Bannon added over a linked channel. "The forces we encountered match those he described, and it appears that their objective was to delay us from reaching this one point."

"So then." She observed. "All that has happened, the Red Claw's coup, Zygra's flight and our subsequent war of liberation has been at the behest of Hydra." The very thought of it appalled her. That Hydra still existed was a repulsive enough idea, but to think that she had been tricked into doing their bidding was more so. Hydra had come closer to destroying the Draken empire then anyone had ever dared imagine; even today, over fifty years later, their name was considred to be a curse.

Too much of it made sense; the lack of the Gungyarados and other vital Red Claw units, the appearance of the mysterious enemy force in the south, the unprovoked Zygra attacks that had given her the excuse to turn to a more aggressive stance, all added up. She had indeed been played for a fool; that the same applied to Zygra didn't help matters.

"That is correct." Winters replied. "Prince Zygra was also being manipulated by these elements, and was unaware of it. In truth, we all were."

_Which puts me in a bind, _she considered. _I am so near to my goal of destroying Zygra and claiming its lands for my empire. Yet, if I do, then I will be admitting that I was played for a fool, and used to further somebody else's agenda. All I have done would be touched with Hydra's taint. _She mentally summarised all that Winters had said. _And I have no doubt that, should I continue, the full story of what occurred here would become public knowledge._

_And what happens if I withdraw? I can claim a partial victory, and leave my forces behind to 'stabilise' the borders until the Zygra armies are restored, and then make pretexts to continue that occupation. I will not have crushed Zygra, but I will have made inroads. And then... there's the Aurorans. We could surround them and cut them off, then destroy them while Zygra is still occupied._

"Very well then." She finished. "Your words are sound and truthful, and I can see all that has occurred. I will stand down my forces, and order them to withdraw from Gayos."

"Thank you, your majesty." Nathan nodded.

"I wish you all the best for the future, Paladin Winters." She continued. "Your nation has suffered greatly. Rebuilding will be a long and arduous task."

"We will manage, your majesty." He replied. "Decades ago, we forged a new nation out of the wastes. Compared to that, what lies ahead will be almost trivial."

"Very well." She nodded. "And I look forward to meeting you some day." She closed the channel, then sat back, steeping her fingers as she contemplated the situation.

"Your orders?" Nacht asked.

"The situation in Gayos?"

"The Red Claw is broken, their formations collapsing and their troops breaking. It appears that the majority have been eliminated, with the rest trying to run."

"A passable victory then." She finished. "Order all forces to stand down and withdraw to fallback positions."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Oh, and order Delta to tie up loose ends." She finished. "We want a nice, clean resolution to all this."

oOoOo

Delta, formerly known as Kara Zale (Although that was not her real name, nor were any of the other names she had used during her time in Imperial intelligence), patiently waited in the cockpit of her Zoid. She didn't know if she would be ordered into action, but she had been sent here as a contingency against certain events and would remain until she was ordered to do otherwise. Below, she could see the ruined city of Gayos, the final invasion being played out to its only logical conclusion.

The Imperial forces had walked all over the Red Claw, grinding their troops into the dust before them. There had been a handful who had attempted to flee, but most of those had been cut down by the Drakken troops. From what she saw, she was largely redundant here.

A beep from her communicator informed her that she was indeed needed. A brief text message flashed up, indicating the situation and which contingency plan was needed. Surprised, she moved over to her camouflaged Zoid, clambering into the cockpit. Despite its coloration, the well-prepared camouflage netting had served to conceal the red Gunsniper, making it look like a part of the landscape. Most of the Zoid's systems were currently shut down, which served to make it very hard to detect on sensors.

Switching over to the sniper controls, she surveyed the city, looking for her target. In less the a minute, she found it, in amongst a group of other Zoids. The pilot seemed to be resting or maybe was confused, as the Zoid was currently largely immobile. _Doesn't matter, as long as it makes for an easier shot._

She squeezed the trigger, the Zoid bucking as the sniper rifle fired. Moments later, down in the city, the extravagantly marked liger Zero EM collapsed, its cockpit shot straight through.

Her work done, Delta switched back to regular modem, powering up the Zoid's main systems and preparing to move out. Moments later, the Zoid scampered off to its rendezvous.

oOoOo

A battered Gustav crawled through the desert, several other Zoids around it. All of them were worn and combat-damaged, but none more so then the Redler sitting on its trailers. The purple Zoid had large portions of both wings shot away, and one of the booster cannons had been reduced to little more then twisted junk.

In the cockpit of his Gustav, Bart Krark grumbled to hismelf. He'd planned to run off and keep all his ill-gotten wealth for himself. Splitting it with one guy, that Peloquin jerk who had helped him escape was fine; he'd needed the aid to get out of there. But running into the other Claw officers, even if it was a freak coincidence, had not been a part of the plan. Now, with Gwen in charge, he'd be forced to sell most of it to repair her Redler, and then split what was left.

And that was just not fair.

"So let me get this straight..." Harry McNeil spoke up over their comms channel. "You had a complete mad-on for that Sinker Pilot."

"Shut up." Gwen sulkily replied.

"And you didn't know that he was actually a she."

"Hey!" Gwen snapped. "None of us did."

"But the point remained that you had a mad-on for them." Harry continued.

"So wait." Drake interjected. "Does that mean that my sister's a le-"

"Shut up!" She snapped.

"Wow!" He continued, regardless. "Actually, that would explain an awful lot."

"Drake..."

"I mean, that's okay. Its not that there's anything wrong with that. If you want to go out with other women, that's fine by me."

"Drake!"

"Especially if we can watch." Harry added.

"Oh..." Gwen boiled over. "Just shut up the lot of you, okay? Just... go away and die or something!"

Bart smiled to himself. Even if he was having a terrible time of it, it was always pleasing to hear that there was someone who was worse off.

oOoOo

It had been four days now since the so-called 'liberation' of Gayos by the Drakken Imperial forces - if one could call reducing half the city to rubble that. However, it had only been in the last day that things had actually stablilsed with the arrival of the first Zygra imperial soldiers into the battered city. Taking control of it, they had stabilised the situation in the aftermath of the Drakken withdrawal and begun the long, hard job of rebuilding.

Of course, there were still a lot of questions hanging over everybody's head, not the least of which was the issue of who was actually in charge. Nikolas Zygra had been killed in the last moments of the Drakken Assault on the capitol, likely by a lone Red Claw sniper. he was the last of the Zygra royal family, leaving no heirs behind. It meant thaty, for the moment, the Empire was without a ruler.

Elise Rouget-Simons sighed to herself as she looked over the city. From up here, outside the factory, she could get a good view of the city and the damage it had suffered. Form what she could tell, only two major structures had survived intact - the palace, and her factory. She generally assumed that the Draken forces had left it alone simply to use it after they occupied the city. _Of course, that had never happened, _she reminded herself. It was just another of the many answered questions that had been floating around.

The barging she had made with Levisha Towne was one of the things that still weighed heavily on her mind. The Red Claw agent had, to her knowledge, never used the codes that Elise had given her. Of course, she'd also disappeared along with her Lord Gale long beofre the invasion began, which made Elise wonder even more. However, the Claw pilot had also failed to hold up her end of the deal - She'd failed to provide any concrete evidence on the location of her son. In fact, Elise had little reason to believe what little she'd said.

_Was he really a Red Claw agent? _She asked herself. _Had he been in Gayos all along? Or was there something more to it?_

She shook her head. With the chaos that had enveloped the nation, it would likely be months before she knew for sure, if ever. In the meantime, there would be a lot of anxiety, a lot of questions and a lot of nervous waiting - much like the rest of the empire.

"Mother?" A voice asked form behind her. Not daring to believe her ears, she gasped, standing ramrod straight. Slowly, trying not to think of what she might see, she turned around.

Jason was standing there, as real and as plain as day. He looked a little older and a little scruffier but... it was unmistakably him, her only child and the only family she had. "Jason?" She asked, her voice quivering as she tried to remain composed.

He nodded. "I..." he began. "I..."

And then she took him, holding him tightly. "Jason... I... I was so worried."

"I'm sorry." He whispered back. "I'm so sorry."

"No..." She replied. "I should apologies. I... I should have listened to you, paid more attention to you... everything."

"Its okay." He finished, then stepped back. "Really."

She smiled weakly. "I... I think that I won't ask where you have been. Not now, I mean... Its been too long."

"I understand." Jason nodded. "Um, Instead... there's somebody I'd like you to meet." He indicated to one side, a young woman approaching. Of average height, she had long dark hair and green eyes, and was dressed... well, 'under-dressed' would be a better term, but Elise was willing to let that pass.

"This is Rayvenne." He began. "She, uh, she saved my life several times." He continued. "Rayvenne, this is Elise Rouget-Simons, my mother."

Elise nodded. "I'm honoured to meet you. And... thank you for keeping my son alive."

"Well..." Rayvenne sheepishly admitted. "He did the same for me a few times."

"It's a long story." Jason admitted.

"And I would be fascinated to hear it." She finished.

oOoOo

_one year later..._

oOoOo

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Nathan winters bagan as he checked over his notes one last time. "This is just..." He shook his head.

"Its what the senate and the people wanted." Dezalg commented, limping over ot his friend. His leg had been broken when the Geno Hydra had been downed in battle, and had refused ot heal properly. Dezlag had joked that his age was finally beginning to catch up with him, and that he should possibly consider acting responsibility.

Nathan shook his head. "But me? President of the brand new Zygra Republic, even when I have no experience as a civilian leader? What were they thinking?"

"They were thinking about your impeccable record, my boy." Dezalg commented. "Your reputation for honesty and fairness, your heroic actions during the war, your unshakable presence, your determination to do what is right, no matter what..."

"Okay, okay..."

"And the unanimous support of your fellow Paladins." He finished. "Or, near-unanimous."

Nathan knew exactly what Dezalg meant. They'd gone to great lengths to find out what had happened to every last Zygra Paladin during the war. Many were dead, some were imprisoned, some were in hiding and some had continued fighting against the Red Claw, regardless of the situation. They'd eventually accounted for all of them, barring one.

Mykabe Okaro, the Paladin who had helped convey Zygra to the Drakken Empire had chosen to defect to the Empire rahter then return to Gayos. Empress Fyre had granted her asylum and, at last report, had given her a post in imperial intelligence. There had been a lot of suspicions that Okaro, while not an agent of the Claw or the _Kuroryu-kai _had been involved in the decision by the Drakken Empire to invade, and that she had stayed there to avoid possible repercussions. That she was the closest known associate of the late Emperor Zygra (He had never formally been crowned as such, but the title had stuck, many seeing him as an Emperor in Exile) also may have influenced her decision.

"I know but..." He shrugged. "Some would think that a civilian leader would be a better choice."

"The senate thought otherwise." Dezalg replied. "And many of them probably don't want too much attention paid not them after what they did in supporting Jenice's regime."

"Too true." Nathan admitted. The truth was, despite the shock of being given the job, he was growing to enjoy his position. He'd inherited an empire beset by internal strife and external invasion and been working to turn it around ever since. Form where he was, he had an opportunity to direct and change the course of the nation, spurning it on to the change and adaptation that was necessary for it to undertake. It was reform, but not the drastic, do-or-die style that Sturm and Jenice had exposed, rather a process of reform through sensible government.

"You know what, Hermann?" Nathan continued as he adjusted his tie for the dozenth time. Today he was appearing as a civilian leader and not a Paladin. As such, he'd adopted a regular suit, rather then his elaborate dress uniform. "I wonder... is this what Sturm had really wanted?"

"It's hard to say, really." Dezalg shrugged. "If he did, he went around it the wrong way."

Nathan nodded. One of their bigger surprises had been Sturm; he had willingly surrendered, and helped provide a lot of information that had been essential in cleaning up the last remnants of the _Kuroryu-kai. _More importantly, he seemed genuinely remorseful for his actions before and during the war. The transformation of the man had been dramatic, enough to convince Nathan that he was seeking his own atonement for his actions. He remained imprisoned and would stay there ofr the rest of his life, a fate he seemed to be ready to accept.

"You two ready?" Floyd Glass interrupted as he walked into the room. Despite his position as one of Nathan's chief advisors, the man hadn't bothered to clean up at all. He maintained his wild hair, his untrimmed barred and moustache and his shabby, debris-filled labcoat. Of course, Nathan wouldn't have it any other way. "I want to get there before they run out of hot dogs."

Nathan smiled. "I have a nation to run and to guide into the future. Let's go."

oOoOo

"Ssssh. They're coming" Rayvenne hissed as she elbowed Jason. "We want to look good, okay? This is our first time meeting a president."

"You knew Nathan before he was a president." Jason whispered back.

"Yes, but this is the first time since he's been a president. I want everything to be perfect."

"Ah, will you too pipe down?" Leanne muttered. "It'll be fine."

The three were seated on a raised platform, overlooking the rebuilt palace square. All three had also dressed up the best they can, which was actually rather unusual for them. Around them was a huge crowd, gathered to celebrate the first anniversary of the liberation of the Gayos, and the formation of what had become a new nation. Leanne, Rayvenne and Jason had been personally invited by President Winters himself as guests, because of the part they had played in the victory that had made all this possible.

Althiea had also been invited but had declined. Nobody knew why, however. She hadn't actually talked to them much since that day, not even to Floyd. Nobody had really comemnted when she had declined, beyond Floyd who'd' simply said to 'give her time.'

There were also those Red Claw members who had been involved in that battle. To this day, they remained fugitives, but were yet to resurface. Unlike the remaining _Kuroryu-kai _members, however, they were not considered to be a threat.

Nathan stepped onto the platform, with Dezalg, Floyd and Elise following behind him. As they approached, Rayvenne noticed Floyd whispering to Elise, the later suppressing a giggle at whatever comment he had made. "They're gettin' along well, ain't they?" Leanne noted.

"Well yeah." Jason muttered. "I've seen some of those new Zoid prototypes that she and Floyd are working on. That Moose... thing, the upgraded Bear Fighter and that Peacock are looking promising."

"That's not what I meant an' you know it." Leanne continued.

"Yes, but my mind refuses to accept the fact that Floyd could end up as my step-father." Jason continued.

"Wait..." Rayvenne paused. "Would that make him my..."

"Yes." Jason finished.

"Oh hell."

The three of them stood as Nathan approached. "Thank you all for being here today." He began. "This really means a lot to me. And, even though I know I'll say this again, I want to again thank the three of you for the parts you played in saving us form the _Kuroryu-kai. _If you hadn't been there, if you hadn't been fighting the Claw for so long while we were paralyzed with our own internal squabbles, well, I don't think any of us would be here today."

"We were just doing what we thought was right." Jason replied. "All of us."

"And that's often the bravest thing you can do." Nathan stated. "Dezalg has told me of how, sixty years ago, one man did the same, standing up for what he thought was right rather then going along the path he was expected to. I'd like to think that, if he were here today, Zygra would have approved of what you have done."

"Well, hell..." Leanne shrugged. "Sometimes I jus' think we were in the right place at the right time, and that were it. In truth, I have to wonder how far we'd have got if not for Althiea."

Nathan nodded. "Do any of you know where she is?"

Jason shook his head. "Sadly, no." He admitted. "She politely declined the invitation but... we haven't heard from her since."

"If may." Floyd Interjected. "Althiea's grown in... unexpected ways. In truth, I think that she's, ah... not quite of this world any more. She needs to still grow and explore just what she's capable of."

Nathan nodded. "I understand."

"Still." Floyd beamed. "Let not these dismal thoughts mar this otherwise wonderful day. We are here with each other, this circle of companions and friends who have come so far. Let us rejoice in this day, and in each other. For such brave and worthy friends are treasures indeed."

oOoOo

"You're going again?" Sarah began as Althiea loaded the last of her supplies into the Gustav.

"I have to." She replied with a solemn nod. The Zoid was packed down with supplies, while a large, bulky form was concealed under covers on its trailers.

"I understand." Sarah replied. When Althiea had returned from her voyage, she was clearly changed. It was more then just the year she had spent away, however. The young woman was a lot more mature, certainly, but there was more to it then that. To Sarah, who had known her most of her life, Althiea had changed in ways that she couldn't quite understand. She was no longer the frail, naive and idealistic girl she had raised, but a very different, strangely mysterious woman. "You have to do this, don't you?"

"I do." Althiea explained. "I don't think I'll ever be... complete otherwise."

"This is about your parents, isn't it?"

That caused Althiea to pause. "Yes, I guess. They're a part of it."

"I figured." Sarah commented.

"You knew them." Althiea continued. "What... what were they like? I know I never asked you before but..."

Sarah shook her head. "They were nice people, Althiea. But... they were very sad about something. I got the impression that they were hiding something or that there was something that they were afraid of. I really couldn't say what it was, Althiea. I'm sorry."

"No, its fine." Althiea nodded. "And I think I understand."

Sarah managed a weak smile. "Well... I know I can't dissuade you any more. Please, whatever it is you do, be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry." Althiea replied. "This time... this time I know what I'm doing."

"Now if only you'd known when you ran off with my jeep." Sarah quipped with a forced laugh.

Althiea shook her head. "I'm sorry. This... this has to be done. For me, and for the whole planet. Sarah, I cannot thank you enough for all you did for me. You took me in, you helped to raise me, you looked after me... everything. Now, I have to set out on my own."

"Of course." She finished. "Good bye Althiea."

"Goodbye Sarah." Althiea finished, trying to hold back tears. "And thank you, for everything."

oOoOo

"You can't do this to me!" The prisoner shouted as the two Blackstar Guards dragged him away. "You can't! Take me back, please!"

Thorne looked up from the forms as she finished off the last of them. "There you go." She began as she handed them back to Alistair.

"Thank you." He finished, and smiled. "Major Thorne, there is, ah, one other thing."

"Yes?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, it's going to be my tenth wedding anniversary next month. Now my wife is set on having a big celebration and one of those big social events, because of our status, being minor nobles and all." He stammered out.

"I see."

"Now I don't have a specific date and all but... um, would you like to come?" he looked hopeful.

She considered things for a moment, then smiled. "I would, thank you. Obviously, I shall have to see duty rosters and fob off my trainees to someone else but... I believe that I should be able to manage something."

"I'd appreciate it." He finished as he took the clipboard from her.

"Very well. Until then." She saluted, and turned to walk back to her Zoid.

O'Bannon nodded as he watched her go, then smiled. "Excuse me, sir." McMillain interrupted him.

"Yes?"

"You do know... umm..." He began. "I mean, It's going to be a big society function and all that, right?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"So... what if she turns up dressed like that?" He indicated to Thorne's revealing, skin-tight black synth-leathers.

"Then it will be a very interesting night." O'Bannon finished. "Something that I think these sorts of events lack."

oOoOo

For various reasons, Althiea had made one stop on her trip, traveling to the Blackstar City. It was a short stop, but there were a few things she needed to see and do there before she moved on.

_Release me_

"No." Althiea stated as she looked up at the massive metal tower that housed the Deathsaurer. Recovered and presumably repaired after the war, the Blackstars had again locked it away, presumably to rest until they next needed it. She held out one hand, looking up at the ominous structure. "You will rest now."

She had to confront that beast, the one that had reached out and spoken to her all those months ago. When it had first spoken to her, she had been terrified of it. Back then, it was a sinister, alien presence that had tried to invade and take her mind. Now that she knew what it was, she felt that she had the strength to confront it, to pit her will against it.

_Release me now!_

"Rest." She stated. "Rest now, until your people reawaken you." The voice was silent, indicating to her that she had been successful. Hopefully, the Blackstarts would never reawaken the machine again, but she felt no need to tell it that. For now, she figured, they would have a more stable, less temperamental power system.

"So how is he?" Sabrina asked. The young woman had been watching her, trying to gain some deeper understanding of what was going on.

"Ancient." She answered. "Full of rage and fury. He is a part of what happened at Zero Point, some how tied to it. But, for now, he sleeps and shall remain such until they next need you to pilot it."

"I see." Sabrina paused. "Did... did you ever find out why it was that only I could use it? I mean, with your... talents and all that."

She shook her head. "Not entirely but... I think it wanted you specifically. It wouldn't accept any other pilot. Its something about you that's different to everyone else."

"Well, people say my eyes are pretty special." Sabrina offered.

"Possibly. Maybe we'll never know. Maybe-" She was cut off by someone barging into her, momentarily knocking her off balance.

"I'm sorry!" A voice squeaked out as Althiea spun around and then, suddenly, was taken back. Standing in front of her was Levisha Towne, the _Kuroryu-kai _agent that had been the source of so many of their problems. Her red-dyed forelocks framed her sharp features, but her eyes were bright green and, to Althiea's surprise, suggested that she was genuinely apologetic or upset.

"Great going, numb nuts." A second, similar voice added. Levisha was jostled by a second woman who shaoved her aside. "You haver watch where you're going. You're always off, staring into space." To Althiea's surprise, this second woman also resembled Levisha, but had shoulder-length brown hair.

"You two." A third copy of the same voice continued, clearly irritated. "You're a pair of pains, you know that? Is should just..." This was a third Levisha, this time with boyishly-short brown hair.

"Quiet, the three of you." A more familiar woman interjected. Thorne barged her way past the trio of Levishas, instead turning to Althiea. "Well this is a surprise." The Blackstar began, and smiled. "I hadn't expected to see you here."

"Not as much as a surprise as, uh, them." She replied, nervously.

"Ah well... welcome to my purgatory." Thorne shook her head. "Remember the clone tanks we found in the _Kuroryu-kai's _headquarters?"

"I do..." She recalled the rows of tanks filled with copies of that one woman.

"Someone tried to destroy them, feed back some sort of hostile program to terminate their functions. By the time that we and the Drakken forces got there, most of the clones were already dead. These three-" She indicated to the three of them who were standing around, looking embarrassed. "Were all that were viable."

"I see."

"So, since Sonya Brie was originally a Blackstar, we claimed them as they contained what amounted to our classified technology, to which the genetic modifications common to all Blackstars."

"Sonya Brie?"

"Levisha." Thorne offered. "Her true self, a Blackstar pilot who had been missing for years. We've got her back now but... she's pretty much destroyed. Completely insane."

Althiea nodded, trying to remember what she'd gathered about the Blackstars and cloning. Floyd had indicated that they created new lives by combining genetic material form two 'parents' then growing the child in what amounted to an artificial womb. The result was children created under controlled conditions to eliminate defects, who then grew and developed as normal. The _Kuroryu-kai, _on the other hand, had perfected a method of force-growing hundreds of clones of a single individual, and maturing them to adulthood in a matter of days.

"So I got assigned to train these three rejects myself." She continued. "As a reward for my brave, yet completely unauthorised actions."

"We're not rejects - ow!" The second began, only to be cut off by the third slapping her over the back of the head.

"And the technology?"

"All lost, sadly." Thorne commented.

_That's not a bad thing, _Althiea mentally added. _Progress is good, but sometimes, there are things that one shouldn't do, places one shouldn't go._ "Well, I'm sure they'll keep you busy."

"And how about you?" Thorne asked, casting a critical eye over her. "You're not planning to stay here, are you?"

_Because, after all we went through, you still do not fully trust me. Not that I blame you; what I possess is another place that maybe we shouldn't go. _"Traveling." Althiea finished.

oOoOo

The trio of Black Redlers swooped down into the valley, using the high rocky ridges to mask their presence. These three were some of the last of their kind, some of the few examples found outside of the service of the Blackstar army. They carried no markings, and had nothing to identify their pilots or their nationalities.

The three Zoids traveled to the end of the valley, which opened out to a ruined city. It had been devastated during the Hydra war and never resettled or rebuilt. Instead, nature had been allowed to reclaim the ravaged landscape. The Zoids passed over fields of rubble and debris that were punctuated with patches of green, as what had once been a viable city of millions was slowly consumed by the natural world around it. The city was a remote outpost of the Drakken empire, far from anything which had contributed to the decision to abandon it.

It also made it an excellent place to hide something.

"You have entered controlled airspace." A featureless, electronic voice began, broadcasting to all three of the Zoids. "Identify yourselves immediately or you will be destroyed. This is your only warning."

"Transmitting ident code." The female pilot of the lead Redler spoke. "Authorisation Fyre Zero Zero Alpha Zero."

There was a tense silence. "Confirmed. Proceed to landing pad two."

The Zoids flew across the city until they reached its center, the ruins of an ancient fortress built on top of a mesa. The structure had dated back to the earliest wars that had lead to the rise of the Drakken Empire, but today was just another ruin in a world full of them. The Zoids stopped and hovered over the tower, then slowly descended inside it. They landed on the floor, which in turn began to descend into the Mesa proper.

The elevator reached the end of its ride, a squadron of white-clad soldiers filing out to greet the Zoids. Their bodysuits and masks completely obscured their features, but their high-tech battle rifles spoke of their intend.

"At ease." The black-clad woman began as she climbed out of her Zoid, removing her helmet.

"Empress Fyre." A voice began form the back of the security detachment. A white-clad figure stepped through the fierce, and approached her, bowing. "It is an honour to see you again."

"You said you had something to show me." She stated, dispensing with the pleasantries.

"Of course. This way, your majesty." He replied. The pair of them moved into the facility proper, a squadron of the guards closing ranks around them. The other two Redler pilots remained in their machines, knowing full well that their security clearance didn't cover anything beyond the landing pad.

Fyre and the scientist continued into the facility, walking past a rank of parked Redlers. These ones looked to be mirrors of the ones she has flown in, with white bodies and blue wings. She ignored them, turning her attention to the scientist. "So what is so important?"

"The Gungyarados core and body recovered by Delta has proven to be invaluable in our research." He explained. "We have been able to utilise its information in several of our other projects."

"Such as?"

He indicated to a pair of dragon-like Zoids, colored similarly to the Redlers but larger, with skeletal wings and bodies covered in ridges and spines. "We have been albe to drastically improve the amout of time that the Parablade and Death Raser can remain fused into their Decault Dragon form. With time, we believe that we may be able to create a permanent fusion."

"Most interesting. This will be useful."

"However, the other development we have achieved is far, for more important." He continued. "We were able to combine the Gungyarados data with that partial body we found, the one that was the core of our research."

"And the result?"

"See for yourself." He finished as they stopped before a viewing window.

Fyre looked in, examining the room's contents. "Most interesting."

"I admit that we are still working on getting all its systems operational. The ancient technology is... difficult to decipher. But still..."

"How long?"

"Maybe two years." He finished. "Possibly less."

"Excellent." She acknowledged. "This is a great moment for us. This is the birth of a new age for the Draken empire... and what better a herald for hits new age then a machine that will symbolise all we stand for."

She looked down again at the single Zoid in the middle of the room. It was massive, nearly as tall as a Deathsaurer and far longer. Standing on four powerful legs, its huge white wings spread from one side of the room to another. Horrific, saw-like weapons protruded form its wings, while its chest and shoulders bristled with cannons. Its head was concealed under a blue canopy, crowned with a pair of golden horns.

"And it will be a truly glorious age."

oOoOo

The old man stepped out of the isolated cave that he called his home, looking out over the desert sands. For a moment, he thought he heard something, enough to draw him out of the secluded home that had been his shelter for so long. It was here that he had done so much, working to preserve the last remnants of a culture that was all but extinct.

A culture that would likely die with him.

He clutched the black robe to his body as the wind picked up around him. Despite the howl, however, he swore he could hear something approaching, a mechanical clanking noise. Peering through the swirling sands, he could see a form approaching, its bulk silhouetted in amongst the dust and sand.

The form resolved itself, revealing that it was a Gustav towing a heavy load on its trailer. This surprised the old man; he rarely saw people coming out here. As the machine stopped in front of the cave, he realised that the machine had come here specifically, as if its pilot had come to seek him out.

The cockpit opened, a small form emerging. It was clad in the black cloak and hood that was a symbol of his people, another surprise. It walked towards him, stopping short just in front of him.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

The figure removed its hood, revealing the face of a young woman. Pale skinned, she had dark eyes and long black hair tied into two braids. "I have come here seeking you and the knowledge you possess."

Behind her the wind picked up, one corner of the tarpaulin covering the Zoid's load blowing loose and flapping in the wind. Underneath, he could see the body of an Iron Kong, clearly badly damaged and probably non-functional.

"Please." She continued. "Teach me your ways. Help me to become a true Darth."


End file.
